choices.

The correct answer is the one that

SAT Math Strategies works!
● Get as many questions correct as possible with as ● Use real numbers! In other words, “dummy it
down” by using real, convenient numbers in
few errors as possible. This strategy may seem place of letters (variables) to make a problem
completely obvious, but because the SAT scoring deducts
more concrete.
an extra ¼ point for each incorrect multiple- choice
● Nowildguessing! You should guess on a multiple-
answer, it is very important to remember. You will
choice question only if you have worked on it and
generally achieve “maximum right, minimum wrong” by
can eliminate one or more answers. Otherwise,
doing all the questions that are easy for you, attempting
In the harder questions that you think you know how to do,
skip the problem and move on to a question you
can do.
and skipping the rest. The table below shows how many
questions you need to get correct in each of the three math Other Tips and Tricks
sections, depending on your what your desired score is. ● Connect what is being given to what is being
Desired 20-Q 20-Q 20-Q asked. Think about what concept the question is
Total
Score Section Section Section using, what it is giving you, and what it is asking
400 8 6 4 18 for. It can help to read the question two or three
500 11 9 8 28 times. Make sure you answer the question: if it
550 13 11 10 34 asks for radius, don't give the diameter!
600 14 13 12 39 ● Geometry questions: Draw a picture! A picture can
650 16 14 13 43 be very useful when one isn't provided. Fill in or
700 18 16 14 48 label the picture with all the information that the
800 20 18 16 54 question gives. Try to make an equation from the
picture.
● Figures are accurate (to scale) unless
● Know where youare! Each math section is arranged otherwise noted. If two lines look like they
easy to hard, so are the same length, then they are the same
knowing where you are tells you how hard the question is. length!

