There is a SAT Critical Reading strategy that says a test taker does not need to read the passage.
It works. BUT - please read the caveat - however, it takes a lot of training and is not worth it for the average student.
After 20 years (on and off) of test prep, I can answer many of the questions on the critical reading sections of the SAT without ever glancing at the passage. I have not done a thorough statistical analysis of the reading questions. And now that I know Erica Meltzer, I don't have to.
Caveat #2: If I was actually taking the test, I would go back to the passage and check the answers that I guessed.
Caveat #3: If I was actually taking the test, I would actually read the passage. It is one thing to do it in a coffee shop, it is entirely different to do it on game day.
I just answer the test questions without reading for fun. I guess at the structure of the answer choices and listen for the common SAT style.
For example, on the January QAS, there was a question on the "Ethnic Passage" that had the answer, "compare food with culture." Loved it - knew it was the answer. My student said, "I hate you." We both laughed as I went on to get all of the other ethnic questions correct.
What's the lesson? Swiftly read the passage and then re-read based on the answer choices. Lot's more to follow.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Venn Diagram Worksheet and Solutions
Venn Diagram Worksheet
Video Soltions:
Problems 1-4: http://youtu.be/QoOGTC--1nk
Problems 5-8: http://youtu.be/tlb4Fy_A3VY
Video Soltions:
Problems 1-4: http://youtu.be/QoOGTC--1nk
Friday, February 15, 2013
What's the Remainder
Integer Operations, Remainder
1.
2.
3.
|
Warm-up:
What is the remainder when 9 is divided by 6?
When the positive integer n is divided by 6 the remainder is
3. What is the lowest possible value of n?
The positive number n is a two digit integer greater
than 50 but less than 70. When n is divided by 6 the remainder is 3, what are
all the possible values for n?
|
4.
|
When the integer n is divided by 8, the remainder
is 3. What is the remainder if 6n is divided by 8?
|
5.
|
When the positive integer h is divided by 8, the remainder
is 2. What is the remainder when h + 9 is divided by 8?
|
6.
|
When positive integer w is divided by 6, the remainder
is 3. When positive integer t is divided by 6, the remainder
is also 3. What is the remainder when the product of w and t
is divided by 6?
|
7.
|
When the positive integer k is divided by 7 the remainder is
4. What is the remainder when k + 4 is divided by 7?
|
8.
|
When the positive integer k is divided by 7 the remainder is
4. When the positive integer j is divided by 7 the remainder is
3. What is the remainder when the product of k and j is divided by 7?
|
9.
|
When the positive two-digit integer n is divided by 9 the
remainder is 3. When n is divided by 7 the remainder is
5. What is one possible value of n?
|
"Buy Your Score?" - What a Load of Bunk
A month or so ago, Jennifer Karan, the Executive Director of the SAT Program from the College Board, emailed me regarding an article about the SAT in the Baltimore Sun. As a SAT Tutor, I had to do a double take and see that the the executive in charge was actually reading my blog. So I read the article she asked me to read. And then I did some research.
I have written and rewritten this article several times trying to not sound too harsh. Finally, here it is...
In a recent letter written to the Baltimore Sun, Carlene Buccino, a Columbia Student, claims that the paying $600 for a college test prep course earned her the decisive edge to gain admissions to the Ivy League.
What a load of nonsense.
I have read Ms. Buccino's letter and am both amazed and horrified that such a well-educated young lady could even begin to think this way. I suggest she compare the history of higher education in America to her own proposal.
Let's take a look at the facts:
1. SAT Scores are not the sole factor in gaining admissions into ANY college, let alone Columbia, ranked among the best in the world [#11 in WORLD rankings of 2012, US News]. Standardized admissions tests are only a part of the process. Nothing in this world is perfect, but standardized college admissions testing is about as fair as a system can be designed. Millions of students can be compared on at least something that is the same. And that in an amazingly short period of time at exceptionally low costs.
2. Standardized tests may get your foot in the door, but that is as far as it can get you. Schools also consider many other factors: your academic resume, your transcript, your high school's reputation, your extra's, your parents' influence - yes, I said it, your parents' influence. Are you a wealthy legacy with the engineering building named after your grandfather? Carlene did NOT get into Columbia solely on her SAT. She probably is from a very wealthy neighborhood and her admission to the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA, class of 2012) was by audition. Carlene - did your parents pay for lessons and did you put in years of practice to master your skill that allowed you into the one of the best public schools in one of worst school districts in America?
