Mastering Desmos for the SAT

A special version of the Desmos online graphing calculator is included as part of the BlueBook app students use to take the SAT.

Clever use of Desmos on the SAT math section can give a significant boost to scores, but Desmos is as complicated as it is powerful, and many students are unaware of its most helpful features. 

Which Desmos skills are most important to master for use on the SAT? Narrowing the list is critical.

Click here to read my outline of Desmos essentials.

The calculator is no cure-all, however, and the boundaries of its usefulness on the SAT must be kept firmly in mind. Desmos is helpful in solving the following types of problems: basic calculation, and simple data analysis, solving equations and systems, finding intercepts/zeros/max-min values, graphing equations and functions, and finding points along these curve. During the test, students should keep the calculator open but minimized, expanding it when in use.

Desmos is growing in importance in most high school and college math courses. Facility with the calculator beyond beginning levels confers multiple benefits, and taking the time to upgrade one's Desmos skills is highly encouraged. 

Students can progress to the next stage through independent study using targeted Google searches to learn and practice any underdeveloped skills listed in the linked document above.

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

SAT Interpretation Questions

For many students, SAT problems requiring interpretation of details found in equations or graphs can be some of the most difficult. These questions are unanswerable without secure grasp of the mathematical models tested on the SAT

Fortunately, secure grounding in particular concepts of linear, quadratic, and exponential functions tested on the SAT isn't hard to attain.

Following are key facts about linear, quadratic, and exponential models students must know to answer SAT interpretation questions.

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Linear functions
y = mx+b: y-intercept b is the “initial value” (y value when x = 0).
Slope is the “rate of change” (y compared to x, “y per x”).

Quadratic functions
y = ax^2+bx+c: y-intercept c is the “initial value” (y value when x = 0).
max/min value is the y coordinate at the vertex.

Exponential functions
y = A*B^x.
x is usually time, t.
A is the initial value (y value when x or t = 0).
B is the “multiplier” (number repeatedly multiplied in the problem.
B = 1 ± r, where r is the rate of increase or decrease (respectively)..
For example: If the rate of decrease is 15%, B = 85% = .85.

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For practice, search Google for “SAT interpretation questions worksheets,” pick a worksheet that provides answers, complete the worksheet, analyze any mistakes, and redo it until you can complete that worksheet with no errors. Then repeat, with additional worksheets, as needed, until you’ve mastered this important question type.

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Contact Chris

borlandeducational.com

Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.