Sitting on the train this week, I overheard a group of mothers discussing the recent SAT. Of course I couldn’t help but eavesdrop! One mother was complaining that her daughter ran out of time because her daughter was confused about how to answer the math grid-ins. (One math section has 10 questions that are not multiple choice.) Being the pushy woman that I am, I asked the mom for her email address so that she could show this week’s newsletter to her daughter.
Math Grid-In Tips
▪ Always start from the left.
▪ The grid cannot accommodate: negative answers, answers with variables, answers greater than 9999, or answers with mixed numbers.
▪ Always use the most accurate number that fits. 1.4 is not a substitute for 1.43.
▪ Grid only the first three digits of long or repeating decimals.
▪ It is not necessary to round repeating decimals.
▪ Always guess if you have time- you don’t lose any points for a wrong answer.
▪ Unless the problem indicates otherwise, an answer can be entered on the grid either as a decimal or as a fraction.
▪ You don’t have to reduce fractions to their lowest terms.
▪ Convert all mixed numbers to improper fractions before gridding the answer.
▪ Some questions will have more than one right answer.