Try working through problems methodically, looking for the “elegant” solution.īoth sections are on the SAT, which means that they’ll share the underlying focus of math fluency and algebra-based questioning. The next time you practice on a math section, leave your calculator in your bag. You can overcome calculator anxiety in much the same way that you don’t overcome a fear of sharks: full immersion. Students will excel when they ask themselves, “What does this question ask? What concepts is it testing? Is the question’s presentation indicative of anything? What’s the method that will take the fewest steps?” is immediately to simplify equations, isolate variables, and combine like terms may find themselves stuck in the weeds of the problem. You can still pick numbers or work backwards from answer choices, although the best and quickest processes will involve a deeper awareness of the underlying math concepts.Īlso, the No-Calculator section does not mean that each problem will involve ten grueling mathematical operations. For one, most of the No-Calculator questions allow for multiple pathways to the correct answer. While computing a math problem without a calculator may feel as likely as going a day without Internet, it is possible, and the No-Calculator section is your opportunity to show that you can do math with nothing but your pencil, paper, and grey matter. I imagine many hands reached instinctively for empty space during the redesigned SAT’s first administration, a “phantom calculator syndrome” akin to the phantom vibration syndrome that affects the smartphone-touting millennial generation. Having a calculator means that a student can focus on interpreting the data rather than tedious calculations.Īdmittedly, it is going to feel difficult for some students to keep their calculators under their desk. Students might be given messy, real world data to work with. Variables, tables, study designs, and word problems abound, requiring students to sift through data and interpret information in context, not merely solve for x. You need to know the ins and outs of a problem, and not simply solve it by employing calculator tricks or helpful multiple-choice strategies like working backwards.īy contrast, the Calculator section cares a lot more about concepts that go beyond simple calculations. Most high school math teachers require students to show all their work to receive full credit, and the No-Calculator section is the College Board’s way of acting a little more like your Algebra I teacher. The goal of the No-Calculator section is to require students to solve math problems using approaches, concepts, and formulas that mirror what they are learning in their high school classes. Had the College Board goofed? Had it assigned different labels to the different sections? Students were surprised to learn that there indeed were calculations to be made and that the College Board is, in fact, actively testing students’ ability to perform computations.īy contrast, they were equally astonished to find that many questions on the Calculator section did not require the calculator. One might think that the questions on the No-Calculator section would not require significant computations, much like the calculator-free Science section of the ACT doesn’t require more than the occasional rough estimation. Students on March 5th were very surprised by the types of questions the College Board considered appropriate for the No-Calculator and Calculator sections of the redesigned SAT. Admissions Testing Policy Updates in response to COVID-19.
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