The Backdoor
To enter, if the front door's open, walk right in. If it’s not, go ‘round back. This common sense advice applies to the SAT/ACT math section, as well. While “doing the math” should always be plan A, plan B is to use a strategy, a “backdoor” approach to selecting the right answer. If the math is easy, do the math. If not, use a strategy! Following are two classic backdoor strategies for answering questions on multiple-choice math questions. Each of them takes practice to master, but the advantage gained is well worth the effort. Try the answers Math problems are typically solved by working forward from given information to the answer. This approach is the only option on typical “fill in the blank” tests taken in school, and on the SAT and ACT, students are expected to employ the same approach. But on multiple-choice tests, students have another option: it might be better to work backwards, from the answers to the problem. If answer are all numerals, this a good strategy to conside...
