What’s the best way to study for SAT Math if I’m already good at school?

Question

SAT Math isn’t just about knowing the content—it’s about thinking differently under time pressure. Here’s how I help strong math students prep effectively.

Answer 1

Doing well on the SAT is more about knowing the SAT than about knowing math or English. The strict timing of the test is your biggest enemy, so everything we tell to do in class (showing every single step, for example) isn't something you should do on this test. In fact, having to write things down will only slow you down! The exception to this is on a complicated geometry figure, where you'll need to draw it as quickly as you can onto your paper, because there's no way to mark the diagram on the test.

Here's a few other commonly used strategies:

1. Personal Order of Difficulty: The test is set up to start with easy questions and to get more difficult as you move on. But what the SAT says is difficult may be what you're best at. Go through the test twice. On the first run do the following:
2. Mark the answer immediately any question that you can work correctly in less that a minute
3. Mark for review any question that you can work correctly but will take more time
4. Mark an answer for any question that you do not even know how to start or know that you cannot do. Do not spend any real time on these questions
5. Go through the second time, working those problems you marked for review.
6. Plug in the answers: This is especially useful for equations
7. Plug in random value: When finding an equivalent expression, especially one with multiple variables, assign a value for each variable and find the answer that produces the same value. Warning on this: don't use 0 or 1 for your values, since they have characteristics that can produce false results.
8. DESMOS: Desmos is a powerful and wonderful tool given to you on the SAT. Learn how to use it, and learn how to enter things quickly into it. Desmos will only work as fast as you can type. It is a good idea to find a tutor just for Desmos if you're not familiar with the program
9. Read the entire question: This is one of the SAT's favorite tricks. They ask a question that isn't the obvious question. For example: if 3x+2=23, what is the value of 12x? Many students will see the question, work that equation, and mark the answer of 7, but the answer is 84.

Answer 2

Being strong in school math is a great start—but the SAT tests more than just content mastery. It also tests how quickly and efficiently you can apply that knowledge under pressure.

I help high-performing math students level up by focusing on:

• Question type recognition – quickly identifying patterns in word problems and functions

• Answer choice traps – avoiding the “too obvious” wrong answer

• Time-saving strategies – working backward, plugging in, and using Desmos strategically

• Stress management – staying sharp and confident across all four modules

Even top students sometimes lose points from rushing, overthinking, or misreading. The key is to blend content mastery with test-smart strategy—and that’s where I come in.