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How to Improve SAT Math Scores: Precise Guide

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All over the world, mathematics is a difficult subject and many students struggle to get high SAT scores.

The SAT is the first exposure many high school students have of standardized testing with its high stakes. With a good score, the sky is just the beginning but a bad score means many doors are shut before one even tries. The SAT scores hold such significance over the life and future of every high school student that it is no surprise that great attention is paid to ensure that everyone does well.

With the right tools and adequate preparation, anyone can improve their SAT math score. From online resources to study groups to tutors, there are several materials available to help everyone truly reflect their abilities on their SAT scores

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Why You Should Score High In Math Section

While there is no specific figure for a “good” SAT score, it is often agreed that you aim for at least 1200. Now, that is easier said than done as many students have moaned over and over again. However, the teachers, parents, guardians and even well-meaning relatives rebut, “You need a good SAT score to get into college.” The higher your SAT scores, the higher your chances of getting into the college of your dreams.

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The SAT score ranges from 400 to 1600 and is a sum total of two section scores: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW). Scoring well on your Math section increases your chances of getting a good SAT score. A good score in the math section will be getting a score between 600 to 750 or perhaps a perfect 800. Yes, yes, we know it is not a walk in the park but it is not impossible either. Improve your SAT math score and watch your dream school come to you.

How Do I Get a Perfect SAT Score?

The SAT has two separate math tests with the scores for each section combined to form one single scaled math score that ranges from 200 to 800, the goal. The math tests have 58 questions that must be completed within 80 minutes. Most of the questions are multiple choices but there are 13 grid-in questions that require you to come up with your own answers instead of choosing an option from the available choices.

The first math SAT test is called the Math Test – Calculator. As implied in the name, you are going to be using a calculator for this section. The test is made up of 30 multiple choice questions and has 8 grid-in answers. All of these questions must be completed within 55 minutes.

The second math SAT test is called the Math Test – No Calculator. As expected, you will not be using your calculator for this aspect of the test. Included in this section are 20 questions with 5 grid-in answers. Here, you will be given 25 minutes to complete each question in this section.

The math SAT is designed to determine your math fluency, your theoretical understanding of mathematical concepts and your ability to apply your knowledge towards solving mathematical problems.

The math section of the SAT has some major content areas. They are:

  • Heart of Algebra: This focuses on your dexterity of linear equations and systems.
  • Problem Solving and Data Analysis: This focuses on establishing your quantitative literacy.
  • Passport to Advanced Math: This section of the math questions is filled with questions that require the manipulation of complex equations.
  • Additional Topics: This category is filled with geometry and trigonometry questions.

Once you know what to expect from the math section of the SAT questions, you can then begin to really prepare for the test. Adequate preparation makes it a lot easier for you to improve your SAT math score and get the perfect score that you need.

Know That You Can Do This

When you get overwhelmed or score below expectation, you tend to beat yourself up. In an effort to cheer you up, you hear people say rhetoric like “you can do this” or “don’t give up.” This is not rhetoric, it is a fact. You can do this.

You are good enough, smart enough and like mathematics enough to even dream of how to increase SAT math score in the first place. That kind of ambition is not for everyone. If you cannot, your brain would have disabused you of that notion a long time ago.

The SAT score is simply a reflection of how hard you work and how smart you study. By applying the right amount of effort in the right places, you can easily achieve the score you envision. Getting the perfect SAT score is not just about your IQ or your school grades. It is not about those test scores or your discouraged feelings.

Here is why: the SAT is a weird test. Taking the SAT is just about next to nothing like what you have seen in school. That is not by accident but by design. As a national test, the SAT cannot test for the difficult concepts you are busy studying in your AP Calculus class.

It is not going to ask you to use Fermat’s Last Theorem. How many people in your school even know that? Instead, it is going to ask questions on concepts that all high school students can cover. This includes basic algebra, advanced algebra, geometry, and basic statistics.

Don’t get comfy as the SAT will still ask difficult questions to distinguish the student skill levels. It does this by asking questions about the basic concept in strange ways. This tests understanding and the ability to interpret questions; a trick that trips up many students.

How to Improve Math SAT Score?

If you are struggling to increase your SAT math score, here are some strategies you can apply to help you reach your goal.

STRATEGY 1: Skip the Most Difficult Questions First

No one is saying you should not answer all the questions. Remember how you have been taught to answer every question on every test? This strategy boosts your chances of scaling through. The ‘C’ strategy is not going to work here.

To improve your math SAT scores, you are going to have to devise a new strategy and that is skipping the most difficult questions first. To ensure that you can earn as many correct answers as possible, you need to focus your energy on the questions that you do know the answers to.

