PWN the SAT Q&A

hey mike!! I need help with # 10 on pg. 455

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:22:00 -0400

This is one of the SAT’s rare questions about triangle similarity.

Because both of the triangles shown share angle P and angles PTQ and PSR are both xº, you’ve got similar triangles.

That means all corresponding sides will be in the same ratio. PT/PS will be equal to QT/RS, which you know is 8/10.

how can i become over prepared for sat math

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:17:00 -0400

Why do you want to become overprepared? Wouldn’t it be better to be the right level of prepared?

Please explain #5 on pg.453 test 2 im having issues

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:24:33 -0400

Honestly, the best way to get this one right is to just actually rotate the page 90º, memorize what the figure looks like, then rotate back and compare your memory to the answer choices. Focus on one corner at a time until you’re able to eliminate all choices but the correct one.

Hi Mike, can you suggest some snacks for me to bring for the SAT next Saturday please? Unfortunately, I'm not really a morning person; I have trouble sleeping at night. Are there any snacks good for a "wake me up" kick?

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:23:00 -0400

How do you feel about bananas? I’m no nutritionist, but they always give me a nice pick-me-up.

hey mike! in addition to erica meltzer's grammar book; do you know any grammar websites that can be helpful to studying for the writing portion of the sat?

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:30:34 -0400

You might check out Erica’s website. It has grammar drills.

Hey Mike, I'm retaking the SAT for the last time on the first, and I need to bring my overall writing score up. The thing is, I'm also afraid that I may have forgotten how to do well on the other sections too (I currently have an 800 CR, 770 Math, and 680 Writing), so is kinda a 2-part question: 1) have any new sets of practice problems come out in the last year that would be good to use? (The new PR is apparently messed up) and 2) Do you have advice on Writing multiple choice?

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:09:00 -0400

I haven’t surveyed the entire universe of practice problems that have come out in the past year, but nothing I’ve seen has blown me away. Do you have any official CB stuff left to do? With your CR and M scores what they already are, all you probably need to do is a few sections to get back in the groove. You’ve already got great scores locked in, so all you really need to do is come close to them again. :)
I do!

Error Identification Strategies

Sentence Improvement Strategies

Paragraph Improvement Strategies

Hi Mike! ok so i have a question...on the may sat i left 3 questions blank and got 1 wrong and i got a 690. Would it have been better for me to get all four wrong? Thank you!

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:37:58 -0400

I’m assuming that’s in math? 3 blank and one wrong in math would give you a raw score of 50. 4 wrong would be a raw score of 49, so getting all 3 of those blanks wrong would have resulted in a lower score. However, had you made educated guesses and gotten one of those blanks correct (and therefore 3 wrong) you’d be right back at 50. If you got two of your blanks right (unlikely, but possible) you’d be at raw score 52. It really comes down to how much you like taking risks, and how completely stumped you were on the blanks you left.

For more, check out a few posts I’ve written about guessing:

Hi Mike I was just wondering if SAT 1 Math and SAT 2 Math Ic are essentially the same thing. To me, it seems these two tests are quiet the same in a sense that both tests cover from algebra 1 to algebra 2. So, if I am prepping for SAT 2 subject test Math 1, would it help my preparation for SAT 1 Math? Also, If it is, then can I use your math guide to prepare for SAT 2 math ic? Thank you!

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 10:45:14 -0400

There’s a pretty big difference, actually. It’s likely that if you’re good at one, you’ll be good at the other, but the regular SAT math has a much different feel than the math Subject Tests. The Subject Tests cover lots of things (e.g., trigonometry, logarithms, inverse functions, equations of conics) that aren’t on the regular SAT and therefore not covered in my book. Some of the techniques in my book might help on the Subject Tests, but if you’re not going to buy it for your regular SAT math prep, you probably shouldn’t buy it.

Hi again Mike! I'm the guy who asked you for your help on reviewing those tests and I found out that my most problematic areas were sentence completions (vocabulary) algebra & probability and improving sentences. Any tips that you could give me on that? I got 1975 and 1920 in my most recent two tests after spending some time on your website. Thank you!

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:52:44 -0400

For vocab, I have some opinions:

If your biggest problem in math is probability, that’s not such a big problem—you’re unlikely to see more than one probability question on a test. But you should firm up your knowledge of the general counting principle, and get good at listing different possibilities quickly.

In my opinion, the trickiest improving sentences questions are the ones that involve run-ons (AKA comma splices) and dangling modifiers.

i need help with # 11 on pg.423 of the blue book

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:17:35 -0400

A cube has six faces, so if two are painted black, the other four will be white. If the total white surface area is 64 square inches, then each face of the cube has an area of 64/4 = 16 square inches.

Of course, faces of a cube are just squares. If a square has an area of 16 square inches, then each of its sides must have lengths of √16 = 4 inches.

