MUS or TT for Geometry Review for SAT's

[Tiramisu]

I'm posting this for my niece.

 

She has struggled academically and did not do pre-algebra until 9th grade. She rushed through Geometry last summer trying to get up a level in math but completely forgot what she learned when she took the SAT's last week. I would like to recommend a geometry program that would let her review over the summer and re-learn what she needs to know for the SAT's in September. My thoughts are that she would need to do this before real SAT review. I'm looking for something not super-challenging that will give her the basics. I thought MUS might be good in this regard since it has a limited number of lessons so she could easily target her weak areas. TT is also supposed to be a good course for SAT-style geometry. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[Veronica in VA]

Geometry Success in 20 minutes a day is one that comes to mind. Another one is the Life of Fred - Geometry. It is very funny and reads like a novel, but she would have to do some of the problems for it to stick.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Veronica

[Alyce]

There are 30 lessons in the book and you could have her watch the lesson and do a practice page, if she scores well (A) then move on to the next lesson. If she misses more than 2 questions have her do a couple more practice pages until she gets it. The review pages are also good since they cover things she's had from previous lessons. You might even have her do a practice page, then a review page and then the test. I also like MUS because it's not heavy on proofs. It covers the basics and leaves the proofs to the end. Since they are not on the SAT you could concievably just skip those chapters. TT has a lot more proofs and after using it with my son this year, I think it has a lot less practice problems. I'd recommend MUS over TT. My dd used MUS and did well on her SAT.

[SallyMac]

I've compared ALL the geometry problems in the Official SAT Practice Test book with what TT teaches for angles, triangles, circles, etc. and TT geometry problems appear to be identical to the SAT geometry problems. Luckily, ds used TT Geometry last year, but I am having him do these problems in TT book again so it is fresh in his mind when he takes the June SAT. He is also being tutored by a high school student (on functions and other areas this non-mathy mom cannot help with) who received a nearly perfect score on the test. It is MUCH cheaper than the big name tutoring centers, more one-on-one tutoring, and more personal as they've developed a friendly relationship. By the way, I performed the laborious task of categorizing and totaling SAT problems in the Official SAT Practice Test book with the help of the Real Solutions Book (AND Rocket Review AND Maximum SAT) by type of problem (functions, algebra, word problems, triangles, circles, angles, etc.), and there are more triangle problems on a typical SAT test then any other type of problem. So if she knows Triangles/angles), Functions, Word Problems, and Algebra well, she should do fine. With all this investigation, it's a good thing I quit my hectic part-time morning job back in January or we'd never get through ds's junior year between the SAT's, CC classes, tennis team (ds has no car), Eagle Project, scholarship and college search, and application essays.:willy_nilly: This is ds's last year at home as he will be going to the public high school for diploma next year, so I am glad the school year is over....but ds is my only child. So I am torn with mixed emotions. :sad:

[langfam]

DD said that doing TT Geometry this school year did help her with the geometry questions on the SAT, but we also did Chalkdust SAT review. I think Dana Mosley was a tremendous help to both DC who took the SAT last week.

[Brenda in MA]

she could easily get through it during the summer, and it reviews all the math on the SAT, not just the Geometry. She could couple that with SAT practice tests and maybe some other general math review books. If she has access to a decent library, she could probably check out a variety of test-prep and review books that would provide extra practice problems.

 

Also, you can get test books that are specifically aimed at preparing for the math SAT, and these usually have concept review sections she could go through.

 

Personally, I don't think I'd work through a whole Geometry program if I was just interested in test prep because things like proofs (which are a big part of most Geometry courses) are not covered on the SAT.

 

HTH,

Brenda

[Tiramisu]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm very new to this and haven't reached the stage where I have to worry about geometry and SATs so I really appreciate you sharing your wisdom. It will be of help when I start thinking about a geometry text a couple of years down the road.

 

One more question...would the Chalkdust SAT review include enough geometry? Could we start there and then supplement with something else if we discover weaknesses?

[Carmen_and_Company]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm very new to this and haven't reached the stage where I have to worry about geometry and SATs so I really appreciate you sharing your wisdom. It will be of help when I start thinking about a geometry text a couple of years down the road.

 

One more question...would the Chalkdust SAT review include enough geometry? Could we start there and then supplement with something else if we discover weaknesses?

 

Chalkdust SAT prep strickly reviews math as presented on the SATs. You're dd would need to have completed algebra, geometry and at least 1/2 of algebra/trig to score well on the SAT. Chalkdust assumes prior knowledge of covered topics.

[Tiramisu]

I don't have to worry about SAT's yet for my 12 year old dd who is just staring Algebra 1. I posted for my niece who forgot all her geometry. I think she may need to do a true Geometry intense review. Based on the comments MUS might work best on this. Then, follow with the Chalkdust SAT Review. I'm glad I don't have to make the purchases!