Math Scoring: Common Mistakes and Fast Fixes (2025)

Digital SAT Math is extremely fixable. Most point loss comes from a handful of repeatable mistakes. Here’s a two‑week plan to eliminate the highest‑frequency errors and turn small accuracy gains into scaled points.

High‑frequency mistakes and how to fix them

1. Units and sign errors

   • Problem: imperial/metric conversions, percent increase vs decrease, carrying a negative sign incorrectly.
   • Fix: use a “units/signs” checklist; before submitting, scan for units and signs one last time.

2. Ignoring domain/constraints

   • Problem: solutions outside the allowed domain; forgetting exclusions.
   • Fix: mark the domain as you read; after solving, verify the answer meets the constraints.

3. Over‑algebra when a numeric check is faster

   • Problem: forcing a symbolic derivation where substitution would do.
   • Fix: try plug‑in values or answer‑choice substitution first; use graphs when the structure is visual.

4. Linear vs exponential confusion

   • Problem: treating exponential as linear; missing doubling/ratio patterns.
   • Fix: ask “+k or ×k?” when scanning tables/wording; label the pattern before solving.

5. Not leveraging graph features

   • Problem: skipping intercepts/symmetry/monotonicity.
   • Fix: use the “graph triad”: intercepts, vertex/turning point, increasing/decreasing intervals.

Two‑week micro‑training plan (20–25 minutes/day)

Days 1–3: Units & signs
Days 4–6: Domain and exclusions
Days 7–9: Substitution/choice‑testing/graph‑first
Days 10–12: Linear vs exponential recognition
Days 13–14: Half/Full‑length + deep review

Each session: 10–12 focused items under time; immediate review into a miss‑log (error type → winning idea → one‑line rule).

Example: when to use numeric checks

Question: parameter conditions for a quadratic with multiple answer choices.
Approach: pick easy numbers and test the choices first; fall back to algebra only if needed.
Benefit: saves 30–60 seconds and reduces algebra slips.

Turn small fixes into scaled points

If you currently miss 5–6 math items, fixing “units/signs + linear/exponential” often removes 2–3 misses. In the 2025 Calculator, +2 correct commonly yields ~20–40 total‑score points (form‑dependent).

Cross‑check with Charts and confirm your new score band against targets in College Data.