We know you’ve got a lot to be grateful for, but we want to add one more thing: Thanksgiving SAT math practice problems!
1- My grandmother used two coupons when purchasing the Thanksgiving ham. The first took $5 off her purchase. The second took an additional 25% off the reduced price. The final total was $12. What was the original price of the ham?
2- Two runners are participating in the annual Turkey Trot. Leroy runs at a constant rate of 6 miles per hour, and Kevin runs at a constant rate of 5 miles per hour. If Kevin has already run for 24 minutes by the time Leroy starts running the race, how far will Leroy have run when he catches up to Kevin?
3- For $20, a customer could purchase 2 pumpkin pies and 6 cans of cranberry sauce. At the same store, a customer could purchase 3 pumpkin pies and 4 cans of cranberry sauce for $5 more. How much more expensive is 1 pumpkin pie compared to 3 cans of cranberry sauce?
4- I volunteer at a soup kitchen every Thanksgiving. Last year, we used 248 carrots and 132 potatoes. This year, we will increase the number of carrots used by 50%. If we will use twice as many total carrots and potatoes this year as we did last year, how many potatoes will we use this year?
Questions 5 and 6 refer to the information below.
The circle below represents the family’s apple pie. The shaded area shows the slice that gluttonous Uncle Hobart took for himself after dinner. Major arc AB below has a length of 16.5 inches, while minor arc AB has a length of 11 inches.
5- What is the measure of the central angle that forms Uncle Hobart’s slice of pie (minor arc AB)?
6- What is the diameter of the pie dish used to make the apple pie, rounded to the nearest inch?
Questions 7 and 8 refer to the information below.
| Age Group |
Apple Pie |
Pumpkin Pie |
Cherry Pie |
Pecan Pie |
Total |
| 18-29 |
22 |
12 |
5 |
8 |
47 |
| 30-44 |
16 |
26 |
6 |
8 |
56 |
| 45-59 |
25 |
37 |
8 |
8 |
78 |
| 60+ |
31 |
23 |
7 |
8 |
69 |
| Total |
94 |
98 |
26 |
32 |
250 |
Two hundred and fifty members of the Pie-Lovers United Club were selected at random and asked to choose their favorite pie among four choices. The results of the survey are shown above and should be considered representative of the preferences of all 4000 members of the club.
7- What percentage of the members surveyed both prefer pumpkin pie and are between 18 and 29 years of age?
8- Based on the results of the survey, approximately how many members of the entire club prefer cherry pie?
9- Aunt Ginny’s secret stuffing recipe features 3 types of bread cubes: rye, cornbread, and Italian bread. I noticed that she used a total of 8 cups of bread cubes, of which 3 cups were rye bread cubes. She told me that she uses a 1 to 2 ratio of cornbread cubes to Italian bread cubes. How many cups of Italian bread cubes did she use?
10- My mother wants to serve both turkey and ham for Thanksgiving dinner. Turkeys are on sale for $1.00 per pound, and hams are on sale for $2.25 per pound. My mother wants to purchase a total of 20 pounds of meat for the meal, and she wants to spend $35.00. How big of a ham can she purchase?
And now, the answers…
1- Let h be the original price of the ham. First, subtract $5 from that price for the first coupon to get the quantity (h – 5). Since her second coupon takes 25% off of this reduced price, we can calculate the price after the coupon by multiplying this quantity by 
Now we can set up an equation and solve:
2- D. Since Kevin runs for 24 minutes 
more than Leroy does, we know that if Leroy runs for t hours, then Kevin will run for (t + 0.4) hours. We also know that the two runners run the same distance, d, and that distance equals the product of the runner’s rate and his time spent running. Since we know that d = r x t, we can use all of this to solve:
So, we know that Leroy runs for hours before he catches up to Kevin. Thus, Leroy’s distance traveled to catch up to Kevin is:
3- B. Set up a system of equations (with p equal to the number of pumpkin pies and c equal to the number of cans of cranberry sauce), with one representing the price of the first set of purchases and the other representing the second set of purchases:
Then, use the elimination strategy for solving system of equations. Multiply the top equation by -3, the bottom equation by 2, and then add the equations together to get:
So, a can of cranberry sauce costs $1. Plug this into the first equation to find the cost of a pie:
So, 1 pumpkin pie costs $7, while 3 cans of cranberry sauce cost 3(1) = $3. The difference is $7 – $3 = $4.
