SAT Anxiety! Part One: Which Questions to Answer First

The next SAT Exam is offered on March 9. As the date approaches, student (and parent) anxiety begins to grow. But don't panic - it is possible to master this test. Over the next couple of weeks we will provide proven strategies that will add points.

There's a math section on the SAT exam for every student! A section that offers the most comfort. Conversely, everyone has a math section or topic with which they are weaker in. Since the math sections of the SAT contain problems that range from pre-algebra to geometry to pre-calculus, there will be questions that are more difficult and those that are more simple.
Quick Tip: Go through the exam and answer as many of the easier questions as possible. Each math problem takes time, consideration, and, in many cases, scratch work; therefore, it is best to go through the section and answer as many easy questions as you possibly can. This will ensure that even if you struggle with questions at the end, you have already correctly answered a large proportion of the questions correctly.

Step 1. Read the question and determine if the question targets a skill at which you excel or you struggle. 
Quick Tip: Skip over the problems you think may take you a while to solve or that you believe you may not be able to solve at all. First solve all of the questions you are confident you can solve with the most ease.

Step 2. Now that you've added points to your score by solving the math questions that were easiest for you, go back and answer the medium difficulty problems. Once you've completed (or skipped those) use your remaining time on the most difficult math problems.

While we would like to believe that after hours of studying and practicing we would be able to solve every math problem, the reality is, for most of us, there will be a handful of problems that are very difficult and time-consuming to solve - no need to panic, this is how the test is designed. By using the strategy above you won't get caught up wasting time on a difficult problem and miss out on the opportunity of correctly solving several problems that you may have considered easy.

Next in the series we will discuss the advantages (and disadvantages) of skipping difficult problems!

For parents and students seeking a last minute prep course for the March exam, check out our one-day prep class at TutaPoint.com/SAT/crash-course 

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