SAT, College admissions
Math
Math comes second: 44 questions in 70 minutes, split into two 35-minute modules of 22 questions each, or roughly 95 seconds per question. About three-quarters of the questions are multiple choice and the rest are student-produced responses that you type in, with no answer choices to work backward from. A built-in Desmos graphing calculator and a reference sheet of common formulas are available throughout the section, and about 30% of the questions are set in a real-world context.
Math at a glance
- Position
- 2 of 2 sections
- Questions
- 44 questions
- Time
- 70 minutes
- Topics covered
- 4 topics in this guide
What is covered
Topics inside this section.
These topics describe the scope students most often review for this part of SAT. Treat them as a study checklist rather than an exhaustive list of what a single exam form can sample.
- Algebra
- About 35% of the section, roughly 13 to 15 scored questions. Linear equations in one and two variables, linear functions, systems of two linear equations, and linear inequalities, including the word problems that hide a linear model in a sentence.
- Advanced Math
- About 35% of the section, roughly 13 to 15 scored questions. Equivalent expressions, nonlinear equations and systems, and nonlinear functions: quadratic, exponential, polynomial, radical, and rational, along with what their graphs reveal about zeros and behavior.
- Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
- About 15% of the section, roughly 5 to 7 scored questions. Ratios, rates, proportional relationships, unit analysis, and percentages, plus one- and two-variable data: measures of center and spread, scatterplots and models of best fit, probability, sample statistics with margin of error, and evaluating claims from studies and experiments.
- Geometry and Trigonometry
- About 15% of the section, roughly 5 to 7 scored questions. Area and volume, lines, angles, and triangles, right triangles and the trigonometric ratios that go with them, and circles, including arc length, sector area, radian measure, and circle equations.
Study tips
How to practice Math.
Section-specific guidance that follows from how this material is usually tested.
- Learn the built-in Desmos calculator before test day; graphing an equation to read off an intersection or a zero often beats solving it by hand, but only once the keystrokes are automatic.
- Give student-produced response questions dedicated practice, since with no answer choices they punish arithmetic slips and reward checking that your answer fits the units and format the question asked for.
- Algebra and Advanced Math together account for about 70% of the section, so linear and nonlinear equation work deserves the majority of your Math study time.
- For Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, write units on every quantity and cancel them explicitly; most errors in this domain are conversion errors rather than concept errors.
- Learn what the reference sheet does not include, such as slope, the quadratic formula, and the trigonometric ratios, so you know exactly which formulas still have to come from memory.
Where this fits
Math is 2 of 2 sections in the SAT guide. Use the full guide to balance it against everything else you have to review.
Sample Math questions
Practice questions, not yet expert-reviewedOriginal practice questions written to the published framework for this section. No expert has reviewed them, and they are not taken from any official exam. Try each one before you open the answer.
- Question 1Foundational
If 5x - 3 = 27, what is the value of x?
- A4.8
- B6
- C24
- D30
Show answer
Answer: B. 6
Adding 3 to both sides gives 5x = 30, and dividing by 5 gives x = 6. The distractor 4.8 comes from subtracting 3 instead of adding it, which leaves 5x = 24.
Key insight: Undo the operations in reverse order, then check by substituting back.
- Question 2Foundational
A jacket priced at 80 dollars is marked down by 15 percent. What is the sale price?
- A65 dollars
- B68 dollars
- C72 dollars
- D12 dollars
Show answer
Answer: B. 68 dollars
Fifteen percent of 80 is 12, so the sale price is 80 - 12 = 68 dollars, the same as 0.85 times 80. Choosing 12 reports the discount rather than the price, and 65 subtracts 15 dollars instead of 15 percent.
Key insight: A 15 percent discount means paying 85 percent, so multiply by 0.85 in one step.
- Question 3Intermediate
What is the sum of the two solutions of the equation x^2 - 7x + 10 = 0?
- A3
- B7
- C-7
- D10
Show answer
Answer: B. 7
The equation factors as (x - 2)(x - 5) = 0, so the solutions are 2 and 5 and their sum is 7, which also equals -\frac{b}{a}. The value 10 is the product of the solutions, and 3 is their difference.
Key insight: For a quadratic in standard form the solutions sum to -b/a and multiply to c/a.
- Question 4Intermediate
In a right triangle, one leg measures 6 and the hypotenuse measures 10. What is the length of the other leg?
- A4
- B8
- CAbout 11.7
- D16
Show answer
Answer: B. 8
The Pythagorean theorem gives leg squared = 100 - 36 = 64, so the missing leg is 8. Adding the squares instead of subtracting gives 136, whose square root is about 11.7, and that would treat the hypotenuse as a leg.
Key insight: The hypotenuse is always the largest side, so a missing leg comes from subtracting squares.
- Question 5Advanced
A line passes through the points (2, 5) and (6, 17). What is the y-intercept of that line?
- A-1
- B1
- C3
- D5
Show answer
Answer: A. -1
The slope is (17 - 5) divided by (6 - 2), which is 3, and substituting (2, 5) into y = 3x + b gives 5 = 6 + b, so b = -1. The distractor 3 reports the slope, and 1 comes from solving 5 = 6 + b with the sign reversed.
Key insight: Find the slope first, then substitute a known point to solve for the intercept.
Continue through SAT
Practice Math deliberately.
Create your Arcade Academy workspace to turn this topic list into spaced-repetition reviews, linked notes, and progress you can act on.