Problem type vs. strategy selection

[pamela]

Hi,
I am having a difficult time with quant problems. I can't seem to identify which problem type is being presented, so of course I can't select an effective strategy to use in solving the problem.

Is there somewhere I can find a list of problem types, their corresponding strategies, and also "clues" to watch for in recognizing problem types in the future?

I have attempted to produce this sort of list using the strat guides, but am ending up with "course-type notes" rather than a good summary. Nice for reviewing the material, but not much use in developing a strategy for REAL problem solving!!

Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

[StaceyKoprince]

That's a great question. We don't have a simple list like the one you're describing, but we should! So you are going to have to create it yourself, but, as you noted, it needs to be more like a cheat sheet than long notes.

As you study each chapter or type of problem, ask yourself, "What does this problem have that makes it this kind of problem? What does this problem have that most problems don't?"

In a notebook (or in a file), make two columns. At the top of the first one, write "When I see this" and at the top of the second, write "I should think this." On the first side, you're going to put actual parts from actual problems; on the other, you're going to write what type of problem it is or what type of strategy you want to use (or both).

You don't need to write out the entire problem (and you don't want to), as long as you can figure out what the core is - what makes it this particular type of problem, or what makes a certain strategy the best one to use?

If you're not sure, ask here on the forums. (Just make sure to follow the posting rules. You can't post the text of OG problems, unfortunately. If you're in a current class, you can ask your teacher before or after class or you can ask during office hours.)

You can also look up problems here on the forums (after you've tried to classify them yourself, of course!). Do a search and see what teachers have already said about the problem.