First, go for the easy questions that you do know the answers to and go through them quickly. The medium questions that are a bit of a head-scratcher can take a bit of your time. Don’t rush and take your time with them. Write a lot and draw if that is what you need to understand the question. You know you know these questions so be sure to take your time to understand the question.

The difficult questions are all that is left. After spending enough time on the other question and you are sure you have the right answers, you can then spend the remaining time on these questions and try to figure them out. You can improve your math SAT score by ensuring you don’t rush through the easy and medium questions to get to these. These questions are designed to be tricky and would require a bit of the time you do not have.

STRATEGY 2: Get Smart about Focusing Your Study

There are two major ways you can maximize your studying. First, you have to start studying in the right places. Edureviewer is one such place.

Second, you have to find the areas of your weaknesses and work hard at them. Most students are often better at one area of math and tend to neglect the areas they are having trouble in. However, to improve your SAT math score, you have to work hard at those areas of weakness and become proficient at them.

To become proficient and improve your SAT math score, you have to find the leaky holes in your boat and work at plugging them one by one. Only then can your SAT math score improve. You find the leaky holes by practicing questions and studying the ones you miss.

Study patterns in the questions you miss to give you an idea of your weaknesses. Once you know the topics you are having trouble with, you can then pick up the necessary materials and work at plugging the leak and improve your SAT math score.

STRATEGY 3: Focus on the Most Important Skills

Despite what you might think, not all the areas of study have equal importance to SAT. Some of the skills appear more often in SAT questions than others. As a matter of fact, the most common area of study that appears most often in SAT questions is algebra, solving the single variable equations. It is 29 times more likely to appear than algebra, function notation.

To improve your SAT math score, you can streamline your study to the areas that are heavily tested in the math section of the SATs. Efficient study ensures that you study extensively on those areas that are often explored in the exams.

It is not just a matter of studying hard, you also have to study fast. Once you know the areas of study that are more likely to appear on the SAT, you can streamline your study to those areas and ease the heavy load on your shoulders.

STRATEGY 4: Understand All Your Math Mistakes

It is not enough to take practice tests, you also have to study the results. Study each question and understand why you missed the questions. Take note of the lucky guesses and make notes on what you can do better to improve your SAT math score.

It is no fun staring at your mistakes. It is what you are going to do to ensure that you don’t make those same mistakes again that really matters. As mentioned earlier, studying the areas you missed allows you to know the areas you need to study more on.

It also lets you know if you really understood what you say you have learned. Average students tend to breeze over what they don’t know and focus on what they do know. This strategy is not going to cut it when it comes to improving your math SAT scores.

Really study the answers you missed and understand why you did not get them right. It is not just a matter of “I didn’t know this material.” Take it one step further and analyze why you didn’t get it right. Once you know the answer, take the time to correct your mistakes and check with subsequent practice tests if you do understand it now.

STRATEGY 5: Use Only Realistic, High-Quality Sources

When it is time to practice, many students make a huge mistake in the materials of study they go for. Most books, even those that claim to be edited versions, still make use of the old SAT books. They lure you into a false sense of accomplishment with the outdated structure of questions.

Prep programs don’t have realistic SAT math questions. They are either too hard, too easy, or incorrectly structured. Without a true understanding of the SAT Math questions, the questions provided don’t provide a true picture of what to expect when writing the tests.

The very best source for SAT math questions is the Official SAT Tests. Edureviewer includes these tests and gauges your progress with each result. Along with training on how to go about writing the real exam, you will definitely improve your SAT math score.

FAQ

Can I really improve my SAT math score?

Yes, you can. Your current scores might not be the best but with a little bit of hard and smart work, you can vastly improve your SAT math score by 200 points and exceed your expectations. All you have to do is pay more attention to your SAT prep and you will see the difference.

Do I need to get a perfect score in my SAT math?

There are two reasons why you would need a perfect score. Either you are planning for a quantitative or science major like math, physics, or chemistry or you are applying to a highly selective technical school like MIT or Caltech.

Who Can Help Me With SAT Math Score Improvement?

Edureviewer is one of the best places you can go to greatly boost your chances of getting a great score in your SAT math score. Edureviewer has reviewed dozens of different services and companies that provide the best tutors and courses that help students prepare for the SAT.

You can check out our best list. ‘How much does SAT tutoring cost‘, you might wonder? EduReviewer is very pocket-friendly because it aims to help all students improve SAT math score.

How Much Time Do I Need to Prep For SAT Math?

On average, students put in about 10 to 20 hours a week depending on their score goals.

To answer the question, ‘what is peer tutoring‘, it is simply a peer tutor who has a similar status to the person being tutored. It is a classmate teaching another classmate. It is a senior who is still in school teaching those in a younger class a subject or topic he or she is well versed in.

What Are The Best SAT Test Prep Services?

Take a moment to check out the EduReviewer website for the best ACT tutoring average cost and the prep services you could find today.

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