4- After increasing the number of carrots by 50%, we will have 248(1.5) = 372. Overall, the total number of carrots and potatoes used is twice as much as last year, or equal to 2(248 + 132) = 760. Subtract from this new total number of vegetables the new number of carrots, 372, to get 760 – 372 = 388 potatoes.
5- The ratio between the arc length and the circumference of a circle is always equivalent to the ratio of the measure of the central angle to 360 degrees:
Since we know the length of the minor arc and major arc, add these together to find the length of the circumference, 27.5 inches. Plug in the values we know and solve:
6- D. Since we already determined that the length of the circumference is 27.5 inches, use the formula 
to find the approximate length of the diameter of the dish:
So, the length of the diameter is approximately 9 inches.
7- A. Looking at the table, we see that only 12 members from the sample group both prefer pumpkin pie and are in the 18-29 year old age group. Divide this number by the total number of people sampled, 250, to get 
of the surveyed members.
8- D. Since the survey is considered representative of the overall club, we know the percentage of people in the survey who prefer cherry pie should be approximately the same as the percentage of people in the overall club who prefer cherry pie:
9- 10/3 cups. Since 3 of the cups of bread are rye, the remaining 8 – 3 = 5 cups must be a combination of cornbread and Italian bread. Since the ratio of cornbread to Italian bread is 1 to 2, we know that the ratio of
10- 12 pounds. Let h be the number of pounds of ham used and t be the number of pounds of turkey. We know the two equations below must be valid, one for the weight of meat and one for the price of meat:
Solve the bottom equation for and plug it into the top equation, then solve for h:
So,
So, my mother can buy a ham that is 12 pounds.
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ACT Reading Practice: Penguin Awareness Day Edition
TEST PREPJanuary 20th is Penguin Awareness Day (not to be confused, we assume, with World Penguin Day, which is in April). The day is intended to remind us that many penguin species face threats from pollution and climate change—and to flood the Internet with cute penguin pictures. We’ve decided to celebrate Penguin Awareness Day in our own unique way: with some ACT reading practice!
As we’ve said before, practice is everything when it comes to ACT prep. ACT reading practice can be especially valuable: a big piece of success on the ACT reading section is speed, and the best way to boost reading speed is through plenty of practice.
How long is the ACT reading section?
The ACT reading test includes 4 passages and 40 questions—and you have just 35 minutes to finish it. That breaks down to just 52.5 seconds per question, and that doesn’t even include time to actually read the passages.
What are the passages like?
There are four passages in the ACT reading section: fiction narrative, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Each passage is 500 to 750 words long (except for one paired set of passages, which total 500 to 750 words put together).
What are the questions like?
The ACT breaks its reading questions down into three big categories:
Key Ideas and Details
These questions make up more than half of the reading test. You’ll be asked to identify main ideas, summarize information or ideas, draw logical conclusions, and understand different relationships. These are What is the passage saying?
Craft and Structure
These questions make up a little over a fourth of the reading test. You’ll be asked about the meanings of different words of phrases, the author’s choice of words, the author’s purpose, points of view, and overall text structure. These are How is the passage saying it?
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
These questions make up the remaining part of the reading test. You’ll be asked about claims and arguments, use of evidence, and connections between paired passages on related topics. These are How is the argument made?
Your ACT Reading Practice.
The passage below is a natural science passage about penguins—but since we wanted to make your ACT reading practice fun, this passage is a little more interesting than the somewhat dry science passages you typically find on the real ACT. To make this practice really count, time yourself. Try to get all 10 questions in less than 8 minutes.
Ready! Set! Go!
1. Which of the following best summarizes the author’s primary purpose in writing?
A) To relate the history of studies regarding penguins
B) To convince readers of the importance of protecting penguins
C) To suggest that penguins should not be a protected species
D) To argue that many beliefs about penguins are wrong
2. Based on information in the passage, we can infer that Scott sent men to gather emperor penguin eggs because:
E) He knew they would be worth a large sum of money upon his return to England.
F) He believed they would prove that penguins were closely related to fish.
G) He hoped they would show penguins to be the missing link between birds and dinosaurs.
H) He was collecting the eggs from all the species of Antarctica.
