The April 27th question is a math question. Only 36% got this answer correct out of well over 200,000 attempts. There was an EASY way to get it right. Unfortunately, there was an even EASIER way to get it wrong. A higher percentage went that easy (but sort of clever) route to lose the point. By judiethcarol&rocketcatcApril2010
Now, let’s look at the two classic examples of strategies to use in math and in language arts on the test.
The SAT test is Saturday of this week, May 1st, so let me use this math question to reinforce a strategy to use to accomplish your very best possible performance on Saturday. If you are taking the test at a later date, we can do MORE to improve your performance.
April 27th, a math question—and April 28th, a sentence completion show patterns to follow to answer questions correctly on the SAT. You may look at archived articles on this site for more guidance. Here’s the short version:
1. Use the patent Rocketcat Racecar strategy on the ‘language arts’ questions. Speed forward. Make up a possible answer. Find the answer that fits the same way as your made up answers. Zip backwards to eliminate at least one of the ‘wrong’ answers to check if you are answering the question asked!
2. Notice when a question in math has all low numbers and all different numbers for the question. You are probably about to be asked to do several little problems to solve the problem. If you dive for the answer that SEEMS to be right because you ‘see’ this answer right away, you are almost definitely answering a different question.
SUMMARY: Realize that the design of the Scholastic Aptitude Test is not to ‘trick’ you; but if the answer is extremely easy to solve—especially if you are not a teacher in that content area—be certain to answer the correct question. The ‘trick’ part is that the answer to the wrong question will be one of the possible answers.
This design is to measure your attention to what you know. This is part of what ‘aptitude’ is. The Scholastic Aptitude Test is an attempt to find out if you sift through these possible answers to find the correct one. After all, the answers are there in front of you.
To use the next couple of questions to improve Saturday’s performance if you are taking the SAT:
• Note carefully the type of question that you do well. CHECK those answers by eliminating at least one of the ‘wrong’ answers to make sure that you answered the question asked.
• Notice the percentage of responses that were correct on the practice questions you do between now and the test. If the percentage is low, like today, realize that this may be a question to use the ‘difficult’ question strategy—and do it. On the ones you may be able to improve, try to mark your booklet to come back.
‘Difficult’ question strategy: Note what IS simple about the question. In this one, all the numbers are low: 1,2,3 and 4,5,6. ANOTHER simple point is that the numbers are not repeated in the x column and the y column. The numbers are not repeated within the column: x=1, x=2, or x=3 or between the two columns: y=4, y=5, or y=6.
If you THINK you see an easy way to get the answer to a question like this one, you are probably missing a step. Eliminate at least one other answer to make sure you are answering the correct question.
Answer the question that is asked—not another question.
The way to ‘miss’ the answer to this one is to look at the low numbers and the possible combinations –and to notice that the ‘highest’ answer is 9. Well, you see by just counting that there are at least NINE combinations. So, you are ready to choose 9. Yay!
BUT THAT’S NOT THE AUESTION THAT IS ASKED: You are asked how many different values may result in the addition of these values for x and y. You ARE NOT ASKED HOW MANY COMBINATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. Nine is the answer to that question.
You are asked how many DIFFERENT SUMS are possible.
If the answer seems as fast as answering ‘9’ is to this question, LOOK AT THE QUESTION AGAIN.
Also, do NOT think that you will just not be asked to do several steps to find an answer. You WILL be asked to do several steps. A clue here is that the numbers are so low. PLUS, YOU HAVE A CALCULATOR.
But doing these quickly on paper with pencil is the fastest way. Better yet, this is the most VISUAL way. Jot down: 1+4=5, 1+5=6, 1+6=7; 2+4=6; 2+5=7; 2+6=8.3+4=7; 3+5=8; 3+6=9. Okay, 4+1 is already done. You will not have to go down the y column far to realize that you’ve done these problems when you go from y to x rather than from x to y. . But it will not hurt your count to do them because YOU ARE COUNTING HOW MANY DIFFERENT ANSWERS YOU GET.
You can get 5, 6, 7—oh, that’s 6 again—nope. You can get –no, that’s 7 again. Well, there is 8—oh, there are 7 and 8 again. Then, that highest one is 9.
5,6,7,8,9 Count those possible answers. There are five different answer possibilities.
Friend, this was NOT difficult. You just did not want to believe that you can speed through one of our RACECAR questions—even a few in math—but THIS one, even with a straightforward list of values already given for x and for y—THIS one is going to take some jotting down figures. But it’s pretty easy because it is so visual, right? You can COUNT the number of possibilities.
Now, let’s look at the April 28th question. Come back when you finish.
www.collegeboard .com
SAT question for the day
How did you do on the April 28th question?
Now you are back to ROCKET’S RACECAR STRATEGY. The opposite from yesterday’s strategy to go ahead and jot down several steps to solve the problem—realizing that you have low enough numbers and only two columns with all different numbers. In short, yesterday, you could do several steps to solve a problem.
Today, you need to realize that several steps are NOT necessary. You know the answer you are looking for by filling in the blank with a word type that would work for the ‘sense’ and connotation (feeling) of the sentence. You do begin by reading the title: Sentence Completion and the Directions: You are looking for the BEST word to fill in.
Then, you merely read the sentence and think of a word that would fit. You look below and find the word most like the word you dreamed up. CHOOSE IT IMMEDIATELY AND MARK YOUR ANSWER SHEET.
Then, you come back and eliminate at least one of the wrong answers. That way, you make sure you get the point you know. You make sure that you did not answer a different question from the one asked. (See April 27th above).
Here is how the ROCKETCAT RACECAR strategy works on the ‘easy’ April 28th completion question:
Speed smoothly forward through the title (sentence completion) and keep driving, top down, through the directions. (Yes, we know these from practice but reading them each time puts us in the smooth, speedy, ACCURATE mindset.
We are looking for the BEST word.
Now let’s drive straight on, full speed ahead through the sentence, filling in a word that fits. We are racing, but with purpose to reach the finish line ahead of the others:
Exotic and indigenous weeds include some of the most_____ species;
(NOTE: I don’t have a clue yet except the word will be descriptive—beautiful?—I’m guessing a descriptive word that fits exotic , but I still need a better clue because I’m not sure that ‘weeds’ will be described as beautiful.
So here is the entire sentence:
Exotics and indigenous weeds include some of the most _____ species; their visual impact often eclipses that of nearby plants.
Okay, I am looking for a word that can be descriptive AND emphasizes that you will see (visual) the plants in these species before the other plants. In my mind’s eye, I see orchids and dandelions along the roadside as we speed by.
I am looking for a word that means that these plants are eye-catching.
A. Lethal (No, that’s deadly—lethal weapon)
B. Diffuse (no, that isn’t about catching your eye..)
C. Varied (well, that fits the sentence okay and ‘varied’ could catch your eye, but not a winner) Keep driving. Nobody would say ‘varied’ sounds like the BEST completion.
D. Striking (Aha! The word striking FITS)
MARK IT AND MOVE ON. You have eliminated enough. If, because you were not familiar enough with some words, you feel your foot going to the brake pedal, go ahead and try out E. resilient.
Speed backwards (RACECAR IS THE SAME WORD BACKWARDS, a palindrome). Nope, resilient is not incorrect in the sentence. But it does not indicate that you are about to read: their visual impact often eclipses that of nearby plants.
Only ‘striking’ does the job of being the ‘beautiful and/or able to eclipse the other plants when you see it.judiethcarol&rocketcatApril2010
