intercept form, you’re able to spot the correct answer instantly.
When an equation is in the form y = mx + b, the letter m represents the slope,
and the letter b represents the y-intercept. The equation in the stem is y = 4x +
5 . That’s in slope-intercept form, so the coefficient of x is the slope.
Now look for the answer choice with the same slope. Conveniently, all the
answer choices are presented in slope-intercept form, so spotting the one
with m = 4 is a snap. It’s (C):
People who are good at memorizing methods and formulas are not
necessarily the ones who get the best scores on the SAT subject tests. People
who have a deeper understanding of mathematics do. If you really want to
ace coordinate geometry questions, it’s not enough to memorize the
midpoint formula, the distance formula, the slope definition, the slope-
intercept equation form, and so on. What you want is to have a real grasp of
what slope is and what perpendicular and parallel lines and positive,
negative, zero, and undefined slopes tell you.
DON’T JUST MEMORIZE—INTERNALIZE
The best scores go to test takers who don’t just memorize methods
and formulas, but really understand the underlying math.