SAT Math Hard Practice Quiz Answers

Numbers and Operations 4. D (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)

The answer must be true for any value of p, so plug in

1. B (Estimated Diculty Level: 5) an easy (prime) number for p, such as 2. The factors of
23 = 8 are 1, 2, 4, and 8, so answer D is correct.
The number of green and red tomatoes are 4n and 3n,
respectively, for some integer n. In this way, we can be In general, since p is prime, the only numbers that go
sure that the green-to-red ratio is 4n/3n = 4/3. We into p3 without a remainder are 1, p, p2 , and p3 .
need to solve the equation:

4n − 5 3
= .
3n − 5 2
5. 11 (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)
Cross-multiplying, 8n − 10 = 9n − 15 so that n = 5.
There were 3n, or 15, red tomatoes in the bag. For the two-digit numbers, only 33 begins and ends in
3. For three-digit numbers, the only possibilities are:
Working with the answers may be easier. If answer A 303, 313, . . ., 383, and 393. We found ten three-digit
is correct, then there were 16 green tomatoes and 12 numbers, and one two-digit number, for a total of 11
red tomatoes, in order to have the 4 to 3 ratio. But numbers that begin and end in 3.
removing ve of each gives 11 green and 7 red, which is
not in the ratio of 3 to 2. If answer B is correct, then Yes, this was a counting problem soon after another
there were 20 green tomatoes and 15 red tomatoes, since counting problem. But this one wasn’t so bad, was it?
20/15 = 4/3. Removing ve of each gives 15 green and
10 red, and 15/10 = 3/2, so answer B is correct.

6. C (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)

2. C (Estimated Diculty Level: 4) This type of SAT math question contains three separate
mini-problems. (This kind of question is also known as
From 10 to 19, 12 and up (eight numbers) are mono- “one of those annoying, long, SAT math questions with
tonic. Among the numbers from 20 to 29, seven (23 and roman numerals”). Let’s do each mini-problem in order.
up) are monotonic. If you can see a pattern in counting
problems like this, you can save a lot of time. Here, the First, recall that a prime number is only divisible by
30s will have 6 monotonic numbers, the 40s will have 5, itself and 1, and that 1 is not a prime number. So,
and so forth. You should nd 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + statement I must be true, since a number that can be
2 + 1 + 0 = 36 total monotonic numbers. divided by two prime numbers can’t itself be prime.

Next, recall that every number can be written as a prod-

uct of a particular bunch of prime numbers. Let’s say
that N is divisible by 3 and 5. Then, N is equal to
3 · 5 · p1 · p2 · · ·, where p1 , p2 , etc. are some other primes.
3. 113 (Estimated Diculty Level: 5) So, N is divisible by 3 · 5 = 15. Statement II must be
true.
Since the second term is 7 greater than the rst term,
(2a − 1) − a = 7 so that a = 8. The sequence is 8, Finally, remember that 2 is a prime number. So, N
15, 22, . . . You can either continue to write out the could be 6, since 6 = 2 · 3. Statement III isn’t always
sequence until the 16th term, or realize that the 16th true, making C the correct answer.
term is 16a − 15 = 16(8) − 15 = 128 − 15 = 113.

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 SAT Math Hard Practice Quiz Answers

7. 60 (Estimated Diculty Level: 5) 9. 792 (Estimated Diculty Level: 5)

√
First, note that 15mn = 3 · 5 · mn. We need 3 · 5 · mn To get the greatest dierence, we want to subtract a
to be an integer. √ We could have,√for example, m = 3 small number from a large one, so we will need the
and n = 5 since 3 · 5 · 3 · 5 = 32 · 52 = 15, except digit 9 and the digit 1, in order to make a number in
that the problem requires that mn > 15. (This is a hard the 100’s and a number in the 900’s. The large number
problem for a reason, after all!) If m = 3 ·2 and n = 5 ·2 will look like 9N 1 and the small number will look like
then 15mn√ = (3 · 5)(3 · 2)(5 · 2) = 32 · 52 · 22 . That way, 1N 9, where N is a digit from 2 to 8. You will nd that,
√ no matter what you make N , the dierence is 792.
15mn = 32 · 52 · 22 = 30 is still an integer, making
the least possible value of mn equal to 6 · 10 = 60.