Easy hard Mark the questions that you skip in your

By 20 multiple choice     test booklet so that you can come back
Easy hard to them easily.
16 multiple choice:   ● Circle the multiple-choice answers that you choose
Easy hard easy hard in the test booklet so that you can check the answer
8 mult. choice, 10 grid-ins:          grid against your booklet later on, if you have time.
The harder questions will require multiple steps to solve ● Grid-ins: don't leave any of these blank, since
and will often have wrong multiple-choice answers (also there's no penalty for guessing here. It is usually
known as “traps”) that come from making simple best to start the answer in the far-left column of
Part 1 mistakes. Most test takers should try to get the points they the grid. Write in the numbers but don't forget to
need (see the desired score table above) from the easier grid them! As with the multiple-choice, circle the
questions, which are worth the same as the harder answer you come up with in your test booklet so
questions but tend to take much less time to solve. that you can check against your grid later on.
● Try plugging in the answers. On multiple-choice Remember: grid-in answers can't be negative or
questions, if you are stuck, then take advantage of the greater than 9999.
fact that the answer is printed right there as one of the ● You shouldn't have to read the instructions at the
beginning of each section. Know these ahead of time.
You should also know, from memory, the math formulas
given at the beginning of each section.
The Mathematics Section:
The mathematics section of the SAT contains two
types of questions:
● Standard multiple-choice (44 questions)
● Student-produced response questions that
provide no answer choices (10 questions)
Some questions are like those you may have seen in
your mathematics courses. The ability to reason
logically in a variety of situations, some of which may
be new to you, is tested throughout.
Calculator Policy
We recommend that you bring a calculator to use on
the mathematics section of the SAT. Every question on
the test can be solved without a calculator, but you
will have an advantage if you use a scientific or
graphing calculator on some questions.
Acceptable Calculators
Calculators permitted during testing are:
● Graphing calculators
Scientific calculators
●
● Four-function calculators (not recommended)
If you have a calculator with characters that are one
inch or higher, or if your calculator has a raised display
that might be visible to other test-takers, you will be
seated at the dis- cretion of the test supervisor.
You will not be allowed to share calculators. You will be
dismissed and your scores will be canceled if you use
your calculator to share information during the test or
to remove test questions or answers from the test room.
Calculator Tips
● Remember to bring your calculator to the test.
Calculators will not be available at the test center.
You should be familiar with how to use the calculator
you bring to the test.
● Make sure your calculator is in good working
order and that batteries are fresh. If your calculator
fails during testing and you have no backup, you’ll have
to complete the test without it.
● Don’t buy an expensive, sophisticated calculator
just to take the test. Although you can use them for
the test, more sophisticated calculators are not
required for any problem.
● Don’t try to use a calculator on every question.
First, decide how you will solve the problem, and then
decide whether to use the calculator. The calcu- lator is
meant to aid you in problem solving, not to get in the
way.
Get your thoughts down before using your calcula- tor. It
may help to do scratch work in the test book.
● Take the practice test in this booklet with a calcula- tor
at hand. This will help you determine how much you
will probably use a calculator the day of the test.
Unacceptable Calculators
The following calculators are not permitted:
● Models that have a QWERTY (i.e., typewriter)
keypad, either as part of hardware or software
● Models that have pen-input, stylus, or touch-screen
capability or have wireless or Bluetooth capability
● Models that use paper tape, “talk” or make unusual
noises, or require an electrical outlet
● Models that can access the Internet
● Models that have cell phone capability or have audio/
video recording capability
● Models that have a digital audio/video player or have a
camera
Approaches to the Mathematics
Section:
● Familiarize yourself with the directions ahead of time.
● The test does not require you to memorize formulas.
Commonly used formulas are provided in the test book
at the beginning of each mathematics section. It is up to
you to decide which formula is appropriate.
● Read the problem carefully. Note key words that
tell you what the problem is asking. Ask yourself
the following questions before you solve each
problem: What is the question asking? What do
I know?
● With some problems, it may be useful to
draw a sketch or diagram of the given
information.
● Use the test book for scratch work. You are not
expected to do all the reasoning and figuring in
your head. You will not receive credit for
anything writ- ten in the booklet, but you will be
able to check your work easily later.
● Decide when to use a calculator.
● For multiple-choice questions, you may want
to refer to the answer choices before you
determine your answer.
● Eliminate choices. If you don’t know the correct
answer to a question, try some of the choices. It’s
sometimes easier to find the wrong answers than
the correct one. On some questions, you can
eliminate all the incorrect choices.
● Make sure your answer is a reasonable
answer to the question asked. This is
especially true for student-produced response
questions, where no answer choices are given.
● All figures are drawn to scale unless
otherwise indicated.
Mathematics Review
Number and Operations (20–25%)
● Arithmetic word problems (including percent,
ratio, and proportion)
● Properties of integers (even, odd, prime numbers,
divisibility, etc.)
● Rational numbers
● Sets (union, intersection, elements)
● Counting techniques
● Sequences and series (including exponential
growth)
● Elementary number theory.
 Algebra and Functions (35–40%)
● Substitution and simplifying algebraic expressions
● Properties of exponents
● Algebraic word problems
● Solutions of linear equations and inequalities
● Systems of equations and inequalities
● Quadratic equations
● Rational and radical equations
In ● Equations of lines
● Absolute value
● Direct and inverse variation
● Concepts of algebraic functions
 Newly defined symbols based on commonly used
operations.
Geometry and Measurement (25–30%)
● Area and perimeter of a polygon
● Area and circumference of a circle
● Volume of a box, cube, and cylinder
● Pythagorean Theorem and special properties of isosceles,
equilateral, and right triangles
● Properties of parallel and perpendicular lines
● Coordinate geometry
● Geometric visualization
● Slope
● Similarity.
 Transformations
Data Analysis, Statistics, and
By Probability (10–15%)
● Data interpretation (tables and graphs)
● Descriptive statistics (mean, median, and mode)
● Probability
Number and Operations
● Integers: . . . , −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . .
(Note: zero is neither positive nor negative.)
Part 2 ● Consecutive Integers: Integers that follow in
sequence; for example, 22, 23, 24, 25. Consecutive
integers can be more generally represented by
n, n + 1, n + 2, n + 3, . . .
● Odd Integers: . . . , −7, −5, −3, −1, 1, 3, 5, 7, . . . ,
2k + 1, . . . where k is an integer
● Even Integers: . . . , −6, −4, −2, 0, 2, 4, 6, . . . , 2k ,
. . . , where k is an integer (Note: zero is an
even integer.)
 Rationals:fractions, that is, anything expressable
as a ratio of integers.
 Reals: integers plus rationals plus irrational
numbers such as √2 , √3 , … and .
 Order Of Operations: PEMDAS
(Parentheses / Exponents / Multiply /
Divide / Add / Subtract)
● Prime Numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, . . .
(Note: 1 is not a prime and 2 is the only even prime.)
 Factors: the factors of a number divide into
that number without a remainder Example: the
factors of 52 are 1, 2, 4, 13, 26, and 52 .
 Multiples: the multiples of a number are
divisible by that number without a remainder.
 Prime Factorization: break up a number into
prime factors (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, . . . )
200 = 4 × 50 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 5
52 = 2 × 26 = 2 × 2 × 13
 Greatest Common Factor: multiply common
prime factors
200 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 5 × 5
60 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 5
GCF(200, 60) = 2 × 2
 Least Common Multiple: check multiples of
the largest number LCM(200, 60): 200 (no), 400
(no), 600 (yes!)
 Digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
(Note: the units digit and the ones digit refer to
the same digit in a number. For example, in the
number
125, the 5 is called the units digit or the ones digit.)
Percent:
Percent means hundredths, or number out of 100. For
Example, 40 percent means
 = 0.40 = For example, in the sequence above, you would
not be expected to know that the 6th term is 33
Note: use the following formula to find part, without being given the fact that each term is one
whole, or percent The total distance was: less than twice the preceding term. For
sequences on the SAT, the first term is never
=
100 referred to as the zeroth term.
Example: 75% of 300 is what? 2 70 + 5 60 = 440
Algebra and Functions:
Solve: part = (75 × 300)\ 100 to get 225
Example: 45 is what percent of 60? The total me wa s 7 hr . Thus , the aver age speed wa s: Factoring and solving:
Solve p e r c e n t = (45 × 100) \ 60 to get 75% You may need to apply these types of factoring:
440 6
Example: 30 is 20% of what? = 62 / 2