3. $600 in test prep cannot buy enough "tricks" to earn Ivy League level scores. I have been tutoring test prep for 20 years. I have seen many great scores. They come from great students, who worked hard in school and have solid fundament academic skills. Some benefit from learning logical reasoning skills and thinking of new ways to tackle unfamiliar questions. Call them "tricks" if you will, but it is still learning - i.e. proof that the student is capable of something new.
I repeat, Carlene you practiced your arts skills, your academic skills and you are by no means a normal American student. You are to be congratulated for achieving success in both the arts and academics and you should be thankful for your family's support.
4. I have never seen an average student apply "tricks" and gain an Ivy League score with an average GPA. Repeat, NEVER. I have seen an average student's scores go up by LEARNING. Oh my, the SAT tests learning and the desire of a student to improve in reasoning skills? Say it isn't so, Toto!
So, Miss Buccino is missing a few key components. One, she is a woman, whose name ends in a vowel (much like my Italian mother's maiden name). 30 years ago women did not go to Columbia - yes, THIRTY. Columbia went coed AFTER Westpoint. How long ago was it that Italian women did not go to high school?
About 100 hundred years ago, Admissions at Columbia were handled the way she proposes. The college talked to the high school and only the elite were allowed in. PERIOD. You were out Carlene. How did someone like you or me get the chance?
But that all changed and one radical group, The College Board, helped introduce social equality in higher education. And they changed everything. They proposed that admissions to Columbia (yes it all started at Columbia, Carlene) were neglecting the many qualified students in such crass places as Pittsburgh (me) and Baltimore (Carlene). [May I be so bold as to remind the reader that Pittsburgh and Baltimore were populated with many under-educated ethnic minorities, mostly Catholic, working as unskilled labor with no access to a prestigious college education. Public education denied our parents their civil liberties and religious freedom. Roman Catholics were FORCED to practice Protestantism in public school, but we ended that. We paid our public taxes and paid for our own schools for freedom of religion. We learned the system and along the way we are no longer minorities and religion is not forced in schools].
And we had ONE level playing field in all of higher education. A simple reasoning test that compared our abilities with those of the rich, blue-blooded, elites who were snapping up all the seats at Columbia. We were able to be tested against them through the College Board.
The SAT is the beauty of American meritocracy. Your immigrant family is now at the apex of higher education in the world. I knew my immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents. They were European peasants. I suspect your ancestors were too. Now you are in a situation where you can help change the world. Your parents worked hard to earn their level of social economic standing, most likely through rigorous academics and hard work in their careers. They have invested in your education in the classroom and outside of it. You go to one of the most prestigious schools in the world and the one organization that was most influential in getting you there is the one you disparage. Shame on you. Learn the real history of standardized college testing.
I have written and rewritten this article several times trying to not sound too harsh. Finally, here it is...
In a recent letter written to the Baltimore Sun, Carlene Buccino, a Columbia Student, claims that the paying $600 for a college test prep course earned her the decisive edge to gain admissions to the Ivy League.
What a load of nonsense.
I have read Ms. Buccino's letter and am both amazed and horrified that such a well-educated young lady could even begin to think this way. I suggest she compare the history of higher education in America to her own proposal.
Let's take a look at the facts:
1. SAT Scores are not the sole factor in gaining admissions into ANY college, let alone Columbia, ranked among the best in the world [#11 in WORLD rankings of 2012, US News]. Standardized admissions tests are only a part of the process. Nothing in this world is perfect, but standardized college admissions testing is about as fair as a system can be designed. Millions of students can be compared on at least something that is the same. And that in an amazingly short period of time at exceptionally low costs.
2. Standardized tests may get your foot in the door, but that is as far as it can get you. Schools also consider many other factors: your academic resume, your transcript, your high school's reputation, your extra's, your parents' influence - yes, I said it, your parents' influence. Are you a wealthy legacy with the engineering building named after your grandfather? Carlene did NOT get into Columbia solely on her SAT. She probably is from a very wealthy neighborhood and her admission to the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA, class of 2012) was by audition. Carlene - did your parents pay for lessons and did you put in years of practice to master your skill that allowed you into the one of the best public schools in one of worst school districts in America?
