Are you interested in getting a perfect score on the SAT® Math section? Then you’ve stumbled across the correct video/blog! Here are some tips to help you achieve perfection on the SAT® Math section.
Tip 1 – Geek Out in Math
If you’re really trying to master the math section of the SAT®, the first thing that you could do for yourself is giving yourself a baseline of total problem-solving awesomeness. What that means is that you’re the kind of person that can solve a problem seven different ways and that’s because you’ve taken such hard math tests that the SAT® Math section actually seems ridiculously easy. We realize that a lot of you might not be there yet and that’s totally okay but you CAN get there and one way you can do that is by joining Math Olympiad, Math Teams at your school, or going to AMC 10/12 competitions and really trying to tackle extremely hard math problems that are beyond what the SAT® even covers. When you develop those kinds of problem-solving skills, that gives you a baseline to be able to walk into the test and totally crush it.
Tip 2 – Practice with Real Tests
One of the best tools that you have to practice for the SAT® is looking at authentic real materials because they are exactly what the test makers are writing right now and the closest thing to what you are going to experience on test day. The best source of real SAT® tests are the 10 free tests released by the College Board and can be found on our resources page. If you really want a perfect score, we usually recommend that you take at least four real tests and get at least three in a row perfect before expecting to get a perfect score on test day.
Tip 3 – Learn Your Formulas
It is really important on the SAT® that you know certain formulas. We go over several of these formulas in our ‘Must Know Formulas for the SAT®‘ video/blog.
Tip 4 – Master the Content
If you are looking to really get a great score on this test, you have to master not only math but also SAT® Math. There’s a certain style of questions that’s on the SAT® that are unique to this test. It’s really important that you understand exponential growth, how to map word problems, slope intercept form and linear equations, interpreting linear functions, key features of graph, and data collection and conclusions. These sections are named based on how Khan Academy names them. Take a couple of practice tests and if you’re missing on any of these topics make sure you go back and drill down these content areas until that kind of problem seems totally easy to you. Our online course, The Best SAT® Prep Course Ever, does that with our problem sets and you can go and work those problem sets and do a whole drill on paper that is similar to what Khan Academy does.
Tip 5 – Be Super Careful
When it comes to getting a great score on the SAT® you just have to be really good at math but when it comes to getting a perfect score, you literally have to be perfect. The SAT® has so many traps set up for you waiting to catch you on a little tiny mistake you’ve made. Make sure to double and triple check your work, checking every element when expanding polynomials, rereading every question before you put down an answer, reading every graph axis, reading every question’s instructions on how to round and double checking all your bubbles.
Tip 6 – Repeat Questions
We recommend starring the questions where you took a shortcut or questions that have multiple ways to approach them and going back to redo them if you have extra time. You might catch your own careless mistakes in time and correct your work.
Tip 7 – Never Guess
Don’t expect going to the SAT® guessing on things and getting lucky, the probability just isn’t on your side. You also don’t want to choose the closest thing to what you came up with. If you get a number and that number is not there, one of two things is going on. Either you’re wrong and you need to redo the problem or the question asked for something else and you need to figure out what has happened. You need to go back, reread the question and figure out what you did wrong — that is a gift from the SAT® gods giving you a second chance. It means you made a mistake but not a mistake everyone else made, which is good. Remember a lot of times on the SAT®, things may look really confusing but often they are much simpler than they at first seem if you just calm down and think about how you might be able to get at that problem.