Now you’re ready to calculate volume. The volume of a rectangular solid is lwh. In the special case of a cube, where l, w, and h are equal, that becomes one side cubed.

4^3 = 64, so the volume is 64 cubic inches.

is the average SAT score 1500?

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:14:41 -0400

Just about.

can you please explain diagnostic drill 1 question # 6

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:14:24 -0400

[Link to drill.]

My favorite way to solve this is with the average table. You’re looking to capitalize on the fact that most average questions on the SAT are really sum questions.

The 12 students who averaged 74 had a sum score of:

12 × 74 = 888

The 4 students who averaged 96 had a sum score of:

4 × 96 = 384

So to find the sum score of the 8 students who didn’t average 96, you take those 384 points out of the total 888:

888 – 384 = 504

So 8 students had a sum score of 504, and therefore an average score of:

504/8 = 63

My problem is with time. I mean, careless mistakes will eventually be done with through diligent revising and reading, but I can't do that if i don't have enough time? Here's the thing: given enough time in reading and math (even the essay probably) I am pretty sure i can score high 700's or maybe even an 800 but i run out of time and make careless mistakes. Get my point?

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:55:08 -0400

I get your point, yes. But you’re focusing on the wrong things. I would say most of the students I’ve worked with could get 800s if given enough time. But the SAT is a timed test. That’s part of what makes it hard, and that’s on purpose.

There’s no quick fix to getting faster without sacrificing accuracy, just like there’s no quick fix to shaving 30 seconds off your 1600 meter time if you run track. You get faster in tiny increments as you practice, but it takes a lot of diligent practice before those tiny increments add up to big speed differences.

Have you read the Eight Multiple Choice Writing Test by Erica Meltzer? Thank you :>

pwnthetest — Sat, 25 May 2013 08:25:20 -0400

I haven’t, actually.

Hi Mike, I heard that length matters in the SAT essay. My handwriting is tiny and neat, should I try to make it bigger to fill up more space? Or would that be pointless?

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:01:26 -0400

I think that’s pointless.

Length is correlated with high scores, but that doesn’t mean it causes high scores. It just so happens that it takes more than a few sentences to write a convincing essay that cites evidence from literature, history, personal experience, etc., so good essays tend to be longer than bad ones (on average).
It’s really hard to keep that up (writing in your not-natural hand) for a whole essay, so chances are your essay will look like a crazy person wrote it.

Congratulations! Did you ever see Emma Watson on campus? I had to ask.

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:30:00 -0400

Hah! Let me clarify: I am heading up to Providence (in about 20 minutes) for my 10-year reunion at Brown, but I just got my Master’s yesterday from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at New School University here in NYC. I was never at Brown with the lovely Ms. Watson. :(

Hey Mike! Should I re-do the collegeboard tests or try another book like Barrons or Kaplan? Also how does the level of these unofficial books differ from the actual test? I felt that the Barron's Book was kinda tough is it true or is it just me?

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:11:00 -0400

Have you done all the CB tests? Including the free ones, the Blue Book, and the Online Course?

Some argue that doing tests from the unofficial books is harmful. I don’t go that far—I think it’s OK practice. You should never bother scoring them, though. Their tests don’t match the difficulty of the real thing, and therefore their scoring tables are basically useless.

So I got a 1910 (680 reading, 630 math, and 600 writing) on my SAT which well known colleges is this acceptable for and which ones isn't it?

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:09:00 -0400

There are hundreds of colleges, and I don’t know the average scores for most of them. So I can’t really help you there; you’re just as qualified to google for that information as I am.

But really, I think you’re going about it a bit backwards. First, you should identify some schools you think are interesting based on geography, size, academic offerings, institutional culture, etc. Then you should see how your scores stack up against those schools. Say, for example, that you want to go to a big school with a good football program that offers a sports management degree and has an active greek scene. There aren’t THAT many of those, so now you can look through them and see how your scores stack up.

Congratulations :-) you totally pwn

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:33:21 -0400

Thanks!

Forgive me for asking so many questions... but how should I prepare for the October SAT from now? Writing I surprisingly did well in with a 740. Math I could do better - I got a 720. Reading is my main concern, I got a 670. I don't remember being stuck on vocab. I'm not sure where I went wrong with reading. Thank you.

pwnthetest — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:00:00 -0400

If vocab isn’t your problem (and I’m assuming timing is also not your problem), then you’re going to need to get better at eliminating wrong answers on reading comp passages.

Every time you get a reading question wrong on a practice test, go back and figure out not only why the correct answer is correct, but why the answer you chose should have been eliminated. There is no second best answer—there are 4 wrong ones and 1 right one. Start thinking about CR in those terms, and review passages diligently, and your score will (slowly) improve.