SAT Tips
Advanced Arithmetic - ANS-A ratio can be expressed as a fraction, but ratios are not fractions. A
ratio compares parts to parts; a fraction compares a part to the whole.
Use a Ratio Box to solve ratio questions.
Direct proportion is . Indirect proportion is x1y1 = x2 y2.
A percentage is just a convenient way of expressing a fraction whose bottom is 100.
To convert a percentage to a fraction, put the percentage over 100 and reduce.
To convert a fraction to a percentage, use your calculator to divide the top of the fraction by the
bottom of the fraction. Then multiply the result by 100.
To convert a percentage to a decimal, move the decimal point two places to the left. To convert
a decimal to a percentage, move the decimal point two places to the right.
In problems that require you to find a series of percentage increases or decreases, remember
that each successive increase or decrease is performed on the result of the previous one.
If you need to find the percent increase or decrease use % change = × 100
To find the average (arithmetic mean) of several values, add up the values and divide the total
by the number of values.
Use the Average Pie to solve problems involving averages. The key to most average problems
is finding the total.
The median of a group of numbers is the number that is exactly in the middle of the group when
the group is arranged from smallest to largest, as on a number line. If there are an even number
of numbers, the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
The mode of a group of numbers is the number in the group that appears most often.
Probability is expressed as a fraction:
To find permutations, or possible orders of objects, use factorials. A factorial is the whole series
of integers counting down from the given number, all multiplied together.
Advanced Principles - ANS-The problems in many groups of questions on the SAT (except
Short and Long Reading) start out easy and gradually get harder. The first question in a group is
, often so easy that virtually everyone can find ETS's answer. The last question is so hard that
almost no one can.
You should never waste time trying to figure out the answer to a hard question if there are still
easy questions that you haven't tried. All questions are worth the same number of points. Why
not do the easy ones first?
Joe Bloggs is the average student. He earns an average score on the SAT. On an easy SAT
question, the answer that seems correct to Joe is almost always correct. On medium questions,
it is sometimes correct and sometimes not. On hard questions, the answer Joe likes is almost
always wrong.
Most test takers could improve their scores significantly by attempting fewer questions and
devoting more time to questions they have a chance of answering correctly.
It's very important to set realistic goals. If you're aiming for a 500 on Critical Reading, your
approach to the SAT is going to be very different from that of someone who is aiming for an 800.
After each practice exam, go back to the pacing chart. You may need to answer more questions
on the next exam to earn the score you want.
Use POOD, your Personal Order of Difficulty, to decide which questions in a section to answer
when trying to reach your pacing goal.
Always work on the page, not in your head. Add information to geometry figures, double-check
calculations, cross off bad answers, and underline key words in passages. The more you mark
up the test, the more you'll eliminate small mistakes.
Algebra: Cracking the System - ANS-Don't "solve for x" or "solve for y" unless you absolutely
have to. (Don't worry; your math teacher won't find out.) Instead, look for direct solutions to SAT
problems. ETS never uses problems that necessarily require time consuming computations or
endless fiddling with big numbers. There's almost always a trick—if you can spot it.
If a problem contains an expression that can be factored, factor it. If it contains an expression
that already has been factored, unfactor it.
To solve simultaneous equations, simply add or subtract the equations.
When an algebra question has numbers in the answer choices, plug each of the numbers in the
answer choices into the problem until you find one that works.
When you plug in, use "good" numbers—ones that are simple to work with and that make the
problem easier to manipulate: 2, 5, 10, or 100 are generally easy numbers to use.
Advanced Arithmetic - ANS-A ratio can be expressed as a fraction, but ratios are not fractions. A
ratio compares parts to parts; a fraction compares a part to the whole.
Use a Ratio Box to solve ratio questions.
Direct proportion is . Indirect proportion is x1y1 = x2 y2.
A percentage is just a convenient way of expressing a fraction whose bottom is 100.
To convert a percentage to a fraction, put the percentage over 100 and reduce.
To convert a fraction to a percentage, use your calculator to divide the top of the fraction by the
bottom of the fraction. Then multiply the result by 100.
To convert a percentage to a decimal, move the decimal point two places to the left. To convert
a decimal to a percentage, move the decimal point two places to the right.
In problems that require you to find a series of percentage increases or decreases, remember
that each successive increase or decrease is performed on the result of the previous one.
If you need to find the percent increase or decrease use % change = × 100
To find the average (arithmetic mean) of several values, add up the values and divide the total
by the number of values.
Use the Average Pie to solve problems involving averages. The key to most average problems
is finding the total.
The median of a group of numbers is the number that is exactly in the middle of the group when
the group is arranged from smallest to largest, as on a number line. If there are an even number
of numbers, the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
The mode of a group of numbers is the number in the group that appears most often.
Probability is expressed as a fraction:
To find permutations, or possible orders of objects, use factorials. A factorial is the whole series
of integers counting down from the given number, all multiplied together.
Advanced Principles - ANS-The problems in many groups of questions on the SAT (except
Short and Long Reading) start out easy and gradually get harder. The first question in a group is
, often so easy that virtually everyone can find ETS's answer. The last question is so hard that
almost no one can.
You should never waste time trying to figure out the answer to a hard question if there are still
easy questions that you haven't tried. All questions are worth the same number of points. Why
not do the easy ones first?
Joe Bloggs is the average student. He earns an average score on the SAT. On an easy SAT
question, the answer that seems correct to Joe is almost always correct. On medium questions,
it is sometimes correct and sometimes not. On hard questions, the answer Joe likes is almost
always wrong.
Most test takers could improve their scores significantly by attempting fewer questions and
devoting more time to questions they have a chance of answering correctly.
It's very important to set realistic goals. If you're aiming for a 500 on Critical Reading, your
approach to the SAT is going to be very different from that of someone who is aiming for an 800.
After each practice exam, go back to the pacing chart. You may need to answer more questions
on the next exam to earn the score you want.
Use POOD, your Personal Order of Difficulty, to decide which questions in a section to answer
when trying to reach your pacing goal.
Always work on the page, not in your head. Add information to geometry figures, double-check
calculations, cross off bad answers, and underline key words in passages. The more you mark
up the test, the more you'll eliminate small mistakes.
Algebra: Cracking the System - ANS-Don't "solve for x" or "solve for y" unless you absolutely
have to. (Don't worry; your math teacher won't find out.) Instead, look for direct solutions to SAT
problems. ETS never uses problems that necessarily require time consuming computations or
endless fiddling with big numbers. There's almost always a trick—if you can spot it.
If a problem contains an expression that can be factored, factor it. If it contains an expression
that already has been factored, unfactor it.
To solve simultaneous equations, simply add or subtract the equations.
When an algebra question has numbers in the answer choices, plug each of the numbers in the
answer choices into the problem until you find one that works.
When you plug in, use "good" numbers—ones that are simple to work with and that make the
problem easier to manipulate: 2, 5, 10, or 100 are generally easy numbers to use.
