Blank
Blank
Blank

If you like this material, you'll love the course!
(Note: The course is not currently available. Please check back later.)

Based on our book SAT Prep Course, this interactive, comprehensive self-study course presents the equivalent of over 600 pages of printed material, including hundreds of SAT examples and problems and feedback from SAT experts to your questions. In addition, the powerful learning engine StudyDesk increases your learning efficiency by monitoring your progress and directing you to areas where you need further study. Also includes a copy of the SAT Prep Course book. All for only $149.95! Sign up now. Click the link above for more information or call 1-800-949-6175.

Course Features:

Ask Questions! Our instructors monitor StudyDesk to answer your questions. StudyDesk also records the step where you make a mistake or ask a question. This is just one of many powerful educational tools in StudyDesk.
Highly Interactive: You can search the course for any topic, take notes, view solutions, view reports, and each time you return to the course it presents the last topic you were studying.
Versatile: You can access the course from any computer at any time.
Statistics: Your performance on the exercises and tests is saved and you may review your performance and check solutions at any time. You can also check your ranking based on all students taking the course.
Free Book! Includes a copy of the SAT Prep Course book shipped to your home. (The course does not require the book.)
Guarantee: If, at the end of the course, you do not feel sufficiently prepared for the test, you may repeat the course for free -- with full access to our instructors.

SAT Math - Factoring Review

Click the link immediately below to view the SAT Verbal diagnostic test.

Verbal Test

FACTORING
To factor an algebraic expression is to rewrite it as a product of two or more expressions, called factors. In general, any expression on the SAT that can be factored should be factored, and any expression that can be unfactored (multiplied out) should be unfactored.

Distributive Rule
The most basic type of factoring involves the distributive rule:

ax + ay = a(x + y)

For example, 3h + 3k = 3(h + k), and 5xy + 45x = 5xy + 9(5x) = 5x(y + 9). The distributive rule can be generalized to any number of terms. For three terms, it looks like

ax + ay + az = a(x + y + z)

For example, 2x + 4y + 8 = 2x + 2(2y) + 2(4) = 2(x + 2y + 4).

Example: If x - y = 9, then (x - y/3) - (y - x/3) =
(A) -4 (B) -3 (C) 0 (D) 12 (E) 27

(x - y/3) - (y - x/3) =
x - y/3 - y + x/3 =
4x/3 - 4y/3 =
4(x - y)/3 =
4(9)/3 = 12

The answer is (D).

Difference of Squares

One of the most important formulas on the SAT is the difference of squares:

Example: If x does not equal -2, then

(A) 2(x - 2) (B) 2(x - 4) (C) 8(x + 2) (D) x - 2 (E) x + 4

In most algebraic expressions involving multiplication or division, you won't actually multiply or divide, rather you will factor and cancel, as in this problem.

2(x - 2)

The answer is (A).