The 12 gaps behind almost every low SAT Math score.
These are the prerequisite skills our tutors check first. Run the 2-minute self-test for each one. Anything your student can't do cleanly is where the points are going.
- 01
Fraction arithmetic under pressure
2-minute test
Simplify (2/3 + 1/4) ÷ (5/6) in under 40 seconds, no calculator.Drill common-denominator addition and 'divide = multiply by reciprocal' until it's automatic. Every rational-expression question depends on it.
- 02
Negative signs and distribution
2-minute test
Expand −3(2x − 5) + (4 − x).Write the minus sign as ×(−1) explicitly for two weeks. Sign slips are the single most common lost point on the whole section.
- 03
Solving for a variable inside a formula
2-minute test
Solve A = P(1 + rt) for r.Practice isolating a variable that isn't x. The SAT loves rearranging science and finance formulas.
- 04
Slope as a rate of change
2-minute test
A line passes through (2, 7) and (6, 19). What does the slope mean if x is hours?Always read slope out loud as 'units of y per one unit of x.' Half of the word problems are just this.
- 05
Linear equations from a word problem
2-minute test
Write an equation: a gym charges $25 to join plus $15 a month.Label the variable in writing before writing the equation. Translation errors, not algebra errors, cost the points.
- 06
Systems of equations — knowing when to substitute vs. eliminate
2-minute test
Solve 3x + 2y = 12 and x − y = 1 twice, once each way.Substitution when one variable is already isolated, elimination when coefficients line up. Pick in five seconds, don't deliberate.
- 07
Percent change vs. percent of
2-minute test
A price rises 20% then falls 20%. Is it back to the original?Use multipliers (×1.2 then ×0.8 = 0.96). Never add or subtract percentages.
- 08
Ratios, rates, and unit conversion
2-minute test
60 miles per hour is how many feet per second?Set conversions as fractions and cancel units on paper. Unit tracking catches the wrong answer before you bubble it.
- 09
Exponent rules
2-minute test
Simplify (x³y⁻²)² / (x⁴y).Memorize the five rules cold: product, quotient, power, zero, negative. They reappear in every function question.
- 10
Factoring quadratics on sight
2-minute test
Factor x² − 7x + 12 and 2x² + 5x − 3.Twenty factoring reps a day for a week. Recognition speed matters more than method here.
- 11
Reading a function in three forms
2-minute test
For f(x) = (x − 3)² − 4, name the vertex, the roots, and f(5).Practice converting between standard, factored, and vertex form. The SAT asks the same question in whichever form you're weakest at.
- 12
Interpreting graphs and tables
2-minute test
From a scatterplot, estimate the line of best fit and predict a value outside the data range.Say what each axis measures out loud before answering. The math is easy; the misread is what costs you.
Not sure which of the twelve applies?
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