Spotlight: TestTaking Techniques

Plug-In Guess & Check

Plug-in has three steps:
1. Plug in numbers for the variables.
2. Solve the problem using your numbers.
3. Plug your numbers into all the choices to find
the one that matches your answer.
As a back-up plan on certain Grid-Ins, consider the
“Guess & Check” technique. If you’re taking too long
to solve a problem—and you strongly suspect the
answer is a small integer—start trying numbers!
Begin with 0 and work your way up until you get it.

7
34
A scientist studying the effects of sleep
deprivation on a group of mice observed that If x > 0 and 𝟑𝒙𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙 = 𝟖, what is the value of x ?
Mouse A completed a task in half as much time
as Mouse B, who completed the task three
minutes faster than Mouse C. If A represents
the number of minutes it took Mouse A to
complete the task, then an expression for
Mouse C’s time, in terms of A, is

A) 𝟐𝑨 − 𝟑
B) 𝟐𝑨 + 𝟑
𝑨!𝟔
C)
𝟐 Joe Bloggs & RTFQ
𝑨!𝟔
D)
𝟐 Joe Bloggs problems are those with answer choices
meant to trap you. They occur on the last third of
each section (11-15 in the No Calculator section; 21-30
Backsolve in the Calculator section). On these questions, any
answer choice which is “too easy” to arrive at (for
Backsolve has three steps: instance, simply adding two numbers in the problem)
1. Put the number from choice (B) back into the is a Joe Bloggs choice. These choices are tempting, but
problem. If it works out, (B) is correct. they’re WRONG. Don’t fall into their trap!
2. If not, decide whether you need a higher
number or a lower number. As for RTFQ issues, it’s generally a good idea to read
3. Based on your decision, try the number from the SAT problems carefully. Very, very carefully.
either (A) or (C). If that choice works, it is
correct. If not, try another choice.
21
12
From 1:00 to 2:00, a deli served customers
For a school’s canned goods drive on Monday, numbered X through Y. How many customers
each participating sophomore donated 6 were served that hour?
canned goods and each participating junior
donated 3 canned goods. If a total of 25 A) X–Y
sophomores and juniors donated exactly 105 B) Y–X
canned goods on Monday, how many C) X–Y+1
sophomores participated in the drive? D) Y–X+1
A) 18
B) 15
C) 10
D) 5

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Drill (30 minutes) 10
Even if you can see another way to do a problem,
USE PLUG-IN OR BACKSOLVE! That’s the whole
point of this drill. (Also, watch out for Joe Bloggs and
RTFQ mistakes!)
2x
2
If 0 < r < s < t, which of the following products is
least?
3x
A) r×r If the area of the triangle above is 48, what is the
B) r×s value of x ?
C) r×t
A) 16
D) t×t B) 12
C) 8
3 D) 4

Rohan goes to a theme park where admission

costs $10 per day and each roller coaster costs
$1.25 per ride. Which of the following 12
expressions gives Rohan’s total cost, in dollars, One month a grocer’s revenue is $1,200 greater
for a day in which he takes r rides on a roller than his expenses, but the next month his
coaster? revenue is $600 less than his expenses. If his
expenses never vary, what is the difference
A) 11.25r between his revenues for the two months?
B) 10r + 1.25
A) $600
C) 10 + 1.25r B) $1200
D) 10 + 125r C) $1800
D) It cannot be determined from the
information given.
5
2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 7
13
𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 1 Judd is twice as old as Becky and half as old as
Wendy. If the sum of all three ages is 21, then
If (x, y) is a solution to the system of equations
how old is Becky?
above, what is the value of x ?
A) 3
A) –1
B) 6
B) 4
C) 12
C) 6
D) 18
D) 20

7 14
At a park, a vendor sells small and large bottles
of water. A small bottle costs $2.00 and a large If st = u, which of the following must equal tu ?
bottle costs $3.00. The vendor sold exactly 100
bottles of water for a total of $245. How many A) 𝑡
large bottles did the vendor sell?
B) 𝑠𝑡
A) 45
C) 𝑠𝑡 !
B) 50
C) 55 D) 𝑠 ! 𝑡
D) 60

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 16 20
If x + 4 is 2 less than y, then x – 7 is how much The same positive integer n is subtracted from
less than y ? !"
the numerator of and is also added to the
!
A) 1
B) 5 !
denominator of . The two resulting fractions
C) 9 !"
D) 13 are equal to each other. What is n ?

