Sat math Essentials

Negative Numbers and Variables
You cannot mark a negative number or a variable on a
grid. Therefore, if you solve a grid-in problem and
determine an answer that includes a variable or a neg-
ative sign, you know your answer must be wrong! Solve
it again!
Fill Those Ovals!
As you can see in the samples, there is space to write
your answer in number form at the top of each grid
above the ovals. However, grid-in questions are scored
by machine, and the machines only read the ovals. SO
YOU MUST FILL IN THE OVALS IN ORDER TO
GET CREDIT! You actually don’t even need to hand-
write the answer at the top. But it’s usually a good idea
to write your answer before filling in the ovals so that
you don’t make an error.
Become Familiar with Grids!
Be sure you are very familiar with how to fill in a grid
before you take the real SAT. You don’t want to waste
any test time trying to figure out how to fill in the
grids.
H o w t o P r e p a r e
Use the following strategies to maximize the effective-
ness of your SAT preparation.
Take the Time
The more time you can spend preparing for the SAT,
the better prepared you will be. However, you don’t
need to spend several hours at once to study well.
Between now and test day, dedicate one or two hours
a day to using this book. You’ll be surprised at how
much you can accomplish. Spending an hour a day
over a few months will be much more beneficial
than spending five hours a day during the week before
the exam.
Don’t Cram
Just as you don’t train to run a marathon by waiting
until the last minute and then running twenty miles a
day for five days before the race, you cannot prepare
most effectively for the SAT by waiting until the last
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