Sunday, March 4, 2018

Eddie Tackles the SAT – 23 Years Later


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