Need help with SAT math?
It’s amazing to think that SATs have been part of the American educational way of life since 1926. That’s almost seventy years … hold on … we didn’t do so well in math … it’s actually ninety years of cramming and suffering number-induced headaches. It’s only really over the past thirty years or so that SATs have begun to be taken seriously by all and sundry. Previously, they were the domain of the smart kids who wanted to get into the better colleges. These days, such is the competition with all colleges, every student is forced to be absolutely serious when it comes to sitting their SATs.
With SATs – like with most things that require practice – it really pays to revise and study. A prepared student is likely to gain a grade that is between ten and twenty percent higher than an unprepared student with similar ability. As these scores are likely to with you for the rest of your lives, it really pays to work hard at them. You should set aside at least thirty hours of study time for your Math SAT alone.
We have calculated the ten best web-sites to help a student obtain better results than will just keeping their fingers crossed and whispering a silent prayer on the morning of their test.
1. College Board – https://sat.collegeboard.org/home
It is the evil College Board who set these tests in the first place. Despite this, the SAT section of their web-site is friendly and welcoming, and offers much for the SAT student. You can practice sample SAT questions or take a full-blown SAT practice test. If you register, you get access to their official SAT online course and study guide. There’s even a test-day simulator so you’ll know what to expect when your test does officially come around. Naturally, you can also register to take and re-take the test itself here yourself.
2. Wyzant Tutoring – http://www.wyzant.com/sat_tutors.aspx
If you’re the kind of person who finds the prospect of self-motivation a little demotivating, you may benefit from a little hands-on or face-to-face tutoring. Wyzant is a web-site that puts students and personal tutors together. You simply type in the subject you wish to study, and the zip code of where you are. We found no less than nearly 400 suitable tutors near us. Each tutor comes with a rating created by past satisfied (and unsatisfied) students, and a collection of testimonials.
The ultimate math domain is the home of the world of math online. It has sections for every type of math available, from basic stuff like algebra and geometry to advanced topics such as calculus and recursive formulas. If you’re enough of a brainiac to actually find math fun, there are some math-based games such as Sudoku and Nim. The site also has a wealth of information dedicated to SATs.
4. Purple Math – www.purplemath.com
For some reason named after Prince’s favorite color, Purple Math is a site dedicated to help improve a student’s abilities and comfort with algebra, via free online tutoring and lessons, quizzes and worksheets. Of course, algebra forms a significant part of the Math SAT. There’s a huge index of options for every kind of algebra you could imagine (and many that you couldn’t) and a forum where you can link up with other sufferers.
5. UsaTestprep – www.usatestprep.com
USA Test prep is the first site on our list where payment is required but only for a bargain fee of $50 per annum, and a free trial is available. All materials are provided by respected educational establishments, and are geared to help a student prepare for whatever test awaits them.
6. Power Score – www.powerscore.com/sat
Powerscore is another site with the mission of helping you zap those once-in-a-lifetime SAT scores into the stratosphere – but at a cost. There are a number of options, both online and in the real world. An online course costs $495 for 24 hours-worth of online resources, or $350 for 12. Real class time is $595 for 40 hours of class time (including 24 hours of lectures and four practice tests) or 12 hours of intensive instruction for $350. Power Score will also put you in touch with in-person tutors, both in person or online.
If we had a dollar for every time a child came home and yelled “Mom! Can I put the TV on! I wanna watch Math TV!”, we’d have … zilch. The Math TV site is a collection of math-based tutorials, most of them presented by Charles P. “Pat” McKeague, an author and educator. As well as the tutorials there were a range of textbooks that could be purchased from the site.
8. Erik The Red – www.erikthered.com
Erik the Red was a viking who one day (in 982 AD) set sail and bumped into a new and mysterious land which, despite it being covered in snow, he named “Greenland”. Erik now offers a wealth of information and resources for needy SAT students, most of which is in the form of down-loadable PDF files. They are also a number of fun quizzes and study guides.
9. Pwn The Sat – http://pwnthesat.com/wp/#.U0cFeaNOXIU
For those not in the know, “Pwn” comes from the frequent text-speak mis-spelling of “own” – which is commonly used by sixth-graders everywhere (or at least it was three years ago) to signify having an advantage in some respect or other over an adversary, as in “I pwn U”. This site covers all aspects of SAT tests, not just math. There are drills to take that determine just how much help you actually need, and lots of hints and tips to help you though the big day.
10. The Perfect Score Project – http://perfectscoreproject.com/
The Perfect Score Project is a blog created by a mom who paid out $10,000 in the hope of scoring the “perfect score” of 2,400 in the Math SAT. Her blog is a light-hearted collection of articles and videos, all of which may help others in obtaining as close to a perfect score as they can in their own SAT, and hopefully without spending $10,000.
