Prepare To The Sat Subject Test (math Level 2)

Algebra TAKE A MOMENT TO FLIP THROUGH this chapter. You’ll probably be struck by how long it is. We cannot stress the importance of algebra to the Math IIC test. About 20 percent of the Math IIC questions directly test algebra, while the solutions to many other questions indirectly rely on algebraic techniques or concepts. Before you get overwhelmed, we’ll tell you some good news. First, the algebra tested on the math Subject Tests is not very difficult. Second, the Math IIC focuses on a limited set of algebraic topics. As long as you can handle the algebra in this chapter, you’ll be in fine shape for the test. Math IIC Algebra Strategies There are several ways to answer most algebra problems on the Math IIC. You could try to solve a problem by setting up and solving an equation. Alternatively, you can look for shortcuts in the problem that allow you to find the solution without a lot of math. Finally, you can often substitute numbers from the answer choice and use the process of elimination to discover the right answer. None of these methods is necessarily better than the others. Remain flexible in your approach to each question and choose the method that best suits the problem. For a problem you know how to solve, using algebra is probably the quickest method. In contrast, a problem that has you stumped might become easy if you try to plug in some answers. When you study your practice tests and look over the algebra questions you got wrong, you should think about the method you employed. To really get the most out of your practice tests, you should analyze not only the questions you get wrong, but also the questions you get right to make sure that you solved them in the quickest way. We’ll thoroughly explain the different problem-solving approaches, and you can decide for yourself which method to choose. Let’s use a sample algebra problem to illustrate these varying approaches: A baseball player travels from his home city, Jasonville, to Giambia City for a baseball game. He drives at 50 miles an hour. After the game, he travels back home and takes a flight that travels at 500 miles an hour. If the distance from Jasonville to Giambia City is 250 miles, and it took him j hours longer to drive than to fly, what is j? (A) 1 (B) 3.5 (C) 4 (D) 4.5 (E) 12 Using Algebra This question is a simple rate problem that can be solved with a few basic equations. Since traveling time = distance speed, it took him: to drive to Giambia City. To find the duration of his flight, we use the same rate formula: It took the player: longer to drive. D is the correct answer. Substitution Sometimes you might be unsure about how to approach a problem or don’t have the time to think out the proper equations. In such instances, substitution might be the best method, especially with the more difficult questions at the end of the test. All you have to do is substitute the answer choices back into the problem and see whether the given information holds true. The process of plugging in is simple. First, you should make full use of the fact that the answer choices on the Math IIC are always presented in ascending or desce