A) 17
B) 12
17
C) 7
D) 2
If 𝑦 > 0 and 𝑦 − 2 = 𝑦 + 10 , what is the value
of 𝑦 ?
22
A) 1
B) 3 Which of the following is an equivalent form of
C) 6 the expression (4𝑥 − 3)! − (4𝑥 − 3) ?
D) 1 or 6
A) 12𝑥 − 9
B) 4𝑥 ! + 4𝑥 − 12
18
C) 16𝑥 ! − 20𝑥 + 12
On a certain farm the ratio of black sheep to
white sheep is 2 to 3. What percent of the sheep D) (4𝑥 − 3)(4𝑥 − 4)
are black?

A) 33 ! %
! 24

B) 40%
C) 60% u 5u v 22
!
D) 66 ! % On the number line above, each tick mark is
equally spaced apart. What is the value of v ?

A) 17
19 B) 18
C) 19
Medical research indicates that a person’s height D) 20
is based largely on genetic factors. A common
formula based on this research estimates that to
find the expected height of a fully-grown male, 25
take the average of the parents’ heights and add !
2.5 inches. Which of the following is an If 𝑘 > 𝑗 > 0 and = z , which of the following
!
equivalent way to find a male’s expected height !!!
in inches, E, using his father’s height, F, and his must be equal to ?
!
mother’s height, M ?
!
A) 𝐸 = 𝐹 + 𝑀 + 2.5 A)
!!!
(𝐹+𝑀+2.5) !
B) 𝐸= B)
2 !!!
(!!!)
C) 𝐸 = +5 !!!
! C)
!
(!!!!!)
D) 𝐸 = !!!
! D)
!

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 26 33
The Hillside Chess Club has 14 members and the If 3x + 8 = 2y, what is the value of 8y – 12x ?
Hillside Debate Club has 17 members. If a total
of 15 people belong to only one of the two clubs,
how many people belong to both clubs?

A) 7
B) 8
C) 14
D) 16

34
27 1
𝑗= 𝑘
A blend of coffee is made by mixing Bolivian 3
coffee at $4 a pound with Cuban coffee at $9 a 𝑚 = 3𝑗 + 𝑘
pound. If the blend is worth $6 a pound, how
many pounds of the Bolivian coffee are needed 4
to make 50 pounds of the blend? 𝑛= 𝑚
3
A) 20 In the system of equations above, 𝑛 ≠ 0. What is
B) 25 !
C) 30 the value of ?
!
D) 35

28
If 𝑚 = 4 + 9𝑥 ! and 𝑛 = 10 − 3𝑥, what is m in
terms of n ?
35
A) 𝑛! − 20𝑛 + 104
2 5 1
B) 𝑛! + 20𝑛 + 104 = +
𝑥 12 − 𝑥 2
C) 9𝑛! − 180𝑛 + 900
If x is a solution to the equation above, what is
D) 9𝑛! + 180𝑛 + 904 one possible value of x ?

30
Corinne purchases ribbon at the rate of r dollars
for the first foot and s dollars for each additional
foot after the first. If she spends $25 total, which
of the following represents the length of the
ribbon Corinne purchased, in feet?
36
!"
A)
!!! If 𝑘 ! + 16𝑘 = 57, and k > 0, what is the value of
!"!!!! k + 8?
B)
!

!"!!!!
C)
!

!"!!!!
D)
!

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