3. Which of the following describes the contrast between the prevailing beliefs regarding penguins in Scott’s time and in the modern age?
A) In Scott’s time, penguins were thought to be fish; today, we know they are birds.
B) In Scott’s time, penguins were thought to have not yet developed the ability to fly; today, we know that penguins lost the ability to fly.
C) In Scott’s time, penguins were thought to only live in Madagascar; today, we know they live only in Antarctica.
D) In Scott’s time, penguins were believed to fly; today, we know they only swim.
4. What was the outcome of the study conducted by Frédéric Angelier?
E) Angelier’s hypothesis was proven correct because the penguins administered bromocriptine stopped kidnapping chicks.
F) Angelier’s hypothesis was supported because suppressing prolactin reduced kidnapping incidents.
G) Angelier’s hypothesis was disproven because suppressing prolactin did not eliminate kidnapping altogether.
H) Angelier’s hypothesis was found to be irrelevant since an entirely different cause of the kidnapping behavior was discovered.
5. The passage indicates that polar penguins enjoy larger populations than other penguins primarily because:
A) They have evolved to withstand extreme temperatures.
B) They can swim faster than other penguins.
C) They engage in violent kidnapping behaviors.
D) They have been less impacted by human activity.
6. The author most likely included the sentences in lines 19 and 20 in order to:
E) Debunk common misconceptions about where penguins live.
F) Provide necessary detail to clarify the geographical areas where penguins can be found.
G) Establish his authority as an expert on penguin behavior.
H) Describe the history of penguin migration patterns.
7. As it is used in line 12, “plainly” most nearly means:
A) basically.
B) normally.
C) clearly.
D) barely.
8. Based on information in the passage, what would be the most likely outcome if penguins were to “stop producing the parenting hormone prolactin” when they lose sight of their eggs?
E) The female penguins would lose interest in their young when they travel to the sea to feed.
F) The male penguins would lose interest in their young when the females travel to the sea to feed.
G) Adult penguins would no longer be interested in producing young.
H) The female penguins would be unable to travel to the sea to feed.
9. Which of the following, if true, would best support the assertion that penguins engage in behaviors that are odds with their “loving and cuddly reputation”?
A) Many smaller penguin species mate for life.
B) Adélie penguins build their nests out of stones.
C) Male Adélie penguins have been observed killing penguin chicks.
D) Male emperor penguins guard their eggs while females go to the sea to feed.
10. The author’s tone can best be described as:
E) alarmed and pessimistic.
F) sincere and hopeful.
G) detached but persuasive.
H) light but informative.
Answers and Explanations
Don’t forget
SAT Writing Practice: Winter Edition
TEST PREPThe SAT writing section includes questions from two main categories: standard English conventions and expression of ideas.
Questions that focus on standard English conventions cover a wide variety of grammar, usage, and mechanics rules—they require you to evaluate whether the writing is technically correct. With some exceptions, these questions usually appear as an underlined portion of the passage with several alternative replacements. Your job is to choose which version is the most grammatically correct. These questions are easier to answer if you can identify the error being tested. If, for example, you see a subject-verb agreement error, you can quickly eliminate any answer choices that don’t fix the problem.
The rest of the questions on the SAT writing section look at the writer’s ability to express ideas—they require you to evaluate whether the writing is any good. These questions ask you to assess word choice, style, organization, and use of information. Often—though certainly not always!—you’ll see an actual question followed by several answer choices (as opposed to an underlined portion with alternative choices). You’ll need to look for the answer choices that are most stylistically appropriate and that include the most relevant information.
The best way to prep for the SAT writing section is to practice, so we’ve put together an SAT writing practice passage with answers and explanations below. Good luck!
Practice Passage
[1]
Although we tend to think of changing seasons as a gradual shift, this (1) exclusive moment each December, when the sun appears to shine farthest to the south of the equator, marks the winter solstice—the beginning of winter.
[2]
Starting with the summer solstice in June, the altitude of the midday sun lowers each day as its rays migrate south. Finally, the sun reaches the end of its journey and returns north. {2}
[3]
Ancient skywatchers had no understanding of the sun’s migration; they believed this celestial machinery might one day break down, allowing the sun to sink further southward, never to return. The lowering of the sun was cause for fear and wonder. When the ancients saw the sun begin to reverse its descent, they (3) rejoiced: here was the promise that spring would return.
