Taking the SAT test? SAT Calculator Programs Can Save You Valuable Time during the SAT Math Sections
But it is not enough to just take the test to get into your school of choice. A high score is typically needed for entry to the best schools, like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or MIT. With a high score on the SAT being an essential admissions requirement to most schools, you would do well to do everything you can to prepare for this important test.
One popular way of preparing for the exam is by working example problems included in test preparation manuals like the Official SAT Study Guide authored by The College Board. The College Board is the same company that makes the questions for the SAT. However, studying on your own and developing time saving techniques will only help you go so far in completing problems quickly enough to finish the exam sections on time.
Many students find that they know how to work the problems in the math section of the SAT, but are unable to finish on time. Perhaps you take time to make calculations either by hand or on your calculator or are just very careful about making calculations. That’s where an SAT calculator program can really help you save time during the math sections of the test.
One such calculator program is made by Calc-Tech LLC. Calc-Tech makes an SAT calculator program for Texas Instruments (TI) graphing calculators that students can use during the test. It is called the SAT Operating System (or SAT_OS for short) and is used by over 17,000 students. Calc-Tech reports that students typically improve scores by 60 points just by using this software during the test. The software is available for TI-83+, TI-83+ Silver Edition, TI-84+, TI-84+ Silver Edition, TI-89, and TI-89 Titanium graphing calculators.
It is easy to see why one might want a calculator program when taking the SAT. With so many different formulas and problem types, it would be nice to have all of them in one place for quick access during the test. With the SAT Operating System, most of the equations you would need during the math section are preprogrammed into an easy to use interface for you. Thus, you can work SAT math problems faster and with greater accuracy than would normally be possible if you had to type in equations or formulas by hand.
Calc-Tech has also released some short video tutorials on how to use their software on real SAT problems. There are several YouTube videos showcasing the software being used on different SAT problems. I recommend that you check out these videos to see how you might use the software on actual test problems. There are also installation videos for the different calculators in case you need help installing the software.
Thus, while test taking techniques are important for working through problems quickly, it is also important to remember that you have a tool at the ready to help you work through math problems even faster: your graphing calculator. If you want the best chance to score high on the exam, I recommend that you download the SAT Operating System for your graphing calculator.
