The March 10, March 16, and March 19 SAT Questions for the Day Were Challenging to Many…
Yet These Were All Styles of Math Questions Common to Test Writers for Standardized Tests
Most Math Problems Require a Different Strategy to Solve From the Language Arts and Other Sections of the SAT Test
If you understand how to do these math problems, you will definitely gain points on standardized tests. For that reason alone, I would develop different strategies for this website. However, if you read this website, you know that these columns are written to develop brain-based strategies for logical thinking in all areas. Nothing develops these strengths for solving all types of life problems quite the same as mathematical solutions—especially the mathematical solutions relating to shapes, choices, and probabilities. The mathematical problems require a different strategy from the language arts questions. There is not enough time to eliminate all of the incorrect answers, plus ‘trying’ each incorrect answer is not a valid brain-based strategy with the math questions.
What happens when you look at the solutions to problems relating to geometric shapes, to choices, and to probabilities is that you see that life is full of different ways of experiencing what is around us every day. Sometimes the “answer” or the “solution” depends upon the “variables,” and the “variables” are in motion. The important life lesson is that the answer can change. We can change. Our perspective can change. In fact, there is no choice about this process. Change is inevitable. We have to factor in change to know about the answers on the tests. Variables are a part of the mathematics answers and a part of the science answers and a part of the answers on the graphs and charts in all of the sections.
With this viewpoint in mind, I plan to develop some strategies related to the particular styles of math questions I know are challenging. The numbers of respondents who fail these questions are indicative of the difficulty. Furthermore, I recognize the facts about the mathematics problems being different from any other type of problems on the tests—thereby requiring some different types of studying, perhaps some more rigorous games and interactive Q&A with teachers and experts in the field.
One particularly different strategy relating to mathematics from the way I request that students handle the language arts questions on the test is in relation to eliminating the “wrong” answers. FOR MOST OF THE MATHEMATICS QUESTIONS, DO NOT ELIMINATE THE WRONG ANSWERS ON THE MATHEMATICS SECTION OF THE TEST. FIND THE RIGHT ANSWERS ONLY!
WHY NOT TAKE THE TIME TO ELIMINATE THE INCORRECT ANSWERS?
THE MATHEMATICS PROBLEMS TAKE TOO LONG TO SOLVE TO DO EACH PROBLEM INDIVIDUALLY TO PROVE THEY ARE INCORRECT ANSWERS. BESIDES, DOING THE PROBLEMS WITH THE INCORRECT ANSWERS WILL IMPRINT INCORRECT INFORMATION.
