Eddie Tackles the SAT
– 23 Years Later
For the week of February 26 to March 2, 2018, I tackled some
of the problems from the SAT Math Level II practice tests. I want to find out if I could still solve the
problems that is presented to college hopefuls.
I took the SATs, I believe if memory serves me correctly, 23 years ago.
A lot has changed since.
When I took the SATs, graphing calculators were still in its early
years. Now, graphing calculators are a
mainstay in mathematical education and mathematicians. Just look at my blog, most of the posts
concern programs for graphing calculators (HP Prime and TI-84 Plus CE
mostly).
I think the SAT is now designed with the expectation that
students will use a graphing calculator.
Since the College Board does not allow reproduction of
material from the Official SAT Study Guide except to be used by students in an
educational, noncommercial setting, I will exercise caution and not reproduce
questions on this blog (though I do not make money off this blog). (See this page for details: https://www.collegeboard.org/request-form/instructions
)
I will say that the Official SAT Subject Study Test Guide
is an excellent source is to consider if you are a college-bound student who is
considering taking the SAT. I bought the
guide at a local Barnes and Noble for $20. The book I purchased has four practice tests
of 50 questions. Each test has an answer
key, with detailed explanations for each answer.
During a lunch break, I took a practice test. The real test is 60 minutes, but I only could
use 30 minutes. I got 17 questions
correct and 3 wrong (2 off of stupid mistakes because I was going too fast). After
scaling the results, I got 690, no too bad for a 40 year old.
To get an 800, a student will need to only answer 43 net questions correct. Yes, the SAT still carries a 0.25 penalty for
incorrect answers.
Eddie
This blog is property of Edward Shore, 2018