Test Prep · SAT · Math section
SAT Math
The math half of the SAT: algebra, advanced math, data and geometry, in two adaptive modules taken on a computer.
- 44 questions
- 70 minutes in 2 modules
- about 95 s a question
- Calculator allowed
- 4 choices and typed answers
Changed in 2024 How the SAT changed in 2024: what's different, and whether it got easier.
Which version?
This is the SAT given now, on a computer or tablet in the Bluebook app. Practice this one first.
Timed mixed set Digital SAT
Questions from every area, in modules at the real pace of about 95 seconds a question. Answer in any order, flag questions to come back to, and see everything at the end.
You can hide the timer at any time during the set. Your time on each question is kept for your results either way. A calculator is allowed on the real SAT, so keep one nearby for the few questions that ask you to round.
Practice by area Digital SAT
Ten questions from one area, untimed, with the steps after each answer.
The paper SAT is no longer given; the digital SAT replaced it in the U.S. in March 2024. Practice it if you're working from an older prep book, or for extra hand work: its first part allows no calculator. What changed.
- 58 questions
- 80 minutes
- about 83 s a question
- No calculator on part 1
- 4 choices and grid-in answers
Timed mixed set Paper SAT
As on the paper SAT: the no-calculator portion first, then the calculator portion, each at its own pace. Answer in any order, flag questions to come back to, and see everything at the end.
You can hide the timer at any time during the set. Your time on each question is kept for your results either way. No calculator in the first part, as on the real test: those problems are meant to be done by hand. Keep one nearby for the second part.
Practice by area Paper SAT
Ten questions from one area, untimed, with the steps after each answer.
About the SAT math today
- 44 questions in 70 minutes, split into two modules of 22 questions and 35 minutes each. How the SAT Is Structured · SAT Suite alignment, Math: PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT
- Each module has 20 questions that count and 2 unscored pretest questions. SAT Suite alignment, Math: PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT
- Adaptive: the first module has easy, medium and hard questions; how you do on it decides whether the second module is harder or easier. How the SAT Is Structured
- Within each module the questions go from easiest to hardest, and all four content areas show up in each module. The Math Section: Overview
- About 75% of questions are multiple choice with 4 options. The rest ask you to type your own answer (a “student-produced response”). Student-Produced Response Questions
- A calculator is allowed on the whole Math section. The testing app, Bluebook, has a built-in Desmos graphing calculator, and you may bring an approved one. SAT Suite of Assessments Calculator Policy
- About 30% of the questions are set in a real-world or science context. The Math Section: Overview
As of October 17, 2026, from College Board's public pages. Tests change, so check the official page before test day.
The Paper SAT (March 2016 to 2023)
- 58 questions in 80 minutes, in two portions: 20 questions in 25 minutes with no calculator, then 38 questions in 55 minutes with a calculator. SAT Student Guide 2018–2019 · SAT Math That Matters Most
- 45 questions were multiple choice with four options, and 13 were grid-ins: you wrote your answer and bubbled it in. SAT Student Guide 2018–2019
- The grid held only four characters and only zero or positive numbers, written as a fraction or a decimal. SAT Student Guide 2018–2019
- Content: Heart of Algebra 19 questions, Problem Solving and Data Analysis 17, Passport to Advanced Math 16, Additional Topics in Math (geometry and trigonometry) 6. SAT Math That Matters Most
What's on it, and where to learn it
The content areas of today's test in our own words, from the official descriptions, with the Math Ladder topics that teach each one.
Algebra
13–15 questionsLines in every form: solving linear equations and inequalities, building them from words, reading slope and intercepts, and solving systems of two linear equations.
- Linear equations in one variable, including how many solutions an equation has
- Linear equations and functions in two variables: slope, intercepts, and what they mean in context
- Systems of two linear equations
- Linear inequalities in one or two variables
20 Math Ladder topics
- Variables on Both Sides
- One, None or Infinitely Many Solutions
- Clearing Fractions and Decimals
- Writing Equations from Words
- Solving for a Variable
- Point-Slope Form
- Line Through Two Points
- Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
- Horizontal and Vertical Lines
- Function Notation
- Linear Models in Context
- Building Linear Models
- Elimination
- Elimination with Multiplying First
- Solving Systems by Substitution
- Parallel and Identical Lines
- Multi-Step Inequalities
- Inequality Word Problems
- Linear Inequalities in Two Variables
- Systems of Linear Inequalities
Advanced Math
13–15 questionsEverything past lines: rewriting expressions, solving quadratic, radical, rational and exponential equations, and reading nonlinear functions and their graphs.
- Equivalent expressions: expanding, factoring, exponents and rational expressions
- Nonlinear equations in one variable, and systems with a line and a curve
- Nonlinear functions: quadratics, exponentials, polynomials and their graphs, composition and transformations
29 Math Ladder topics
- Multiplying Binomials
- Special Products
- Factoring x² + bx + c
- Factoring ax² + bx + c
- Seeing Structure in Expressions
- Adding and Subtracting Rational Expressions
- Simplifying Rational Expressions
- Fractional Exponents
- Solving by Factoring
- The Quadratic Formula
- Solving by Square Roots
- Completing the Square
- The Discriminant
- Absolute Value Equations
- Radical Equations
- Rational Equations
- Exponential Equations with a Common Base
- Vertex Form
- Graphs of Quadratic Functions
- Zeros and Factored Form
- The Vertex Formula
- Quadratic Models
- Exponential Functions
- Growth and Decay Rates
- Writing Exponential Models
- Composition of Functions
- Shifting and Stretching Graphs
- Zeros and Multiplicity
- The Remainder and Factor Theorems
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
5–7 questionsNumbers in context: ratios, rates, percents and units, then reading data, from averages and spread to scatterplots, probability, samples and study design.
- Ratios, rates, proportions and units
- Percents
- One-variable data: center and spread
- Two-variable data: scatterplots and lines of fit
- Probability and conditional probability
- Samples, margin of error, and what a study can and can't show
23 Math Ladder topics
- Solving Proportions
- Unit Price and Constant Speed
- Units and Conversion Factors
- Percent Increase and Decrease
- Markups, Discounts and Tax
- Finding the Whole from a Part
- The Mean as a Fair Share
- Median and Mode
- Range and Interquartile Range
- Standard Deviation
- Comparing Distributions
- Scatter Plots and Association
- Lines of Fit and Residuals
- Interpreting Slope and Intercept
- Theoretical Probability
- Probability of Compound Events
- Two-Way Tables and Relative Frequency
- Conditional Probability from Two-Way Tables
- Making Predictions from Samples
- Margin of Error and Sample Size
- Observational Studies and Experiments
- Evaluating Statistical Reports
- Bias in Sampling and Surveys
Geometry and Trigonometry
5–7 questionsArea and volume, angles and triangles, right-triangle trigonometry and circles, including radians and the equation of a circle.
- Area and volume
- Lines, angles and triangles, including similar triangles
- Right triangles and trigonometry
- Circles: arcs, sectors, angles and equations
18 Math Ladder topics
- Volume of Pyramids, Cones and Spheres
- Volume of Cylinders
- Surface Area of Solids
- Scaling Area and Volume
- Parallel Lines Cut by a Transversal
- Triangle Angle Sum and Exterior Angles
- Isosceles and Equilateral Triangles
- Proving AA Similarity
- The Triangle Proportionality Theorem
- The Pythagorean Theorem
- 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 Triangles
- Sine, Cosine and Tangent
- Sine and Cosine of Complementary Angles
- Arc Length
- Sector Area
- Equation of a Circle
- Inscribed Angles
- Converting Degrees and Radians
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