3. $600 in test prep cannot buy enough "tricks" to earn Ivy League level scores. I have been tutoring test prep for 20 years. I have seen many great scores. They come from great students, who worked hard in school and have solid fundament academic skills. Some benefit from learning logical reasoning skills and thinking of new ways to tackle unfamiliar questions. Call them "tricks" if you will, but it is still learning - i.e. proof that the student is capable of something new.
I repeat, Carlene you practiced your arts skills, your academic skills and you are by no means a normal American student. You are to be congratulated for achieving success in both the arts and academics and you should be thankful for your family's support.
4. I have never seen an average student apply "tricks" and gain an Ivy League score with an average GPA. Repeat, NEVER. I have seen an average student's scores go up by LEARNING. Oh my, the SAT tests learning and the desire of a student to improve in reasoning skills? Say it isn't so, Toto!
So, Miss Buccino is missing a few key components. One, she is a woman, whose name ends in a vowel (much like my Italian mother's maiden name). 30 years ago women did not go to Columbia - yes, THIRTY. Columbia went coed AFTER Westpoint. How long ago was it that Italian women did not go to high school?
About 100 hundred years ago, Admissions at Columbia were handled the way she proposes. The college talked to the high school and only the elite were allowed in. PERIOD. You were out Carlene. How did someone like you or me get the chance?
But that all changed and one radical group, The College Board, helped introduce social equality in higher education. And they changed everything. They proposed that admissions to Columbia (yes it all started at Columbia, Carlene) were neglecting the many qualified students in such crass places as Pittsburgh (me) and Baltimore (Carlene). [May I be so bold as to remind the reader that Pittsburgh and Baltimore were populated with many under-educated ethnic minorities, mostly Catholic, working as unskilled labor with no access to a prestigious college education. Public education denied our parents their civil liberties and religious freedom. Roman Catholics were FORCED to practice Protestantism in public school, but we ended that. We paid our public taxes and paid for our own schools for freedom of religion. We learned the system and along the way we are no longer minorities and religion is not forced in schools].
And we had ONE level playing field in all of higher education. A simple reasoning test that compared our abilities with those of the rich, blue-blooded, elites who were snapping up all the seats at Columbia. We were able to be tested against them through the College Board.
The SAT is the beauty of American meritocracy. Your immigrant family is now at the apex of higher education in the world. I knew my immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents. They were European peasants. I suspect your ancestors were too. Now you are in a situation where you can help change the world. Your parents worked hard to earn their level of social economic standing, most likely through rigorous academics and hard work in their careers. They have invested in your education in the classroom and outside of it. You go to one of the most prestigious schools in the world and the one organization that was most influential in getting you there is the one you disparage. Shame on you. Learn the real history of standardized college testing.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Rough Rules for SAT Math
Eight years ago, I wrote this to a student. I've changed my mind on a few things, like when to bubble, but otherwise this advice holds true
Phil’s SAT Math Reminders:
- SLOW DOWN – you have plenty of time to score well. Remember that getting a 70% gets a 600!
- SLOW DOWN - Breath deeply during the exam. Take breaks to take deep breaths, your brain NEEDS the oxygen & it helps to control your nerves.
- SLOW DOWN - I have tutored hundreds of students and overwhelmingly mistakes are made in haste.
- WRITE DOWN YOUR WORK - do not do every math problem in your head. Get your hands involved.
- Time yourself as practice. Practice doing math problems for 15, 20 and 25 minutes. Set a timer so that you can get a feel for the length of the sections.
- Mark your answers in your test booklet and then transcribe them onto the bubble sheet as you are about to turn the page to the next set. This "batch processing" is the most efficient.
- RTFQ – Read The Flippin Question; before each question, take a deep breath and then read the entire question. Too many mistakes are made when students start attempting an answer BEFORE they even read the entire question. Too many mistakes are made by reading into the question. Get your hands on as many SAT practice tests as you can; form a study group with friends and each buy one of the big books with only practice tests - Barrons, Kaplan, Princeton Review. Read the question style.
- W? – WHAT is the question asking? Make sure that you know what you are solving for. If it is past half way, there is probably two steps and you have to solve for one thing and then use that answer to solve for real answer. You can bet that 9 times out of 10, the first answer and all permutations of it are in the answer choices.
