Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Conquer SAT & ACT Math with Math Toolbox (Part 2)

This is the second part in a series of how to conquer SAT and ACT Math by utilizing a Math Toolbox. For the complete list of the tools in the Math Toolbox and Part 1, visit here. 

Along with your pencil, the calculator is a pretty obvious resource for the test. You can use a calculator on the entire ACT math portion. The SAT and PSAT only allow calculators on one of the two math sections (no calculator on the SSAT by the way).


Nevertheless, a calculator can actually hinder your performance on the test if you don’t use it wisely. A calculator can cause you to spend lots of extra time. Many students feel the need to use the calculator for every calculation. The test is designed such that, if you need to use a calculator for every problem, you might not be able to finish the test in time. 

Also, a calculator does not allow you to visually track all of your calculations. If you do all calculations on the calculator and you don’t jot down any notes in your test booklet, it can be challenging to check your work and confirm the correct answer. 

So how do you effectively use a calculator as a part of your Math Toolbox? 

First of all, be sure you do all of your practice and studying with the same calculator you use on test day. Many students use their cell phone calculators when they practice for the test for reasons of convenience. Since cell phones are not allowed into the test, students have to learn the keys and format of a new calculator on test day. Major time waster! 

Secondly, learn to leverage your mental math skills instead of taking out a calculator for every calculation. Next blog post will detail the power of mental math, but for now, just be sure you understand that there are many calculations you can do in your head that are faster than plugging and plotting on a calculator. 

Finally, a calculator should not replace note taking. Getting pencil to paper and making a mess of your test booklet is the path to determining and confirming the correct answer. 

In all, your calculator should ultimately help you with both speed and accuracy on math problems on the SAT, ACT and PSAT. Use it wisely, and it can be one of the most productive tools in your Math Toolbox. 

For more test taking tips and tools, contact CROSSWALK today. 













Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

How to Tackle Math Anxiety

True story: I used to be bad at math. 

I always remember being bad at math. During my elementary years, my mother used to torture me over the summers with math workbooks and extra work. It was never fun and I dreaded it. 

Math became a chore and I avoided it at all costs. 


In fact, even into college, I feared math. Through a little-known loophole that likely doesn’t exist anymore, I was able to graduate with extra Fine Arts classes instead of Math classes. 

Nothing changed for me until I shifted my mindset about math and my own learning. 

Lucky for me, I had no choice but to shift my mindset when I headed to graduate school. In pursuing my MBA, I took several Math classes that forced me to embrace math. Simultaneously, I launched CROSSWALK as a means to support myself through graduate school and found myself teaching test prep and math skills. 

In both cases, I was lucky enough to be in situations in which I was able to see math strategies, short cuts and connections that I never saw before. All of a sudden, I started to feel good about math. 

Maybe my brain was just ready for math. Or maybe I finally understood that math was not my problem, rather my anxiety about math was. 

Once I put the anxiety behind me, I found math to be a joy. Confidence erased anxiety. 

Now, when my students tell me, “I’m bad at math,” I get to tell them my story. 

I tell them that the reason they are bad at math is that they have anxiety over it. For most students, anxiety is the heart of the issue, not ability. The key becomes how to tackle the anxiety. 

So how do you tackle the anxiety? Two ways: early and often. 

First, start early with fun ways to do math. Lucky for kiddos nowadays, there are many fun games and apps that can help. No more boring workbooks that my mom used to force on me. Bedtime Math is one such resource. Typically geared towards early learners, Bedtime Math can be fun for all ages. I even like to do some of the problems! Apps like Bedtime Math have proven to reduce anxiety around math. Start kiddos on these types of activities early and confidence can build. 

Second, make math a routine part of everyday activities. Repetition goes a long way in learning. Look for opportunities to frequently insert math-related topics into your everyday routine. Even just counting or pattern-recognition activities on the way to school can be fun. Or incorporate some math questions into your cooking, gardening, chores, etc. Count calories, chart times of television shows or otherwise take the normal, everyday activities and turn them into math questions. 

As you build confidence through fun math activities early and often, anxiety will melt away. It took me several decades to defrost my own math anxiety. If you can tackle your own anxiety soon, it won’t take you that long.

For more learning ideas and ways to prepare for the ACT, SAT, SSAT, PSAT or other standardized tests, contact CROSSWALK. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

ACT & SAT Math: Show What You Know

Math word problems: do you love them or hate them? 


Chances are you hate them. Most students struggle with math problems that contain more words than numbers. Translating sentences into equations is not always the easiest thing to do.  


Despite the challenge, there is no way around word problems. Most of the math questions on the SAT and ACT deal with more words than numbers. Remember, the SAT and ACT are tests designed primarily to test your reading ability, not your math skills. 


So how do you tackle word problems? How do you sift through the cornucopia of words to drill down to the important math equation? 

The answer is quite simple: use your pencil to draw and show what you know. Often by drawing the information you know, you can create an easy shortcut to the correct answer. 

For example, let’s say you are given the following question (taken directly from the College Board website): 

A special lottery is to be held to select the student who will live in the only deluxe room in a dormitory. There are 100 seniors, 150 juniors, and 200 sophomores who applied. Each senior’s name is placed in the lottery 3 times; each junior’s name, 2 times; and each sophomore’s name, 1 time. What is the probability that a senior’s name will be chosen?

A) 1/8
B) 2/9
C) 2/7
D) 3/8
E) 1/2

So many words here! But don’t freak out. Take it slow and start with your pencil: 

Draw one block to represent 100 seniors, another block to represent 150 juniors and one more block to represent 200 sophomores. Now, you also know that the senior’s names are placed in the lottery 3 times. So draw two more blocks next to the senior’s block, each identical to the block representing 100 names. Draw two blocks for the juniors, each representing 150 names. Finally, sophomores don’t need an extra block. 

Once you have your drawing, now comes the easy part. Probability, you might recall, is nothing more than a fraction. The numerator is the number of desired outcomes and the denominator is the number of total outcomes. By using your blocks, you can see that the total desired outcomes (senior’s names) is 3 blocks of 100, or 300. The total outcomes is all of the blocks added together: (3 x 100) + (2 x 150) + 200 = 800. In other words, the probability is 300/800 or 3/8. The correct answer is D. 

Even though this is a hard question according to the College Board, it becomes quite easy when you draw things out. 

When you are faced with math problems that seem to have no solution, start drawing! Getting your pencil to paper will help you organize what you know and guide you towards finding out what you don’t know. 

Learn more test prep tips by contacting CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula’s resource for test prep and tutoring. Also, read 2400 SCORES: 24 Life Lessons to Demystify the SAT and Boost Your Score by Brooke Higgins for SAT-specific tips.