[4]
The annual winter solstice became a time of celebration. In Persia, the solstice is associated with the triumph of Mithra, the Sun King, over darkness. In ancient Rome, the solstice marked Saturnalia, a bacchanalian thanksgiving. Among the pagans of Northern Europe, the longest night of the year was (4) awarded as Yule.
[5]
Throughout history and across the globe, the winter solstice has been a time for family and community gatherings, feasts, and the exchanging of (5) gifts, but today, most cultures continue to hold some form of celebration at this time of year.
[6]
Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25, near the winter solstice, because Pope Julius I choose this date to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity, (6) the name originally given to the celebration of the birth of Christ. As the religious celebration spread, it absorbed many of the older customs associated with winter solstice. In fact, historians trace traditions ranging from Christmas trees to Santa Claus back to some of these ancient celebrations. {7}
[7]
(8) In East Asia, the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans celebrate Dongzhi Festival, a time for (9) family gatherings; feasts and traditional foods. The festival celebrates the return of the sun, representing an increase in positive energy.
[8]
In Iran, Shab-e Yalda celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Marked by family gatherings, candles, poetry, and feasts, Yalda has ancient Persian (10) root and stem from Zoroastrian beliefs surrounding the winter solstice.
[9]
(11) Even from the perspective, with its electric lights keeping the dark at bay, of the modern world, it is easy to see why people celebrate the return of longer days. The shortest day of the year promises the return of spring, warmth, and sunlight—artificial light and heat cannot match the fundamental joy of spring.
A) NO CHANGE
B) specific
C) explicit
D) peculiar
2. To improve the organization of the passage as a whole, paragraph 2 should be placed
A) where it is now.
B) at the beginning of paragraph 1.
C) at the end of the passage.
D) after paragraph 4.
3.
A) NO CHANGE
B) were rejoicing
C) had been rejoicing
D) rejoice
4.
A) NO CHANGE
B) publicized
C) observed
D) celebrated
5.
A) NO CHANGE
B) gifts, which today
C) gifts. Today
D) gifts today
6. The author is considering deleting the underlined portion. Should this change be made?
A) Yes, because the information is not relevant to the passage.
B) Yes, because the information is redundant.
C) No, because the information clarifies an earlier term.
D) No, because the information explains why the date was chosen.
7. Which of the following, if added here, would best develop the idea presented in the previous sentence?
A) However, many modern Christmas traditions can be more accurately attributed to Charles Dickens, whose holiday works contributed to the Victorian revival of Christmas celebrations.
B) Interestingly, however, Santa Claus is a character whose mythology continues to evolve to this day. For example, Rudolf and Santa’s elves are a much more modern addition to Christmas.
C) Still, the modern iterations of such traditions bear little resemblance to their ancient counterparts.
D) For example, holly wreaths were a hallmark of the Roman Saturnalia celebrations. As Christianity became increasingly common, the wreaths became a Christmas tradition.
8.
A) NO CHANGE
B) In East Asia, people from China, the Japanese, and Koreans celebrate
C) In East Asia, the Chinese Japanese, and people from Korea celebrate
D) In East Asia, China, Japan, and Koreans celebrate
9.
A) NO CHANGE
B) family gatherings, feasts, and traditional foods
C) family gatherings: feasts and traditional foods
D) family gatherings; feasts; and traditional foods
10.
A) NO CHANGE
B) roots and stem
C) roots and stems
D) root and stems
11.
A) NO CHANGE
B) Even from the perspective, keeping the dark at bay, of the modern world, with its electric lights,
C) With its electric lights keeping the dark at bay, even from the perspective of the modern world,
D) Even from the perspective of the modern world, with its electric lights keeping the dark at bay,
Answer Explanations
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3 Academic Resolutions to Make This New Year Your Smartest Yet
HIGH SCHOOLSome people vow to get thinner. Some vow to get richer. Why not vow to get smarter? Take advantage of the clean slate that a new year offers by setting some academic resolutions. Here are some of our favorites:
Stop Procrastinating
You’ve put it off long enough!
