Secret Weapons Guide
Secret Weapons
The "Hidden" Reference Sheet
Unprovided Knowledge
Everything NYS *doesn't* give you.
Integer Laws
Adding Integers
Same Signs: Add & Keep the Sign.
Different Signs: Subtract & Keep the Sign of the Larger Absolute Value.
Subtracting Integers
"Keep-Change-Change" (Add the Opposite)
Inequalities
FLIP THE SIGN when you multiply or divide by a NEGATIVE number.
Percent & Prob
Percent Change/Error
\( \frac{\text{Change}}{\text{Original}} \times 100 \)
Basic Probability
\( \frac{\text{Wanted Outcomes}}{\text{Total Possible}} \)
Strategy Vault
Order of Operations (GEMS)
GGroups
→
EExponents
→
MMult/Div
→
SSub/Add
The "Top 5" Conversions
1/40.25
1/20.50
3/40.75
1/80.125
1/30.33...
2/30.66...
The Brain Dump Habit
"As soon as you can open your test booklet, flip your provided reference sheet over and dump these 5 sections onto the back immediately."
NYS Grade 7 Mathematics Prep Study these - They aren't on the test's cheat sheet! © 2026 Education Labs
Brain Dump Habit Worksheet
Brain Dump Race
Developing the Ultimate Test Habit
Name:
Date:
The Test Strategy
When the test starts, flip your reference sheet and dump these items immediately!
Goal Time
2:30
The Laws of Integers
Addition Rules
Multiplication Signs
The Inequality "Flip"
Order of Operations (GEMS)
Unprovided Formulas
Percent Change / Error
The "Top 5" F-D-P Equivs
Habit Score
Accuracy & Completeness
Points
Earned
Flip the script. Master the habit. Win the test.
Habit Hacker Teacher Guide
Habit Hacker
Building the Brain Dump Routine
The Strategy Shift
The NYS Grade 7 Reference Sheet is helpful, but it's incomplete. The most successful test-takers don't just use the sheet provided—they expand it. The "Brain Dump" is the habit of flipping the sheet and writing unprovided "secret weapons" the second the test starts.
Standard Student
Tries to remember rules while solving difficult problems. Panic sets in.
The Habit Hacker
Dumps all memory-heavy rules onto paper immediately. No panic, just execution.
Training Protocol
01
Identify the Gaps
Review the Secret Weapons Guide. Ask students: "What do you always forget?" or "What's a rule that trips you up?" Highlight that these are not on the official sheet.
02
The Timed Race
Conduct the "Brain Dump Race" using the Brain Dump Habit Worksheet. Set a timer for 3 minutes. The goal is 100% accuracy of their "secret weapons" within that window.
03
The Correction Cycle
Students immediately self-correct with the guide. If they miss a rule, they write it 5 times. We aren't just memorizing; we are building muscle memory.
Habit Targets
- Automaticity: Writing the rules should feel like writing their name.
- The "Test-Start" Ritual: Practice saying, "Booklet open, sheet flipped."
- Visual Mapping: Keeping rules in the same place every time.
The Goal
"By the time the actual test comes, the students should feel naked without their brain dump. It's their safety net."
NYS Exam Prep • Habit Hacker Series
