SSAT Math Strategies
Read Carefully
One of the most common mistakes on the SSAT is misreading a question, usually due to reading too quickly or skimming. Be sure to take a few extra seconds on every question to avoid careless errors.
- Underline important information
Underline words and numbers indicating quantities, relationships, and calculations (less than, twice, product, etc.) that you’ll need to answer the question. Words like “not” can be easily missed and completely change what you’re supposed to find in the question!
- Check that you answered the given question
After you finish solving each problem, look back at what the question asked you to find. Make sure your answer aligns with the question.
Work Backwards
Take advantage of the fact that the SSAT gives you more information than just a question–it also provides you with answer choices, one of which must be correct!
For questions with an unknown quantity, you can substitute the answer choices for the unknown quantity to see which works in the equation. Always start with the middle answer choice to minimize the number of answers you have to substitute.
Estimate
Estimation is a powerful tool for eliminating wrong answers. Before beginning to solve every question, ballpark what the right answer should be. Think about things like:
- “Should it be positive or negative?”
- “An integer or a fraction?”
- “Bigger or smaller than the other numbers in the question?”
Sometimes the question will even include clues that you should estimate, such as “approximately” or “about,” but even without these words, always estimate first.
Pick Values
Sometimes the math questions you see on the quantitative sections may seem very challenging to solve abstractly. The question may ask how an unknown quantity will change if it undergoes a couple of percent changes or ask you to solve for one variable in terms of others. In cases like these, it can be helpful to use actual numbers to determine the answer, rather than trying to solve algebraically.
For example, consider the following exercise:
You can make up values to help make sense of the problem. If “x+y is divisible by 3”, choose two values that have a sum that is divisible by, such as “x=1” and “y=5”, for a total of 6. Then, substitute those values into each answer choice until you find the one that solves the problem. In this case, the correct answer is D because 2(1) + 2(5) = 12, which is divisible by 6.
Originally published on February 6, 2020. Updated on December 23, 2025.
