{"id":7848,"date":"2013-06-18T12:28:38","date_gmt":"2013-06-18T12:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/testpreparations.com\/help\/?p=3450"},"modified":"2014-12-02T08:26:59","modified_gmt":"2014-12-02T08:26:59","slug":"how-to-read-math-questions-on-the-sat-and-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/how-to-read-math-questions-on-the-sat-and-act\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Math Questions on the SAT and ACT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview: A Different Style of Reading<\/strong>
\nReading math questions on the SAT and ACT takes special attention to exact detail, following directions precisely, and watching for key words.\u00a0 It is a different type of reading than students usually do in other sections of the test, such as reading comprehension or vocabulary sections.\u00a0 The “plot” of a math question has a beginning, middle, and the solution provides the end.<\/p>\n

Attention to Detail<\/strong>
\nOther sections of the SAT or ACT may ask for the main ideas, interpretations, or points of view in a selection.\u00a0 Usually, comprehension of the entire selection doesn’t hinge on a single word or detail.\u00a0 However, successful solutions to math problems depend upon attention to detail.\u00a0 Questions like “1\/3 is 1\/4 of what number?” and “What is 1\/3 of 1\/4?” do not have the same solution.<\/p>\n

Following Directions<\/strong>
\nFilling in the answer sheet correctly, as well as working the correct section in the time limit given are more obvious examples of following directions, but there are also some special symbols on some math problems. The goals of those problems are to test skill in substitution and logical reasoning.\u00a0 Those questions require suspension of disbelief, as well as following directions.<\/p>\n

Watching for Key Words<\/strong>
\nWords such as exactly, at most, at least, fewer, and between refer to quantities. \u00a0If an answer to a problem is “nonnegative”\u00a0 it can be zero,\u00a0 but is the answer is positive it cannot. Make sure all quantities in the question stem are accounted for when solving the problem.<\/p>\n

Watch for Unnecessary Information<\/strong>
\nMath problems on tests, as well as math problems in homework, sometimes contain information that is not necessary to solve the problem.\u00a0 Sometimes this information is within the problem itself, and sometimes it is in the alternative answers.\u00a0 \u00a0For example, suppose the statement given on a math question is “Union Station has exactly 5 gates”.\u00a0 One of the alternatives is “South Station has 7 gates.”\u00a0 Since nothing else in the question was about South Station, it is unnecessary information.<\/p>\n

Looking to get ready for the SAT? We can help with SAT Prep<\/a> from Test Prep Academy<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Overview: A Different Style of Reading Reading math questions on the SAT and ACT takes special attention to exact detail, following directions precisely, and watching for key words.\u00a0 It is a different type of reading than students usually do in other sections of the test, such as reading comprehension or vocabulary sections.\u00a0 The “plot” of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2841,3015,3021,2851,2853],"tags":[3030,2678,998],"class_list":["post-7848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-act","category-math-act","category-mathematics-sat","category-sat","category-study-tips-and-strategies","tag-attention-to-detail","tag-following-directions","tag-key-words"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schooltutoring.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}