Still weak in math

[xnfs93hy]

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I'm still getting crappy scores on the math section of the practice tests.

What is the best book to buy to score high in math if you are weak?

Grubers?

Any others?


I am referring to the SAT I.

 

[yanorglu]

Gruber's and that's it.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Gruber's and that's it.

Why just Grubers?

 

[tennisball80]

I'm still getting crappy scores on the math section of the practice tests.

What is the best book to buy to score high in math if you are weak?

Grubers?

Any others?


I am referring to the SAT I.

Try "algebra I or II for Dummies"

SAT pretty much test Algebra I and II and you need to skill to understand what a question is asking on the test.

 

[yanorglu]

Gruber's is all you need. Do all the questions and make sure you understand why you missed the ones you missed.

And for the love of God don't believe what the 18-question thing at the beginning tells you your projected score will be.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Gruber's is all you need. Do all the questions and make sure you understand why you missed the ones you missed.

And for the love of God don't believe what the 18-question thing at the beginning tells you your projected score will be.

Which one should I buy?

This one?

http://www.amazon.com/Grubers-Complete-Guide-2009-12th/dp/140221202X

Also, if that is the one, I am assuming it covers all three sections.

I should just focus on the math part of that book right? And that is all I will need for the SAT?

 

[xnfs93hy]

glu, what did you use to prep? Just this? And did I link off to the correct book?

 

[yanorglu]

yes, yes, yes, and yes

 

[xnfs93hy]

Thanks man 🙂. I'm gonna buy it now. 👍

 

[xnfs93hy]

So you managed a 2150 by just using BB and Gruber's?

 

[yanorglu]

Something like that, just do the BB's practice tests religiously. Ignore Grubers' except for the math section. The rest is useless.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Something like that, just do the BB's practice tests religiously. Ignore Grubers' except for the math section. The rest is useless.

What did you do to prep for the CR and Writing sections?

I will do all the BB tests, and study Gruber's for math.

 

[yanorglu]

I just used the BB for CR and Writing.

And for kicks I'd do this every day http://apps.collegeboard.com/qotd/question.do

Pay attention to why the right answer is right. Especially on the writing section, the SAT is more interested in seeing how easily you're tricked rather than assessing your actual knowledge.

 

[xnfs93hy]

And you just used the math section of Grubers for Math?

And that was it?

 

[yanorglu]

yes and yes

 

[xnfs93hy]

How many times did you take the SAT I?

 

[yanorglu]

Just once. I didn't bother taking it until I had done all my self-prep.

 

[Maygyver]

Hey, you need to figure out your exact weaknesses. Figure out what general sort of problems you are having difficulty with. As far as what to buy to prep, I'm not sure because I didn't do any prep for the SAT but it sounds like yanorglu has some good advice.

 

[xnfs93hy]

One problem I am still having is getting all the questions done in the alotted time.

I am still not doing that great in math but I am improving.


I want to get score 700-800 on each section. You know why? Because:

1-I know I can if I really study for the 3 months at the library this summer
2-I am smart enough to understand all the material.

But I am still scoring 500-600! It is frustrating as hell!
--
Here is a common problem I am having. I will approach a medium/hard math question. I will get it wrong and look at the explanation. Sometime I won't even UNDERSTAND the damn explanation because I didn't even learn it yet. And really ******ed easy things, like questions that want you to apply the midpoint formula, I will get WRONG because I learned midpoint for a few weeks, over a year ago.

It is a combonation of trying to remember every single math formula collegeboard is going to throw at you.

Remembering the rules

Reviewing things I know

Learning new things.

It is the same with writing. I mean, I am pretty gifted a writing. But I just cannot write a 6 essay in 25 minutes. But I know I will have to work on it if I want an 800 on the writing.

And then I screw up on things in the other half of Writing. The grammar. But I think for writing I just need to review grammar rules and learn to write a perfect essay in 25 minutes.

Critical reading, idk what to tell you. I think this is probably my strongest area but I screw up on half the questions (literally) because I don't know what a word means.

 

[Maygyver]

One problem I am still having is getting all the questions done in the alotted time.

I am still not doing that great in math but I am improving.


I want to get score 700-800 on each section. You know why? Because:

1-I know I can if I really study for the 3 months at the library this summer
2-I am smart enough to understand all the material.

But I am still scoring 500-600! It is frustrating as hell!
--
Here is a common problem I am having. I will approach a medium/hard math question. I will get it wrong and look at the explanation. Sometime I won't even UNDERSTAND the damn explanation because I didn't even learn it yet. And really ******ed easy things, like questions that want you to apply the midpoint formula, I will get WRONG because I learned midpoint for a few weeks, over a year ago.

It is a combonation of trying to remember every single math formula collegeboard is going to throw at you.

Remembering the rules

Reviewing things I know

Learning new things.

It is the same with writing. I mean, I am pretty gifted a writing. But I just cannot write a 6 essay in 25 minutes. But I know I will have to work on it if I want an 800 on the writing.

And then I screw up on things in the other half of Writing. The grammar. But I think for writing I just need to review grammar rules and learn to write a perfect essay in 25 minutes.

Critical reading, idk what to tell you. I think this is probably my strongest area but I screw up on half the questions (literally) because I don't know what a word means.

Your example of the math problem makes me think you need to go through a book and understand concepts instead of just understanding. For example, you really shouldn't need an equation for the midpoint, if you understand how to do it. I find that helps me. It is a lot easier to understand something and understand where an equation comes from than just memorizing equation after equation.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Your example of the math problem makes me think you need to go through a book and understand concepts instead of just understanding. For example, you really shouldn't need an equation for the midpoint, if you understand how to do it. I find that helps me. It is a lot easier to understand something and understand where an equation comes from than just memorizing equation after equation.

I think so as well. I need to go over a lot of the problems on these practice tests.

However, I do not understand what you mean by where an equation "comes from" exactly.

 

[Maygyver]

I guess as far as that goes, I basically mean understanding the concept so that you can find an answer logically. I can't think of anything from the ACT but I know in college a lot of the physics equations aren't nearly as bad once you realize the logics of it. I guess the main point is just to understand WHY the equation works.

 

[DLi]

I just made sure I mastered Algebra I, some of Algebra II and especially geometry. Then I just got used to SAT word problems and I knew it off the back of my hand.

Got 80 on PSAT Math and 780 on SAT Math. All the problems pretty much follow a basic formula, and take advantage of the multiple choice.

With multiple choice, the answer is always one of the choices, and you always have a right answer. You can therefore backsolve or use it to check your answer.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Does the math part of the SAT only test certain things?

This is a question I think I should know by now but whenever I go through practice tests, I'll see a question that has different numbers and stuff but is basically the same problem I went through on a different practice test.

Does the make sense?

I wish I knew so that way I could study functions for a few days and then try and nail every SAT question that would involve functions.

Know what I mean?

 

[tennisball80]

Does the math part of the SAT only test certain things?

Algebra I and Algebra II. They write the questions longer than the normal high school math tests to confuse you.

If you are good with Algebra I and Algebra II, you should have no problem with practicing lots of questions.