10. E (Estimated Diculty Level: 5)

8. B (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)
Suppose that the integer is n. The result of subtract-
A good opportunity to plug in real numbers! For ex- ing n from its square is n2 − n = n(n − 1), which is
ample, suppose set M consists of the integers: 2, 4, 6, the product of two consecutive integers, so answer E is
8, 10, and 12. The sum of the least three is 12 and the correct.
sum of the greatest three is 30, so answer B is correct.
Notice that if you multiply any two consecutive integers,
You say you want an algebraic solution? Suppose that n the result is always even, since it is the product of an
is the rst even integer. The remaining integers are then even integer and an odd integer. To win an Erik The
n+2, n+4, n+6, n+8, and n+10. The sum of the least Red Viking Hat, see if you can determine why the result
three of these integers is x = n+(n+2)+(n+4) = 3n+6, is never a negative integer.
and the sum of the greatest three of these integers is
y = (n+6)+(n+8)+(n+10) = 3n+24. So, y −x = 18,
or y = x + 18.

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 SAT Math Hard Practice Quiz Answers

Algebra and Functions 4. C (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)

Translate the words into an algebraic equation:

1. E (Estimated Diculty Level: 5)
m m
= − n.
The answers suggest that there aren’t that many pos- 3 2
sibilities. So, make up some even integers, plug them
in for m, and see if they work! Since we can’t take the Multiplying both sides by 6 (the common denominator)
square root of a negative number, m can’t be less than gives 2m = 3m − 6n, or m = 6n. So, m must be a
√ positive multiple of 6, which means that answer C is
−6. Also, if m = 2, then m + 7 = 3, but any larger
value of m won’t work. So, the possible values are −6, correct.
−4, −2, 0, and 2. (Don’t forget that zero is a perfectly
good even integer.)

5. 16 (Estimated Diculty Level: 4)

Since (a−4)(b+6) = 0, the possible solutions are: a = 4

2. B (Estimated Diculty Level: 4) and b is anything, or b = −6 and a is anything. Now,
the expression a2 + b2 is made smallest by choosing a
Plug in real numbers for x! You can plug in anything and b to be close to zero as possible. So, a = 4 and
other than 1. If you set x = 2, then x − 1 = 5 − 1 = 4. b = 0 will give us the smallest value of a2 + b2 , namely,
Now go through the answers, plugging in 2 for x. You 16. Using the other solution would give a2 + 36, which
will nd that answers A and B are both equal in value will always be bigger than 16.
to 4. If this happens, simply plug in another number.
(You don’t need to retry the answers that were wrong.)
If x = 0, then x − 1 = −3 − 1 = −4, and only answer
B is also −4, so that is the correct answer. 6. D (Estimated Diculty Level: 5)
If you love algebra, here is how to do it: This is a tough one. For f (x) to be equal to g(x) for
all x, we need ax2 = bx4 . First, notice that if x = 0,
x+3
x −1= −1 both sides are zero, so x = 0 is a solution. If x is not
x−1 2
√ by x to
zero, we can divide both sides of the equation
x+3 x−1
= − get: a = bx2 . Solving for x results in x = ± a/b. This
x−1 x−1 makes three solutions total, so answer D is correct. It
x + 3 − (x − 1) may help to plug in numbers for a and b to make this
=
x−1 problem more concrete.
4
=
x−1

Be still my beating heart!

7. B (Estimated Diculty Level: 5)

To make a − b as large as possible, we need to make a as

large as possible and b as small as possible. So, a−b has
3. B (Estimated Diculty Level: 5) to be less than 40 − 50 = −10. To make a − b as small
as possible, we need to make a as small as possible and
Solve
√ the rst equation given for a: a = b2/3 . Then b as large as possible. So, a − b has to be greater than
a = a1/2 = b1/3 . (You really need
√ to know your ex- 30 − 70 = −40. The expression that gives all possible
ponent rules for this one.) So, b a = b · b1/3 = b4/3 . values of a − b is then −40 < a − b < −10.
Using real numbers also works here, but it may be hard
to come up with two that work for a and b (such as
a = 4 and b = 8).

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