PLANE

GEOMETRY 101

There are not many geometry questions on the

SAT, but the few you’ll see cover a wide range of
topics. Make sure you know the basic geometry
rules and formulas.

REFERENCE INFORMATION

l c 2x 60° x s 45° s 2
•
r h b
w 30° 45°
b a x 3 s
A = πr 2 A = lw 2
c = a2 + b 2
C = 2 πr A = 1 bh Special Right Triangles
Reference Information

•r h
h r h
h
w r w
l 
4 3
V = lwh V = π r 2h V= 3 πr 1 1
V = 3 π r2h V = 3 wh

The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360.

The number of radians of arc in a circle is 2p.
The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180.

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 PLANE GEOMETRY

READING
TRIANGLES
Triangle questions on the SAT will cover some of these same ideas about lines and
angles, and other topics such as trigonometry, similarity, and more.

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
145° 110°
A B E D

16. In the figure above, points A, B, D, and E lie on the same line and

MATH
BE = CE = CD. What is the measure, in degrees, of ∠DCE ? (Disregard the
degree symbol when gridding your answer.)

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READING

SPECIAL RIGHT TRIANGLES

Although there are all sorts of triangles, College Board does like to test particular
ones often, such as 30:60:90 and 45:45:90 triangles. Although the relationships of
the sides in these triangles are in the reference box, you can save time by knowing
them well before the test.
WRITING AND
LANGUAGE

SPECIAL RIGHT TRIANGLES

45°
60° s 2
2x s
x
MATH

30° 45°
s
x 3

W Z 5 Y
60° 60°

17. In ∆WXY above, what is the length of WX ?

A) 2.5

B) 5 2

C) 5 3

D) 10

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READING
SIMILAR TRIANGLES
Two triangles are similar if the three angles in the first triangle are the same as the
three angles in the second triangle. Similar means “same shape, different size.”

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
The corresponding sides of two similar triangles are
proportional in length.

MATH
37°

53°
Q S

18. In the figure above, triangle QRS is divided into two smaller
triangles, as shown. Which of the following pairs of sides has the same
ratio as QT : ST ?

ST
A)
RT
ST
B)
RS
RT
C)
ST
RS
D)
RT

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READING

PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM
You are likely quite familiar with this method of finding the third side of a right
triangle given two other sides. College Board loves to use the Pythagorean triples
such as the 3:4:5, the 6:8:10, and the 5:12:13 triangle, often along with other con-
cepts, so look out for them.
WRITING AND
LANGUAGE

Pythagorean Theorem: a 2 + b 2 = c 2, where c is the hypotenuse

H
MATH

13

G I
5

F J

Look for Pythagorean 35. In the figure above, GI is parallel to FJ and IJ = 13. What is the length
triples!
of FH ?

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READING
TRIGONOMETRY
The SAT might test you on Trig! Knowing the basic definitions of sine, cosine, and
tangent will be helpful in solving some questions about right triangles.

SOHCAHTOA

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
sin = cos = tan =

MATH
B

b°

X
a°
A x°
C

w°
W Y

1
8. In the figure above, if sin a = and b = x, what is the value of sin x ?
2
1
A)
2

3
B)
2
3
C)
3

D) 3

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READING

On the No-Calculator section, College Board may ask about the relationship
between sine and cosine of the complementary angles of a right triangle. Use the
formulas below to solve these questions on the test.
WRITING AND
LANGUAGE

sin x = cos(90° – x) and cos x = sin(90° – x)

E
MATH

m° n°
D F

Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

What strategy can you 21. In triangle DEF shown above, the cosine of ∠D is equal to the sine of
use when the question ∠F, m = 3a + 18, and n = 8a – 5 for some constant a. What is the value
asks for a specific value? of a ?
A) 15.2
B) 7.0
C) 4.6
D) 3.0

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READING
RADIANS AND DEGREES
Radians and degrees are different ways of measuring angles. Your calculator has
both modes, so make sure to use the right mode when calculating anything.
Sometimes, College Board will ask you to convert degrees to radians or vice versa.

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
To convert radians to degrees, set up a proportion:
 radians
=
180 degrees

5p
11. If an angle measures radians, what is the measure of the angle, in
8

MATH
degrees?

A) 112.5
B) 125
C) 247.5
D) 288

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SIMILAR TRIANGLES

READING
9 36
Y A

B
a°

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
b° C 13

a° b°
X Z
A
5
D E
Based on the two triangles shown above, which of

MATH
the following statements MUST be true?
A) BC = XZ
AB XY
B) =
BC YZ
B C
C) DABC @ DXZY
AB YZ In the figure above, DE || BC, the length of DE = 5,
D) = and the length of AE = 13. If DE bisects AB, what is
AC XY
the perimeter of DABC ?

18

20

5 5 5

Samuel is building a slide as shown above. If the

supports are 5 meters apart and the slide is 20
meters long, approximately how tall, in meters, is
the first support?
A) 4.4
B) 5.0
C) 6.7
D) 13.2

CONTINUE
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PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM
READING

1 14
In a right triangle, the two shorter sides are 7 cm B
and 11 cm long. What is the length of the longest
side, in cm?
WRITING AND

26 C
LANGUAGE

A) 18 10

B) 72

C) 77 A
D
D) 170
1
In the figure above, CD = AD. What is the
MATH

3
perimeter of quadrilateral ABCD ?
A) 32
B) 64
C) 74
D) 144

CONTINUE
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TRIGONOMETRY

READING
7 20

WRITING AND
LANGUAGE
C B

1
In DABC above, the measure of cos A is . What is
2

MATH
the measure of sin A ?
1
A)
2
3
B)
2
3
C)
3
60°
D) 2
6m

17
A surveyor wants to calculate the shortest distance
across a river. She begins directly across the river
from a tree on the opposite riverbank, then walks
6 meters along the riverbank on her side of the
river. From there, she measures a 60° angle between
43 feet her starting point and the tree. What is the distance
from the tree to the point at which the surveyor
started, to the nearest tenth of a meter?
A) 5.2
60° B) 8.5
C) 10.4
The figure above shows a ladder leaned against a D) 12
wall so that the top of the ladder touches the top of
the wall. The ladder is placed so that the base is at
a 60° angle to the ground. If the wall is 43 feet tall,
what is the length of the ladder, to the nearest foot?
A) 25
B) 50
C) 75
D) 85

CONTINUE
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