- Know the RATIO BOX or RATIO GRID; you can solve the four hardest word problems on the SAT: 1. Ratio’s; 2. Work; 3. Solutions (as in Acid solution); 4. Time-Speed-Distance. Princeton Review has a great Ratio box; my more thorough box will be posted shortly.
- Average – Arithmetic mean [Mean, Median, Mode]
- Probability – simply have to practice these.
- Permutations - how many ways can seven runners finish a race: 7! = 7*6*5*4*3*2*1
- Time = Speed x Distance these can be very tricky; I will be posting about 50 of these so that you can get plenty of practice
- Plug In! – If there are variables in the question & variables in the answer, put in your own numbers and see which one works.
- Backsolve – for multiple choice questions the answers are right in front of you, set up your equation & put the answer choices into the equation. It is best to start with choice C and then move up or down. [answers are in ascending or descending order]
- Eliminate wrong answers through: Process of elimination. Eliminate wrong answers. Get rid of a few choices that are obviously wrong. You may get to the right answer without even having to do the problem. If you are stuck, pick one of the remaining and move on.
- GUESS!!!!! --- If you can estimate or eliminate possible wrong answers, guess! For Grid-ins, there is very little chance of simply guessing the answer but it doesn't count against you so mark something down.
- Spend time wisely – do your best on the hard problems, but remember answering an easy or medium problem correctly is worth the same amount as the hardest problem. Did I say slow down and breath deeply yet?
- Three Dimensional (3-D) problems usually have a two dimensional answer. There is usually a quick trick with 3-D.
- Special triangles. Know them, cold. They WILL BE on the test. 3-4-5; 5-12-13; equilateral; isosceles;30-60-90; 45-45-90.
- Sum of the interior angles of a polygon, 180(n-2), where n=number of sides.
- Rules of Divisibility, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 are the most common.
- REMAINDER – look up the remainder problem and practice it. You have probably not done a remainder problem for several years. NOTE: a calculator will not help you on a remainder problem as much as knowing how to solve it.
- SLOPE INTERCEPT FORM y = mx + b; solve for slope (m); parallel slopes, perpendicular slopes, lines in a coordinate plane, midpoints, rise/run.
- Make a ruler out of your answer sheet and measure the figures, most are drawn to scale.
- Algebraic factoring; usually not that hard so don’t over think it.
- 180 degrees on a line; 360 degrees about a point - This question is on every test. Funky multi-step intersecting lines and triangles; find the 180’s!
- Circles, circumference, diameter, radius, tangent, area, arc’s. Practice, practice, practice. These are all easy, so they have to word the problems with tricks.
- Quadratic & Parabolas.
- Exponents. Rules of adding, multiplying and raising to a another power. Squares & cubes.
- INTEGER – get to know & love this word, it WILL BE on the SAT that you take.
- Consecutive, even, odd, prime integers on the number line.
- Digits; Distinct numbers; real numbers; rational numbers; factor; multiple; remainder; prime – know them.
- Arithmetic rules for evens/odds e+ e = e; o + o = e; o x o = o, etc
- Read the question thoroughly, take your time and aim to get the first 2/3 of each section correct – that’s a 600!
- Order of Operations – PEMDAS
- Memorize the instructions and the given formulas. Please at least read them over. They are given for a reason, they WILL BE used. So get used to them and make note of your practice problems that use the given formulas. Using your time wisely means being able to see when this formulas will be used and NOT having to turn back the page to search for them.
- Write down each step as if this was middle school and you were getting graded on your work. Joe Cool does math in his head and skips steps. Write down every miserable step to avoid simple math mistakes. You have the time to get a 600! So use the time and get the easy and medium difficulty questions.
- Distributive law
- Adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing fractions. The answer choices are in fractions, so a calculator may not be an advantage.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Venn Diagram
SAT Venn Diagram, systems of equations
Problem:
In a survey of 200 pet owners, each person has a dog or a cat or both. If there are 180 dog owners and 160 cat owners. How many of the cat owners have no dogs?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cead Mile Failte Romhat~ well half
Between this blog and my YouTube Channel, I have had more than 50,000 page views. I want to thank you with "One Hundred Thousand Welcomes to You" - Cead Mile Failte Romhat
In the internet world, that is a drop in the bucket. In Phil's world, that is huge!