You’d be amazed by the difference that an end to procrastination can make to your grades, test scores, stress levels, and overall quality of life. Think about it! No more last-minute cram sessions. No more yelling at the printer to spit out your paper faster. No more cursing the Wi-Fi gods because an assignment that’s due next period won’t load.
For a lifelong procrastinator, change comes hard. We get it—the immediate gratification of doing literally anything other than the boring things you should be doing is SO. MUCH. BETTER than the delayed gratification of finishing your tasks in a timely manner.
Immediate gratification is, after all, gratifying.
Sadly, there’s no secret shortcut to making this academic resolution happen. Changing this kind of habit takes willpower and self-discipline—and a plan. We can’t give you better willpower, but we can help you with a plan:
Create short-term goals and rewards.
When you give up procrastination, you’re trading in immediate rewards for long-term rewards. It helps to make the delayed gratification a little less delayed by setting short-term goals and rewarding yourself for reaching them. Start small. For example, maybe you give yourself 5 minutes of phone time for every 10 minutes of uninterrupted studying, and then for every 15 minutes, and then for every 20 minutes, and so on.
Write down EVERYTHING.
When you put everything off until the last minute, you get caught up in the rush of taking care of the here and now instead of looking ahead to the future. It becomes easy to forget about tests or due dates that are more than just a day or two away because you’re so busy worrying about the quiz that’s next period. Before you know it, those dates have snuck up on you, and you’re once again trapped in the rush of last minute preparation.
Put an end to the cycle. Get a planner and write down everything.
It’s a lot harder to justify putting things off when you have the visual reminder of upcoming deadlines, and you’re a lot less likely to forget about things if you’ve got everything written down.
Break big tasks down into little ones.
Let’s say you’ve got a big essay due in three weeks. Three weeks! you think to yourself. That’s PLENTY of time! I’ll get started tomorrow. Or maybe next week.
Before you know it, three weeks has turned into three days, and you haven’t even started.
Break big tasks down into little ones and give each little task its own deadline. The essay isn’t due for three weeks then becomes I’ve got to have my research finished by day after tomorrow. This way, even if you let yourself procrastinate on each smaller task, you’ll still stay on track to finish the whole project in time.
Get Organized
For this academic resolution, it’s time to channel Marie Kondo!
It’s a lot easier to do well in school if you can actually locate your schoolwork. A new semester is a great chance to shovel out your locker/book bag/bedroom and start fresh. Once you’ve got everything neatly organized, keeping it that way is tough. Here are some tips to help:
Clean out your stuff.
At least once a week, clean out your backpack, binders, and locker. It you do it regularly, cleaning everything out only takes a few minutes (because there won’t be six weeks’ worth of candy bar wrappers and crumpled class notes floating around). Put this cleaning time on your schedule. Make a calendar reminder. Set an alarm. Do whatever you have to do to annoy yourself into this chore.
Create a system.
You’re more likely to actually stay organized if you first create an organization system. Maybe you’re a three-ring-binder-and-color-coded-dividers type of gal. Maybe you’re a manila-folders-and-labels kind of guy. Whatever floats your boat.
Avoid loose papers.
Loose pages are the enemy. It’s just so easy to stuff them in the front of a binder or in the bottom of a backpack, never to be seen again.
There are a lot of loose pages you can’t eliminate—like anything your teacher gives you. The best you can do with these is to file them away in a binder or folder as quickly as possible.
But there are some loose pages you CAN eliminate. One best practice is to only take class notes in spiral notebooks—your notes stay nice and neat and in chronological order instead of becoming extra pages to float around your nasty locker.
Build Better Study Skills
You study and study, but your test scores don’t go up. Things go in one ear and out the other (or, in the case of reading, in one eye and out the other?).
You’re studying wrong.
Here’s how to do it right:
Don’t cram.
See: Stop procrastinating above.
To really learn new things, you need to space out your learning over time. Cramming for a test is a really short-term solution with some bad long-term consequences.
Don’t ignore your health.
You’re young and healthy, so clearly you can subsist on Doritos, Gatorade, and four hours of sleep!
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Good diet, exercise, and plenty of sleep will literally make you smarter.
Study in different places.
The old advice to set up a quiet study spot and always study in that same spot is actually wrong. Science suggests that your best bet is to study the same material in different places to build stronger associations with the information.
Teach it.
Studies show that you’re more likely to retain information if you learn it with the intent of explaining it to someone else—better yet, really master the info by actually teaching it to someone else!
