Eliminating Answer Choices

Here's a great example of eliminating answer choices.

Add 8x to 2x and then subtract 5 from the sum. If x is a positive integer, the result must be an integer multiple of
A. 2
B. 5
C. 8
D. 10
E. 15


Well, if 10 is a correct answer, then 5 would be correct, too. You can't have two correct answers. So 10 could not possibly be an answer. The same goes for 15. So two answers are eliminated.

There are two ways to do this:
Add 8x and 2x and you get 10x, a multiple of 10. If you subtract 5, it's no longer a multiple of 10, but it's a still a multiple of 5.

OR
substitute for x. Let's make x=4.
8x plus 2x = 40. Subtract 5, and you get 35, which is a multiple of 5.

Vancouver SAT Tutoring
Your Score Booster
http://www.yourscorebooster.com

Good News on SAT: Girls Are Improving at Math

Overall, women face hurdles in sciences but they have seen improvement on the SAT.

Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences

A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, to be released Monday, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success.

…

At the top level of math abilities, where boys are overrepresented, the report found that the gender gap is rapidly shrinking. Among mathematically precocious youth — sixth and seventh graders who score more than 700 on the math SAT — 30 years ago boys outnumbered girls 13 to 1, but only about 3 to 1 now.

 

Read more...

Don't Cheat on the SAT

It's unethical, and it could get you in a lot of trouble.
Here's an interesting article about cheating...

The month of March means different things to different people. For college basketball fans, March may mean March Madness; for those seeking more daylight, March can mean "springing forward" as we change our clocks for daylight savings time (Sunday at 2am, by the way); for others March means bursting flower bulbs (daffodils and hyacinths are my favorites), and for still others March gives hope that shorts and t-shirts will soon be coming out from their hibernation. But for college-hopefuls, March means the SAT, more formally known as the Standardized Aptitude Test.

March 13th is the big day this year, the 14th for those who celebrate the Sabbath.
While the students will spend the better part of four hours worrying over Math and English questions, the biggest concern for those in the security office of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the test, is cheating. The security surrounding the SAT is so high that it conjures up images of the Declaration of Independence, pre-National Treasure.

Considering the numbers, security should be a big concern. On an average SAT-administering day, there are 6-thousand centers conducting tests.

Read more...

Vancouver SAT Tutoring
Your Score Booster
http://www.yourscorebooster.com

Writing Section - Pronouns - Finding Antecedents

TIP: If you see a pronoun, always try to find the word referred to by the pronoun (its antecedent).

If the antecedent doesn’t exist, then there’s an error.

If the pronoun is ‘they’ but the antecedent is singular, then there’s an error.

If you find two potential antecedents, then the pronoun is ambiguous.

You should always be searching for antecedents for any pronouns you see in the writing section.

This is something I review in more detail in my lessons, using examples.