I have embarked on a journey to write and tutor full-time, publishing lessons and practice with interactive video solutions. Enjoy the ride, I am!
In the internet world, that is a drop in the bucket. In Phil's world, that is huge!
I have embarked on a journey to write and tutor full-time, publishing lessons and practice with interactive video solutions. Enjoy the ride, I am!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Perimeter #1 Solution
Problem
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
Solution
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Triangle Perimeter, Relationship of sides soluiton
The sides of a triangle are all integers. If one side measures 5 in length, what is the least possible value for the perimeter?
Phil McCaffrey
brought to you by Livescribe
Phil McCaffrey
brought to you by Livescribe
Monday, October 22, 2012
Median Problem solution
Median Problem:
The sum of the set of five consecutive odd integers is 195. What is the median value of the set?
The sum of the set of five consecutive odd integers is 195. What is the median value of the set?
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Perimeter #1
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
Triangle Perimeter, relationship of the sides
The sides of a triangle are all integers. If one side measures 5 in length, what is the least possible value for the perimeter?
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Median problem
The sum of the set of five consecutive odd integers is 195, what is the median value of the set?
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Angle Measurement #1
#1. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 70 and x degrees. What is the least possible value of x?
#2. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and x degrees. What is the greatest possible value of x?
Phil McCaffrey
brought to you by Livescribe
#2. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and x degrees. What is the greatest possible value of x?
Phil McCaffrey
brought to you by Livescribe
Monday, October 15, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Daughter Clause
On the SAT [and ACT] gender matters. Answers are often biased in favor of female authors and characters. Like every rule, this one can be bent a little.
The passage goes like this.
This passage is about an Asian-American author. She feels conflicted between pursuing her passion for the arts and her family's expectations of academic success.
1] Everyone knows that I am Asian and they simply expect me to get an A in Calculus then get into an Ivy League school. My mother is no exception. She is from a small village in China and has spent her life raising my sisters and I to be academic successes in America.
6]My older sisters have accepted this as their fate. They rejoice in their lives as a doctor and lawyer. My younger sister will probably be an engineer. Goodness, a doctor, a lawyer and an engine chief!
10] Mother feigns interest in artistic pursuits. I guess she would approve if I had won a contest or had been accepted to Harvard for writing. But I can feel her disappointment...
Question:
The author author uses the term "feigns" to express her mother's attitude of:
A) Displeasure
B) Sarcasm
C) Irony
D) Pretense
E) Pride
Using the "Gender Bias" rule blindly the answer would be E. It is the only positive answer regarding a question about an ethnic woman. But the "Daughter Clause" trumps the Gender Bias. Here the mother is negative towards the daughter.
Mothers of ethnic and female characters can be critical. Especially in the best interest of the child or involving a new situation like coming to America.
Daughters and ethnic sons can be critical of their mothers. Then they come to understand them.
I like the daughter clause, it works well. And it was taught to me by my daughter, Ali.
The passage goes like this.
This passage is about an Asian-American author. She feels conflicted between pursuing her passion for the arts and her family's expectations of academic success.
1] Everyone knows that I am Asian and they simply expect me to get an A in Calculus then get into an Ivy League school. My mother is no exception. She is from a small village in China and has spent her life raising my sisters and I to be academic successes in America.
6]My older sisters have accepted this as their fate. They rejoice in their lives as a doctor and lawyer. My younger sister will probably be an engineer. Goodness, a doctor, a lawyer and an engine chief!
10] Mother feigns interest in artistic pursuits. I guess she would approve if I had won a contest or had been accepted to Harvard for writing. But I can feel her disappointment...
Question:
The author author uses the term "feigns" to express her mother's attitude of:
A) Displeasure
B) Sarcasm
C) Irony
D) Pretense
E) Pride
Using the "Gender Bias" rule blindly the answer would be E. It is the only positive answer regarding a question about an ethnic woman. But the "Daughter Clause" trumps the Gender Bias. Here the mother is negative towards the daughter.
Mothers of ethnic and female characters can be critical. Especially in the best interest of the child or involving a new situation like coming to America.
Daughters and ethnic sons can be critical of their mothers. Then they come to understand them.
I like the daughter clause, it works well. And it was taught to me by my daughter, Ali.
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