There are some rules of strategy that apply to all
SAT II tests. Theserules are so obvious that we hesitate to even call them “strategies.”Some of these rules will seem more like common sense to you thananything else. We don’t disa
gree. But it is amazing how a timed testcan warp and mangle common sense. So we offer the following list.
Avoid Carelessness
There are two types of carelessness, both ofwhich will cost you points. The first type results from sheeroverconfidence. If you speed through the test without a second glance,you make yourself vulnerable to misinterpreting questions, overlookinganswer choices, and making computational mistakes. As you take thetest, make a conscious effort to approach it calmly and methodically,no matter how comfortable you are with the material. There’s nothingworse than realizing you lost points due to sloppy mistakes.
Then there’s lack of confidence—a defeatistattitude is your worst enemy when taking the SAT IIs, because if youautomatically assume you won’t be able to answer many of the questions,you’ll give up at the first sign of difficulty and sabatoge your score.Even if you don’t feel confident about the material, stay on track anduse our techniques for test-taking, and you might find you know more(and get a better score) then you thought you would.
Be Careful Gridding In Your Answers
The computer that scores SAT II tests isunmerciful. If you answered a question correctly, but somehow made amistake in marking your answer grid, the computer will mark thatquestion as wrong. If you skipped question 5, but put the answer toquestion 6 in row 5, and the answer to question 7 in row 6, etc.,thereby throwing off your answers for an entire section . . . it getsugly.
Some test-prep books advise that you fill inyour answer sheet five questions at a time rather than one at a time.Some suggest that you do one question and then fill in thecorresponding bubble. We think you should fill out the answer sheetwhatever way feels most natural to you; just make sure you’re carefulwhile doing it. In our opinion, the best way to ensure that you’rebeing careful is to talk silently to yourself. As you figure out ananswer in the test booklet and transfer it over to the answer sheet,say to yourself: “Number 23, B. Number 24, E. Number 25, A.”
Know What’s in the Reference Area
At the beginning of SAT II Math IC, there is areference area that provides you with basic geometric formulas andinformation.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR YOUR REFERENCE IN ANSWERING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS IN THIS TEST.
Volume of a right circular cone with radius r and height h: 
Lateral area of a right circular cone with circumference of the base c and slant height l: 
Volume of a sphere with radius r: 
Surface area of a sphere with radius r: 
Volume of a pyramid with base area B and height h:  |
You should know all these formulas withoutneeding the reference area; don’t neglect to memorize and understandthe formulas because you have the reference area as a crutch. Instead,see the reference area as a hint to you about what formulas are likelyto be needed on the test. If you know those formulas without having toflip back to the reference area, you’ll save time, which puts you onestep ahead.
Write All Over Your Test Booklet . . .
Draw diagrams or write out equations to helpyou think. Mark up graphs or charts as necessary. Cross out answersthat can’t be right. Basically, the test booklet is yours to write allover, and writing can often help clarify things, allowing you to workmore quickly with fewer mistakes.
. . . But Remember that the SAT Rewards Answers, Not Work
That said, we must qualify our advice. Doingmath scratchwork can definitely help you avoid careless errors, butdoing pristine work, or more work than necessary, can be moretime-consuming than it’s worth. You must find a balance between speedand accuracy. You need to be able to follow and understand your work,but other people don’t. Nobody will look at or reward your work, sodon’t write it out as if you’re being judged.
