category: sat
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strange symbols in sat math
just to make sure that everybody knows the college board is sneaky, they insist on putting weird, non-mathematical symbols into sat math sections. of course, they maintain that this is all in spirit of testing your school studies (it’s not really, and that’s probably why they’re planning on eventually changing the test). whadda you mean…
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3d geometric objects in sat math
quick: how do you find the volume of a cylinder? do you know the formula? the sat will give it to you at the beginning of each math section, along with some other geometric facts, but you should know them anyway. at least, you should be familiar with how you get those formulas. start…
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sat calculators
yes, you can use your calculator on the sat. did you think that the college board gods were so cruel? you can even use a graphing calculator, which you may be able to use for a graph question (although it’s really not necessary) or a question about a quadratic equation. calculators can only be used…
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“primary purpose” questions in sat reading
your sat reading comp sections will include a few questions that look something like this: the primary purpose of this passage is to or this: the authors overall tone could best be described as and in order pick the right answers for these big-picture questions, you need to zoom out. there are a lot of…
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sat study music
the “mozart effect” is pretty well-known, but it’s usually misunderstood or exaggerated. the truth is, it’s unlikely at best that any one type of music can help bring up your sat scores—it may even impair your memorization skills. but i still recommend listening while prepping. why? music makes studying more enjoyable even if the…
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sat critical reading mini practice
how confident are you in your sat critical reading skills? this passage may not be the most exciting thing to read, but that’ll be true on your sat, too—that’s not the point! your goal is to understand the structure, function, and implication of the information you’re given. take some notes, and don’t forget to refer…
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sat prep lifehack: get rid of decision fatigue
the sat is a ruthlessly long set of decisions to be made. you’ll be stuck making tough decisions again and again and again, often unsure of whether you’ve made the right choice. everyone knows the feeling that comes after a trial like that; you come out of it feeling drained, even a little hazy and…
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sat prep lifehack: posture
there’s a whole lot of advice out there on what do the friday before your sat—including, notably, how much to sleep—and there are plenty tips on what to do the day of. i don’t think you’ll find this advice in a single other place, though, so consider your day made. confident poses make you…
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sat geometry: angle diagram questions
there will be a number of times on your sat when you’ll be asked to find the measurement of an angle or angles, but you’ll be given a picture with only a bit of information on it. in these questions, the sat makers are testing you on your ability to move information around a figure.…
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inference questions on sat reading comprehension
here’s a good sat vocabulary word for you: infer. if you don’t already know what it means, go look it up. i’ll wait here. there’s a decent chance that it’ll show up on your sat, and not even in a sentence completion. it might show up in a sat reading comprehension question about a passage.…