As a standardized testing pro (and someone who’s always loved math), I have a habit of noticing patterns. And recently, I’ve seen a recurring trend that involves the math that shows up on the SAT (and ACT, to some extent). Here it is: the biggest challenge for most of my one-on-one tutoring students is NOT typically Pre-Calculus and advanced Trig. Nor is it Algebra 2 (quadratic equations, quadratic function graphs, polynomials and factoring them). It’s not really even Geometry (which only shows up in fewer than 10% of the questions).
…in short, the math that you learn later in high school—the more advanced stuff—is NOT what usually blocks a student from getting the score she needs to get into her top-choice college.
Nope! Almost without exception, the students who come to me to raise their SAT scores share this common weakness: they need to refine their “baby Algebra” toolkit.
What is Baby Algebra on the SAT and ACT?
This term of mine refers to these relatively straightforward math concepts:
Solving basic equations;
Lines (graphing, forming an equation, interpreting the real-world meaning of the equation);
Systems of linear equations (graphing them, determining the number of solutions, finding those solutions);
Inequalities (solving them, graphing them on a number line, graphing or solving a system of them, combining them with Absolute Value).
I know what you’re thinking: “No way, Kristina! I learned all those things EONS ago! Sometime in seventh grade! How can you say I don’t know them?!” (I know what you’re thinking because I’ve heard it time and again in my office…from a student who ends up really benefiting from the approach I’m about to offer you here.)
And I hear you. I really do. It’s a frustrating prospect.
But riddle me this: which version of you do you suppose is smarter? Seventh-grade you…or you NOW?
Exactly. Of COURSE junior or senior YOU is a way sharper thinker than you could have possibly been in middle school. And yes, you did learn those general concepts then, because they were the easiest for you to grasp to begin learning the vocabulary of math, and because you needed them to move on to the harder topics you’d be able to master later.
But seventh-grade you never had to tackle problems like these.
You see, the SAT demands that you still remember all those concepts of yore…but instead of applying them to the entry-level problems you got served in middle school, that you use the same upper-level thinking abilities that you use NOW to work through trickier problems.
Because when you first learned about, say, linear equations, you probably didn’t drill down all that far. After all, at that point you were still studying beginner’s concepts and testing that learning with beginner’s examples. But the test you’re facing TODAY is asking you to soup up the way you apply those “easy” concepts, making it an “easy concept” with a “tricky/sophisticated case study.” And if you’re like most of my tutees, you’ve simply never upgraded those early concepts to this later level of expertise.
So that’s where this series comes in. In my posts with “baby Algebra” in the title, I’ll be breaking down the math content you need to upgrade your understanding of these “simple” concepts so that you can apply them in the new and more complex ways that the SAT will demand.
If you’re concerned about your math scores, Ivy Lounge Test Prep®’s Baby Algebra article series is for you.
I’ll be bringing you the crucial math content that will help you improve your mastery of those “easy” concepts…so you can send your scores soaring. If you just can’t wait or need individualized help, contact me here. Or, if you’re more of a self-studier, check out my complete SAT Math Cram Plan here (and the ACT equivalent here). These no-nonsense ebooks bring you all the Baby Algebra you’ll need, as well as all other math covered on the tests.
