One of the things that makes me puff up with pride when I think about everything PWN the SAT has become is that I’m able to donate 10% of the royalties I receive from book salesto charity. My favorite charity, where I send most of that money, is DonorsChoose.org. If you aren’t familiar, DonorsChoose.org is a (more…)
It’s exciting times around PWN HQ—lots of things going on. 2014 should be a fun year for SAT prep. That has nothing to do with this contest, of course. I just like to open these contest posts with a little friendly chatter. I bet nobody even reads this stuff. :/ ANYWAY, here’s a challenge question! (more…)
I was just noodling around with Geometer’s Sketchpad today, you know—like a totally normal person, and I made this figure, which I thought would make an awesome challenge question. Wasn’t even planning to post a challenge question, and then BAM! Inspiration. In the figure above, equilateral triangle DEF is partially obscured by a semicircle with (more…)
Leah has been a loyal reader of PWNtheSAT.com for some time, and sent me this post the day after she took the November SAT. I like it! I think it touches on something many of you can relate to: the anxiety on the night before the SAT that you should be doing something even though (more…)
This question was submitted to me the last time I did a question writing contest. It’s pretty good, right? Here’s something I believe to be true: if you can write a convincing SAT math question, right down to realistic wrong answer choices, you’re close to mastering the concepts in the question. That’s because question writing forces (more…)
There are three different kinds of SAT math sections, and it’s important to know which kind you’re working on. Lucky for you, it’s super easy to check without even having to flip through the section. Just look to the top of the first page of the section to see how many questions there are. If the (more…)
Yesterday I went to a museum and waited in line for a very long time for my turn to spend 5 minutes staring at a piece of art that completely mystified me. I guess it’s good art if I’m still thinking about it a day later, even if the thoughts I’m having mostly revolve around (more…)
PWN the SAT: Essay Guide is available now in two formats: Paperback (list price $12.99) Kindle (list price $7.99) Note that you don’t need an actual Kindle device to read the Kindle version—there are Kindle apps for iOS and Android devices, and Kindle books can also be read right on your web browser. About the (more…)
This morning I was lying in bed waiting for my alarm to go off, and a question just popped into my head. This happens to me fairly often, but usually I’m too lazy to write it down, then I forget it, then I spend the rest of the day trying to convince myself that it (more…)
Just a quick update to let you know that, at long last, the 2nd edition of the Math Guide is available through the Google Play store in all countries I can make it available in.* Now that the 2nd edition is available in this format, I’ve taken the 1st edition out of the store. You (more…)
Note: This post is very specifically about one kind of question. For a broader treatment of function notation, click here. Ah, function notation, that old SAT math bugaboo. I often find that otherwise strong students still struggle with questions that combine graphs and function notation. I’m here to tell you today that, if you’re willing (more…)
I don’t know you, but I kinda know you. I know that, generally speaking, you’re a motivated kid. That’s why you’re sitting here reading a blog about the SAT. You know what you want and you’re trying to figure out how to get it. And you know that between you and your goal, there’s this (more…)
Phew! It’s only been like three weeks since I last posted but in Internet time that’s forever. Sorry about that. I’ve got about two weeks left in my Master’s program, and I’ve been completely inundated by papers and presentations. My thesis is basically eating me alive. I seriously don’t know how I’m going to get (more…)
Back when Hurricane Sandy pummeled the east coast, I offered to give people who donated to the Red Cross a free copy of my Math Guide. The offer generated a few bucks for charity, and I got to give away some books to people with generous hearts. I was pretty happy with how it worked. (more…)
You know, It’s funny. When I sit down to write one of these, I usually have a rough sketch in my mind of how the question’s going to go. But half the time, the problem completely evolves into something else by the time I’m done with it. I’m not sure why that is. It could (more…)
