January ’10 Math Regents: Algebra, Geometry, Math B

Over the next few days I will be writing extensively about the three New York State math exams that students are about to take.

When:  Math B is Tuesday morning. Geometry is Thursday morning. Algebra is Thursday afternoon.

Who:  Algebra is for all students. Can’t graduate without it. Geometry is for students who just finished the course. If you passed the course you have a very good shot at passing the exam (though it doesn’t always happen.) You need to pass the Geometry Regents (and the Algebra II/Trig Regents, when it comes out) in order to get the Advanced Regents Diploma. Math B is for older students who just finished an associated course (might have been called Math B, might have been called something else) and/or who need one more math Regents for the Advanced Regents Diploma.

Other math exams? Nope. Math A is gone. History. Never going to be given again. And Algebra II/Trig won’t arrive until June.

Answers?  I may post answers here soon after the exams.

Questions?  JMAP is usually the first to post the entire exams. Keep checking back on their JMAP Regents Page.  Last year it took a week?  The exams themselves will be posted, eventually, by NY State Education Department. They are slower.

Discussion:  I will open threads to discuss specific questions. Check back soon after each exam. The Association of Mathematics Teachers of NY State runs a discussion for teachers at this MathForum link. It gets quite interesting as teachers debate bad questions and scoring problems.

Tips:  Eat in the morning what you normally eat. Bring pens, pencils, your calculator, extra batteries. Arrive a little early at your exams.

Tips:  Answer all the multiple choice. You can sometimes work backwards from the answers to see which works (let x=2 or x=1 or x=0 or x=10 and see what makes sense). For the open questions, write something for each one, even if you can’t finish. Remember, part of nothing is nothing, and there’s no partial credit for nothing.

Tips:  When you arrive at a question you cannot do, it’s ok to skip ahead. Make a note about what you skipped. Remember, before you turn in the exam you must answer every multiple choice, even if you have to guess at a few. And remember, no blank short answers!  You have 3 hours to take the exam. That’s a long time. Make sure to take a break (bathroom or otherwise) about halfway through. Putting your head somewhere else for 3-5 minutes will allow you to come back a little fresher.

Practicing tips:  Look at the previous exams. (Check jmap for them.) Do the exams. Check the answers.  Look at the NY State Integrated Algebra secret suggested vocabulary list. Look up any words that surprise you.