Solve: whole = (30 × 100) \ 20 to get 150 7 7 (x + a)(x + b) = x + (b + a)x + ab “FOIL”

2 2
a − b = (a + b)(a − b) “Difference Of Squares”
Problem 1: If the sales tax on a $30.00 item is $1.80, Note: In this example, the average speed over the 7-hour
period is not the average of the two given speeds, which
what is the sales tax rate? 2 2
a + 2ab + b = (a + b)(a + b)
Solution: $ 1.80 = × $30.00 would be 65 kilometers per hour. 2 2
a − 2ab + b = (a − b)(a − b)
n = 6 so 6% is the sales tax rate. Sequences 2
x + (b + a)x + ab = (x + a)(x + b) “Reverse FOIL”
Percent Increase / Decrease Two common types of sequences that appear on the You can use Reverse FOIL to factor a polynomial by
SAT are arithmetic and geometric sequences. thinking about two numbers a and b which add to the
Problem 2: If the price of a computer was decreased
An arithmetic sequence is a sequence in which number in front of the x, and which multiply to give the
from $1,000 to $750, by what percent was the price
successive terms differ by the same constant amount. constant. For example, to factor x2 + 5x + 6, the numbers
decreased?
For example: 3, 5, 7, 9, . . . is an arithmetic sequence. add to 5 and multiply to 6, i.e., a = 2 and b = 3, so that x2
Solution: The price decrease is $250. So, Note: Each term is equal to the previous term plus d + 5x + 6 = (x + 2)(x + 3).
the percent decrease is the value of n in the equation Sequence: t1 , t1 + d, t1 + 2d, . . .
250 Example: d = 4 and t1 = 3 gives the sequence 3, 7, 11, 15, . For examples :Common factor: x2 – x = x (x -1)
= Difference between two squares:
1,00 100 A geometric sequence is a sequence in which the ratio of
The value of n is 25, so the price was decreased by 25% x2 – 4 = (x + 2)(x -2)
Note: n% increase means: successive terms is a constant. For example: 2, 4, 8, 16, Completing square:
. . . is a geometric sequence. A sequence may also be
= , x2 + 4x + 4 =(x+2)(x+2) = (x +2)2
100 defined using previously defined terms. For example, the
first term of a sequence is 2, and each successive term Trinomial:
n% decrease means:
is 1 less than twice the preceding term. This sequence 2x2 +5x – 3 = (2x – 1)(x + 3)
= , would be 2, 3, 5, 9, 17, . .
100 To solve a quadratic such as x2 +bx+c = 0, first
Note: each term is equal to the previous term
factor the left side to get (x+a1 )(x+a2 ) = 0, then
Average Speed times r
set each part in parentheses equal to zero. E.g., x2
Problem: José traveled for 2 hours at a rate of 70 Sequence: t1 , t1 · r, t1 · r 2 , . . .
kilome- ters per hour and for 5 hours at a rate of 60 + 4x + 3 = (x + 3)(x + 1) = 0 so that x = −3 or x
Example: r = 2 and t1 = 3 gives the sequence 3,
kilometers per hour. What was his average speed for the = −1.
7-hour period? 6, 12, 24, . . .
Solution: In this situation, the average speed was: On the SAT, explicit rules are given for each sequence. The solution to the quadratic equation ax 2 + bx
+ c = 0 can always be found (if it exist