Test yourself.
The more often you have to recall information, the better you get at recalling it. If you test yourself on the stuff you’re studying, you’ll have an easier time remembering key info on your actual test day. Learn about the science behind these study skills tips with Five Study Skills to Master, According to Science.
Make Your Academic Resolutions Come True
Bringing these academic resolutions into reality can make even the most determined students feel a bit challenged. Get the academic support you need from your local 宝博体育 Education and make this year your most successful one yet!
8 Winter Break Activities to Keep Everyone Learning
HIGH SCHOOLBeing a parent can be pretty challenging, especially with the kids out of school for winter break. If you’re looking for some fun AND educational activities to keep your kids from destroying your house busy, look no further! We’ve put together a list of family winter break activities designed to keep everyone learning.
1. Winter Reading Challenge
Check with your local library to see whether they are sponsoring a winter reading challenge. If not, start your own family tradition! Challenge everyone to read a certain number of books over the holiday break and set a grand prize for the person who reads the most books.
2. Computer Science Unplugged
Looking for a way to cut back on screen time? Computer Science Unplugged has a ton of great downloadable activities that teach computer science principles in a truly unique way: without a computer! The activities are primarily aimed at kids from 5 to 12, but they can easily be adapted to appeal to older ages.
3. STEM in the Kitchen
Cooking is, at its essence, little more than a chemistry experiment. Bake up some cookies and sneak in some math and science! For younger kids or math-phobes, try doubling or halving recipes to practice with fractions or work on unit conversions by following a recipe written with metric units. And if math truly isn’t your thing, look at the scientific side of cooking and baking. Science of Cooking is a great place to start if you want to understand exactly what’s going on in that delicious cookie!
4. DO Try This at Home
The web has TONS of fun science experiments to do at home, and a lot of them require basically no preparation. For example, learn about physics and civil engineering by building a bridge out of drinking straws; dig through the recycling bin to do an at home egg drop challenge; learn about pressure and force by making a backyard bottle rocket (adult supervision most definitely required); or inspire a budding architect with a gingerbread house challenge.
5. The Spirit of Giving
Encourage students to learn about empathy and social responsibility by working together as a family to put together holiday gift baskets for the charity of your choice – a most admirable winter break activity.
6. The Finances of Giving
Giving is great. Generosity is a wonderful trait. But why not add some life (and math) skills to the mix? If your family participates in a gift-giving holiday this season, consider giving each child a budget with which to purchase gifts for friends and family. Aside from the arithmetic required to stick to a budget, this on-going activity allows for plenty of teachable moments about finances and budgeting—important skills later in life!
7. Family Read Aloud
There are tons of benefits to reading aloud, even if your kids are well past bedtime story age. Build reading, listening, and thinking skills by reading aloud together as a family each day of winter break. Take turns reading and pass the book from person to person. At the end of each reading session, talk about what you read. What you choose to read is up to your family! Perhaps you’ll go with a classic (Dickens is a wonderful read aloud option) or maybe a fun choose your own adventure has more appeal. No matter what you read, you’re sure to gain a great family bonding experience.
8. Field Trips
There are probably plenty of local spots that your family rarely, if ever, visits—and a lot of them are great learning opportunities! Many great places also still have virtual options so you’re not limited by distance.
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Duke TIP and the 7th Grade Talent Search
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSDuke University is home to the top-ranked Blue Devils basketball team, a collection of outstanding undergraduate and graduate colleges, and the nation’s most well-known gifted and talented program for young students. In this post, we’ll explore Duke TIP and its 7th grade talent search.
Duke TIP Overview
Duke’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) is divided into two waves of talent searches: one for fourth through sixth grade students and one for seventh grade students.
Students in grades four through six may qualify for the 4th – 6th Grade Talent Search with high scores on an accepted standardized test. Once enrolled, these students gain access to a range of enrichment activities, guidance, testing opportunities, and educational programs.
The 7th Grade Talent Search is far better known, more competitive, and offers access to benefits that last well into high school. This is the program that we’ll focus on today.
Why Enroll in the 7th Grade Talent Search?
Enrolling in the 7th Grade Talent Search offers benefits throughout high school.
How to Enroll in the 7th Grade Talent Search
Convinced that Duke TIP is for you? Time to enroll!
