THE BIG PICTURE
In the Reading section of this book, you learned about various ways to eliminate wrong answers on hard
questions. Well, that idea comes into play in the Math sections of the SAT, too. This chapter provides an
overview of the strategies you should know to maximize your Math score, as well as some tips on how to
use your calculator wisely (and how to work without it!).
Ballparking
One way to eliminate answers on the Math Test is by looking for ones that are the wrong size, or that are
not “in the ballpark.” Although you can use your calculator on the following question, you can eliminate
without doing any calculations.
25.Joy plants three rows of corn in her garden. The row on the south edge of the gardenreceives more sunlight than the row on the north edge of the garden. Therefore, the corn
on the north edge of the garden is 30% shorter than that on the south. If the corn on the
south edge of the garden is 50 inches tall, how tall is the corn on the north edge of the
garden, in inches?
A) 30
B) 33
C) 35
D) 65Here’s How to Crack It
The question states that the corn on the north edge is shorter than the corn on the south edge, which is 50
inches tall. You are asked to find the height of the corn on the north edge, so the correct answer must be
less than 50. Eliminate (D), which is too large. Often, one or more of the bad answers on these questions
is the result you would get if you applied the percentage to the wrong value. To find the right answer, take
30% of 50 by multiplying 0.3 by 50 to get 15, then subtract that from 50. The corn on the north edge would
be 35 inches tall, which is (C).
Read the Full Question
You never know what ETS is going to decide to ask for, so make sure to always read the full question
before solving. Underline what you are actually solving for and any key words you think you might forget
about as you solve the question. Then, try to Ballpark before you solve.