One of the most dreaded sections of the math portion of the SAT is the arithmetic word problem. Because the makers of the SAT questions know that students have problems with these types of problems, they take great pains to make sure they make the problems as confusing as possible, even though they usually deal with simple arithmetic.
Here is an example of a problem that may be faced on the SAT.
Thomas bought seven bags of oranges for $3.89 per bag. She later realized they were on sale for $2.99 a bag so she went to get the difference. If she was given the amount in pennies, how many pennies would she get back from the cashier?
There are very basic math concepts present in this word problem, but it can be intimidating for some people because it is written out as a word problem. Test makers intentionally put information that is not needed into the equation to throw off test takers. At its core, this is a basic math question that is actually quite easy to solve. Rather than giving the answer to this one single question, here is a look at some general overall strategies to use for word problems on the SAT math section.
Strategies for Math Word Problems
- Break it Down - The best advice is to break it down into individual phrases. For commas, periods and the word and, draw a line to separate the sections of the question. At every stop, it is important to make sure that whatever is asked for is given before proceeding to the rest of the question.
- Disregard - Occasionally an SAT word problem will include information that is not needed to get an answer. However, there is a good chance that if the information is used the answer will be wrong, bringing down the overall score on the math section of the SAT. Because of this, it is important to read carefully and disregard any information that is not needed.
- Step by Step - After the question is broke down into its segments and unnecessary information taken out, the next step is to move through the problem section by section to get the final answer, which should be available as a multiple choice answer. If the answer expected is not given, it may be a good idea to skip the question and come back to it if there is time after working through all the other problems.
- Check Work - Before putting down the final answer, read the question one more time. While this takes a little time, double checking work on arithmetic word problems is a good idea to make sure no "stupid mistakes" are made. Word problems are intentionally made to be confusing, which is why it is a good idea to take them slowly.