The first step is qualifying for the program. Students must meet one of these requirements:
Students can use scores from any time in the past two years. Most students use scores from the fifth or sixth grade. Look up accepted tests here.
Students who participated in the 4th – 6th Grade Talent Search and took the optional PSAT 8/9 are automatically qualified to participate, but they still need to formally enroll.
Once you enroll, you must register for the ACT or SAT. These scores are used as diagnostic tools to determine eligibility for certain courses. Your ACT or SAT score doesn’t so much determine whether you become part of the 7th Grade Talent Search as what perks and courses you gain access to. The program with the lowest score requirements is the eStudies program, followed by the Academy for Summer Studies, and then the Center for Summer Studies, which has the highest score requirements.
Pay close attention to enrollment deadlines. To attend summer programs, Duke TIP recommends that students finalize their SAT or ACT scores no later than February.
What summer programs are available? How do I qualify?
Those who enroll in the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent search and meet SAT or ACT score requirements are eligible to enroll in one of three Duke TIP summer programs:
7-week program that offers rigorous online courses with small class-sizes
Students live and study on a college campus while taking a 3-week-long course; academy courses are slightly less rigorous than center courses
Students live and study on a college campus while taking a 3-week-long course; center courses are slightly more rigorous than academy courses
OR
ACT Science: 19+
OR
ACT Science: 20-22
OR
ACT Science: 23+
OR
ACT Reading: 19+
OR
ACT Reading: 20-23
OR
ACT Reading: 24+
The scores in the table are the scores for 7th grade students and are accurate as of the publishing of this post. For cutoff scores for other grade levels or to check for updates to these scores, check the table for eStudies here and the table for Summer Studies here.
Students only need to qualify in one area—math or verbal—to participate. Students who only qualify for math will be eligible only for math courses, and students who only qualify for verbal will be eligible only for verbal courses. Students who qualify for both may choose from either subject.
SAT or ACT prep if I’m applying to Duke TIP?
In a word: Yes. To truly reap the benefits of the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search, you’ll want to qualify for Summer Studies. This is the program that TIP alumni say is life-changing. By living and studying on a college campus, middle school students gain a unique glimpse into the future. What’s more, the courses available through these programs are unlike anything students are likely to come across in school, offering a chance to develop and pursue new academic interests.
In 7th grade, earning a 510 or higher on either section of the SAT or a 20 or higher on the ACT is no small feat. Consider this: the average SAT score nationwide is around 1070, and most SAT test-takers are in 11th or 12th grade. This means that students who qualify for Summer Studies must score similarly to students who are four or five years ahead of them.
If you’re considering applying for Duke TIP, take a practice test to determine your current score. This will give you an idea of how much SAT or ACT prep—if any—you need to do before you take the test for real. To get the most accurate score prediction possible, take the test under realistic testing conditions. Contact your local 宝博体育 Education center to schedule a diagnostic SAT or ACT to find out how you’ll score!
Thanksgiving SAT Math Practice Problems
TEST PREPWe know you’ve got a lot to be grateful for, but we want to add one more thing: Thanksgiving SAT math practice problems!
1- My grandmother used two coupons when purchasing the Thanksgiving ham. The first took $5 off her purchase. The second took an additional 25% off the reduced price. The final total was $12. What was the original price of the ham?
2- Two runners are participating in the annual Turkey Trot. Leroy runs at a constant rate of 6 miles per hour, and Kevin runs at a constant rate of 5 miles per hour. If Kevin has already run for 24 minutes by the time Leroy starts running the race, how far will Leroy have run when he catches up to Kevin?
3- For $20, a customer could purchase 2 pumpkin pies and 6 cans of cranberry sauce. At the same store, a customer could purchase 3 pumpkin pies and 4 cans of cranberry sauce for $5 more. How much more expensive is 1 pumpkin pie compared to 3 cans of cranberry sauce?
4- I volunteer at a soup kitchen every Thanksgiving. Last year, we used 248 carrots and 132 potatoes. This year, we will increase the number of carrots used by 50%. If we will use twice as many total carrots and potatoes this year as we did last year, how many potatoes will we use this year?
Questions 5 and 6 refer to the information below.
