When most people get stumped on the SAT Math section, they panic and try to call to mind every single math concept they know in the hope that one of those concepts will miraculously reveal the answer. Instead, we want to narrow our focus and confine our thought process to the concepts in the question and the concepts that are related to them.
For example, if an SAT Math question involves words like “degrees” and “radius” and “center,” then it must be a question about circles, and there are only a few circle-related concepts that the SAT is allowed to ask us about (look back at the toolbox if you don’t remember what they are). That means that the solution to the question must somehow involve those circle-related concepts, so we should focus our attention on them.
5. Look for a 30-second solution.
In this step, we try to use everything we’ve already figured out (the clues from the diagrams, the clues in the answer choices, and the relevant mathematical concepts) to help us string together the right basic math ideas that will let us connect the prompt to the correct answer choice. And don’t forget—the best solutions will take you less than 30 seconds to work out.
Of course, as I said before, you can still get the question right even if you can’t find a solution in under 30 seconds. But it’s a good idea to get in the habit of looking for fast, simple solutions, because the majority of the difficulty that people have on the SAT Math section comes from not catching small details in a question, and wasting a lot of time and effort as a result.
6. Solve the problem.
After you have read the question, considered the answer choices, considered the diagram, considered the likely areas of math to be involved, and decided on a straightforward solution, you’ve finally earned the right to go ahead and solve the problem. IF YOU TRY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE EARLIER STEPS, YOU’LL PROBABLY JUST WASTE YOUR TIME.
This is one more way that SAT Math questions differ from the math questions you encounter in school. In school, the questions on a math test are basically just like the questions you’ve been doing for homework and the questions your teacher has been doing in lectures, so you build up a kind of instinctive, automatic approach to doing math, in which you memorize formulas and then automatically apply a certain formula in a certain situation.
But that won’t work on the SAT Math section, where questions seem to be specifically written so that formulas are of little help. If you read a math question on the SAT and dive right into it without thinking about it first, you’re probably doing something wrong. Don’t try to solve the problem until you’ve read it and thought about how it fits the SAT’s patterns and rules.
7. Re-check the answer choices.
One of the best ways to double-check your work is to look at all the choices you think are wrong and see if you can figure out why some of them are included. In other words, if you can figure out the mistakes that the College Board wanted you to make for some of the wrong choices, then there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve handled the question correctly. But if you look back over the wrong answers and you don’t have any idea why any of them are there, that’s typically a sign that you misunderstood the question. Be on the lookout for hidden patterns like the ones we talked about.
If you’re fully satisfied that you know why your answer is right and why at least a few of the other answer choices are present as wrong answers (for multiple-choice questions), mark your answer and move on to the next question. AS ALWAYS, IF YOU’RE NOT COMPLETELY SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWER, SKIP THE QUESTION. DON’T GUESS! If you don’t remember why you shouldn’t guess, go back and look at our earlier discussion of the problems with guessing.
SAT Math Path Conclusion
The important thing about SAT Math questions is that you shouldn’t try to solve them without reading them carefully and setting them up first. Taking a few seconds to get your bearings will make answering the question a lot easier. Remember to keep the solution to every problem as simple as possible.
It may seem like this process is pretty long or complicated, especially for questions that seem obvious when you first look at them. But it’s important to remember that you don’t have to use this process on every question—only on the ones that you can’t figure out at first. And you can modify it as you see fit, depending on the question and your own preferences.
The important thing is to be aware of all the elements involved in the Math Path (careful reading, considering the answer choices, evaluating diagrams, identifying relevant concepts, trying to find the simplest possible solution, and catching your mistakes). Try to implement them in your practice sessions, so they can become second nature when you see challenging questions on the test.