How to Improve a Low SAT Math Score
You've completed your fair share of practice tests and maybe you’ve even taken the real SAT once or twice, but the math section seems to get the best of you every time. You can't seem to break a 600, and you're not sure what steps you should take next.
Believe it or not, the vast majority of high school students are in this exact same boat. And for those of you applying to science or engineering programs, your math score is an especially important aspect of your application.
Before we dive into how you can improve your score, let's discuss a few preliminary thoughts:
Be confident. Heading into the test with a positive mindset can truly influence your score for the better. If you tell yourself your score isn't going to improve no matter how much time you dedicate to studying, chances are it probably won't. Remember that you are capable of what you put your mind to!
Ignore preconceptions. Maybe geometry wasn't your best subject in school, but that doesn't necessarily mean you won't understand the math section of the SAT. If you've already exposed yourself to test-like questions, you've probably noticed that they are nothing like what you've seen in school-- this is on purpose! Because the SAT has to test students on a level playing field, the concepts that are covered are ones you already know; if a question stumps you, it's probably because of the way in which the information was presented.
Know the numbers. Whether or not your goal for the math section is a 600, you should know what raw score is equivalent to your goal. Assuming you're aiming for a 600, you must answer 38/58 questions correctly. Compare this to the number of questions you've answered right in the past to find out how many more questions you need to answer correctly to obtain your target score.
Reinforce your routine. Studying for the SAT is not just a one time thing, and it definitely requires some sort of schedule. Whether it's hourly or daily, try to come up with a loose plan of what you need to accomplish in terms of studying each week. It's been shown that students who follow an efficient routine consistently perform higher on test day.
Now that we've covered the basics, let's talk strategy. It's important to keep in mind that these tips are tailored towards students who are currently scoring between 300-600 and are looking to score those last few points to meet a benchmark.
Play your "skip" card. Most students don't seem to take advantage of this when it comes to the math section of the SAT. Going back to one of our earlier points, you only have to answer 38/58 questions correctly to achieve a 600; this means you can guess on 20 questions and still score a 600 (you don't even have to read these questions-- just bubble in an answer!). Not only does this leave you with ample time for questions of medium difficulty, but it also takes the weight off your shoulders in knowing that you don't have to answer every single question. Remember that, as you progress through the math section, the questions increase in difficulty!
Study effectively, not effortlessly. Of course, you don't have all the time in the world to devote to studying for this test, and that's understandable. So when you do set aside time for this, make sure you're giving 110% of your effort. You know yourself better than anyone else does; you know whether you're better at algebra or geometry, fractions or decimals. Spend more time learning concepts that make less sense to you-- don't waste time on what you already know.
Skills over drills. A student who takes the time to understand concepts with which they're unfamiliar is going to see a more drastic improvement in their scores than a student who frequently runs through a list of questions. If you don't fix the weak link in your chain, it's still going to break the next time you use it. It's important to note that certain skills appear more frequently on the SAT than do others (like how solving single variable equations are more likely to be tested than exponential functions), so make a note of which concepts you really need to brush up on.
Resources should be realistic. Not too long ago, the format of the SAT changed (the two versions are commonly referred to as the Old SAT and New SAT). Many SAT prep books are geared towards the Old SAT, which is exactly what you don't want. The best place to find questions is on the practice SAT tests (which can be found on The College Board's website).
Know where you went wrong. By the time they're done cycling through practice questions, the last thing most students want to do is review the questions they answered wrong. But this is the step that can really make or break your score. If you don't take the time to understand why you answered questions wrong in the first place, you're not going to see any score improvement the next time you take the test.
Don't be afraid to try new approaches. If you're looking to improve your score by a handful of points, it wouldn't hurt you to experiment with new approaches to certain problems. This way, you can see which strategies make the most sense to you and which you'd rather use as last resorts. Either way, this is a great option to expand your problem-solving skills!
Time that test. You've probably heard this at least 100 times by now, but time is everything when it comes to the SAT. Tracking your time while taking a practice test (or even when you're just making your way through a list of questions) is a great way to see where you stand with time management. If you spend more than 30 seconds on a problem and are still unsure of how to solve it, move on to the next question (you can come back to it later).
It's a guessing game. If you really have no idea how to solve a problem, just guess! You won't be penalized for an incorrect answer and you have a 25% chance of answering the question correctly. There's no reason to leave any question blank, so when time is almost up, make sure that your entire answer sheet is filled in.
For a more tailored approach to achieving your perfect math score, schedule a call with one of our SAT tutors.