The circle below represents the family’s apple pie. The shaded area shows the slice that gluttonous Uncle Hobart took for himself after dinner. Major arc AB below has a length of 16.5 inches, while minor arc AB has a length of 11 inches.
5- What is the measure of the central angle that forms Uncle Hobart’s slice of pie (minor arc AB)?
6- What is the diameter of the pie dish used to make the apple pie, rounded to the nearest inch?
Questions 7 and 8 refer to the information below.
Two hundred and fifty members of the Pie-Lovers United Club were selected at random and asked to choose their favorite pie among four choices. The results of the survey are shown above and should be considered representative of the preferences of all 4000 members of the club.
7- What percentage of the members surveyed both prefer pumpkin pie and are between 18 and 29 years of age?
8- Based on the results of the survey, approximately how many members of the entire club prefer cherry pie?
9- Aunt Ginny’s secret stuffing recipe features 3 types of bread cubes: rye, cornbread, and Italian bread. I noticed that she used a total of 8 cups of bread cubes, of which 3 cups were rye bread cubes. She told me that she uses a 1 to 2 ratio of cornbread cubes to Italian bread cubes. How many cups of Italian bread cubes did she use?
10- My mother wants to serve both turkey and ham for Thanksgiving dinner. Turkeys are on sale for $1.00 per pound, and hams are on sale for $2.25 per pound. My mother wants to purchase a total of 20 pounds of meat for the meal, and she wants to spend $35.00. How big of a ham can she purchase?
And now, the answers…
1- Let h be the original price of the ham. First, subtract $5 from that price for the first coupon to get the quantity (h – 5). Since her second coupon takes 25% off of this reduced price, we can calculate the price after the coupon by multiplying this quantity by
Now we can set up an equation and solve:
2- D. Since Kevin runs for 24 minutes
more than Leroy does, we know that if Leroy runs for t hours, then Kevin will run for (t + 0.4) hours. We also know that the two runners run the same distance, d, and that distance equals the product of the runner’s rate and his time spent running. Since we know that d = r x t, we can use all of this to solve:
So, we know that Leroy runs for hours before he catches up to Kevin. Thus, Leroy’s distance traveled to catch up to Kevin is:
3- B. Set up a system of equations (with p equal to the number of pumpkin pies and c equal to the number of cans of cranberry sauce), with one representing the price of the first set of purchases and the other representing the second set of purchases:
Then, use the elimination strategy for solving system of equations. Multiply the top equation by -3, the bottom equation by 2, and then add the equations together to get:
So, a can of cranberry sauce costs $1. Plug this into the first equation to find the cost of a pie:
So, 1 pumpkin pie costs $7, while 3 cans of cranberry sauce cost 3(1) = $3. The difference is $7 – $3 = $4.
4- After increasing the number of carrots by 50%, we will have 248(1.5) = 372. Overall, the total number of carrots and potatoes used is twice as much as last year, or equal to 2(248 + 132) = 760. Subtract from this new total number of vegetables the new number of carrots, 372, to get 760 – 372 = 388 potatoes.
5- The ratio between the arc length and the circumference of a circle is always equivalent to the ratio of the measure of the central angle to 360 degrees:
Since we know the length of the minor arc and major arc, add these together to find the length of the circumference, 27.5 inches. Plug in the values we know and solve:
So, the length of the diameter is approximately 9 inches.
7- A. Looking at the table, we see that only 12 members from the sample group both prefer pumpkin pie and are in the 18-29 year old age group. Divide this number by the total number of people sampled, 250, to get
of the surveyed members.
8- D. Since the survey is considered representative of the overall club, we know the percentage of people in the survey who prefer cherry pie should be approximately the same as the percentage of people in the overall club who prefer cherry pie:
9- 10/3 cups. Since 3 of the cups of bread are rye, the remaining 8 – 3 = 5 cups must be a combination of cornbread and Italian bread. Since the ratio of cornbread to Italian bread is 1 to 2, we know that the ratio of
10- 12 pounds. Let h be the number of pounds of ham used and t be the number of pounds of turkey. We know the two equations below must be valid, one for the weight of meat and one for the price of meat:
Solve the bottom equation for and plug it into the top equation, then solve for h:
So,
So, my mother can buy a ham that is 12 pounds.
Did you enjoy these mathematics practice problems? Start SAT prep with 宝博体育 today!