1.2 Showing Work, Calculator & Strategy

How Partial Credit Actually Works

Quick Answer: On Parts II, III, and IV, raters score your work, not just your final number. A correct setup and method earns most of the credit even if you make a small arithmetic slip — but a correct answer with no work can lose credit. Always show your steps.

Each constructed-response item is scored against a NYSED rating guide. The guide awards full credit for a correct answer with complete, correct work, and partial credit when the method is right but an error appears along the way. The most common scenario: a student sets up the equation correctly, solves it with the right steps, but makes one sign or arithmetic slip at the end. On a 4-credit item that usually still earns 2 or 3 of the 4 credits.

The reverse is the killer: writing only a final number. Even if the number is correct, an item that requires work may be scored at most 1 credit without supporting steps. So the rule is absolute — write the equation, the substitution, and the steps every single time.

This is also why the constructed-response parts are where passing students separate from failing ones. Part I is all-or-nothing, but Parts II–IV let a partially correct attempt still bank credits. A student who is unsure of the final answer should never leave the box blank — writing a correct first step on a 6-credit Part IV item can be worth more than a perfect guess on a 2-credit Part I item.

What "Show Your Work" Means on This Exam

For full credit, your written work should make your reasoning reproducible. Depending on the question, include:

1. Define the variable — e.g., “Let x = the number of hours.”
2. Write the equation, inequality, or function before solving.
3. Show substitutions when you plug numbers into a formula.
4. Show algebraic steps line by line, not in your head.
5. Draw the graph or table when the question asks you to graph or model.
6. Write a one-sentence interpretation when the question says “explain” or “in context.”

A frequent loss point is the explanation. Questions that ask you to justify an answer or interpret it “in the context of the problem” award a credit specifically for the sentence — if you skip it, you skip that credit even with perfect algebra. Another trap on graphing items: the rating guide often requires labeled axes, an appropriate scale, and the correct shape, so a hand-drawn curve with no labels can be downgraded.

Using the Graphing Calculator Strategically

Your graphing calculator is a verification engine, not just an arithmetic tool. Four techniques solve or check a large share of questions:

A powerful Part I shortcut: when a multiple-choice item asks “which value is a solution” or “which equation matches this table,” plug the choices into the table or graph rather than solving algebraically — it is faster and self-checking. For statistics items, linear regression gives you the best-fit slope, intercept, and correlation coefficient r directly. Remember the prohibition: calculators with computer algebra systems (CAS) are not allowed.

The Reference Sheet, Time Budget, and Careless Errors

The detachable Next Generation Algebra I reference sheet is printed in your booklet. It includes the quadratic formula, slope and arithmetic/geometric sequence relationships, the distance and midpoint-style formulas, and unit conversions. Do not burn memory or time on formulas the state hands you — know when to use each one instead.

One more reference-sheet habit: when a question gives you a formula-driven scenario, start by pulling the matching formula off the sheet and writing it down, then substitute. That single line of work both organizes your thinking and earns the "correct substitution" credit on constructed-response items.

A workable three-hour time budget:

• Part I (24 MC): ~60–70 minutes. Roughly 2–3 minutes each; flag the hard ones and move on.
• Parts II–III (constructed response): ~80–90 minutes. Show full work; these are where partial credit accumulates.
• Part IV (6 credits): ~15–20 minutes. Do not let the clock strand the most valuable question.
• Check: ~15 minutes. Re-read “in context” questions and verify bubbling.

Common careless errors that cost passing students points:

• Sign errors when distributing a negative or moving terms.
• Mis-bubbling — a right answer marked in the wrong row (no partial credit on Part I).
• Ignoring “in context” — giving a number when the question wants an interpretation.
• Dropping units or final-answer labels on modeling questions.
• Rounding too early, which throws off a final value.
• Answering the wrong thing — solving for x when the question wants f(x) or the vertex.