May 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
If you’ve taken the March or May administrations of the new Digital SAT, you’ve probably come out thinking that the math was difficult.
Across the board, my students have given anecdotal stories about math, particularly the Second Module, being much harder than what they’ve seen on practice tests or the previous test version.
The Math Section
Well, it’s not just your imagination!
National and regional publications like Forbes and the New York Post have all recently run stories about how much more difficult the math is on the new Digital SAT.
Even other test prep specialists like ArborBridge have written articles about their students reporting the same experience of the math section feeling more arduous than it ever has before.
How to Prepare for the Math Section?
So, what can students do about the second module’s increased difficulty?
In truth, not much. We must keep what the College Board creates.
However, we can prep using all the material the College Board releases for practice, with special attention paid to the most difficult questions.
We can review the most important mathematical concepts used repeatedly on the test, such as quadratics and the unit circle.
Concepts and Strategies Every Student Must Know
We can also find comfort in the fact that every test-taker is grappling with the same challenges. If you find the test particularly difficult, know that you’re not alone in this.
Remember, every SAT is curved, and the scores coming back from the new Digital SAT are not lower than those from the traditional test.
The scores are coming back almost exactly in line with those from one year ago.
When faced with difficult and intimidating questions, remember the strategies that you’ve learned in math class and tutoring.
These, along with test-specific strategies like the process of elimination and plugging in numbers, can guide you toward the right answer.
Remember, never give up, even when faced with challenges.
You can achieve your dreams and attain a great score. No matter how difficult it may seem, there’s a way forward.
The College Planning Center’s robust test prep program is tailored to equip high school students with the necessary tools for success.
Our committed test tutors will assist parents in empowering their children. They will help them overcome their test anxiety, improve their test scores, and lay the groundwork for a promising future.
With these strategies and support, college success is well within your reach. Keep pushing forward—your academic goals are achievable!
Special thanks to Miles Kelly for writing this blog post.
Miles is a highly sought-after tutor for ACT/SAT prep from Compass Education Group in Los Angeles. He has helped hundreds of students with diverse academic goals and interests. Miles has worked with students of all learning types and every score level from mid-teens to a composite score of 30 or higher.
Many of his former students have attended prestigious universities like Stanford, Yale, and Columbia. Miles has recently relocated to South Carolina and hopes to use his expertise to benefit the students of the Lowcountry.
