Alexis Avila of Prepped & Polished, LLC talks about the one error most students make on the SSAT math section and how to avoid it.

If you want to do well on the SSAT math section, you have to wipe out those careless errors and do steady, careful work. Time and time again, whether you’re a lower-level or upper-level student, I see the same student make the same careless mistake on this particular problem. So let’s go to the board.

I’m going to show you this problem. This is a relatively easy problem, but almost 75% of students get this one wrong.

”A $15 shirt is on sale for 20% off. What is the sale price of the shirt?”

Students get really happy and excited because they think this problem is easy and manageable. So, what they do is they’ll take $15, get the 20% discount, so they’ll multiply it by .2, and then they will get $3. Knowing this is a time-pressure test, they’re going to instantly go to choice ‘A’, and circle $3.

However, you don’t want to go with ‘A’. You don’t want to go with $3. You went for the trap answer, s you have to re-read the question every time. After doing the math, go back to the question and make sure you’re answering what the question is asking. They want to know what the sale price of the shirt is. You got the discount. Now, you have to subtract 3 from 15. The new price of the shirt is $12. You go with choice ‘C,’ and you move on to the next question on the test.

For more information, visit: Prepped and Polished.com.

Please rate, review and subscribe to the show on iTunes!

What was your biggest takeaway from this podcast about one crucial mistake you do not want to make on the SSAT math section? Do you have any questions for Alexis Avila?

Post your comments below:

Become a Fan on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter