The SAT went fully digital in the United States in March 2024. The Math section now runs in the College Board’s Bluebook app, adapts to how you do, and lets you use a calculator on every question. If your older siblings took the paper SAT, much of their advice no longer applies.
How the section is built
| Feature | Digital SAT Math |
|---|---|
| Structure | Two modules |
| Time | 35 minutes per module, 70 minutes total |
| Questions | 22 per module, 44 total, including a few unscored trial questions |
| Time per question | About 1 minute 35 seconds |
| Calculator | Allowed on every question, with a Desmos graphing calculator built in |
| Formulas | A reference sheet is available in the app |
| Question types | About 75% multiple choice with four options, about 25% student-produced response, where you type the answer |
| Score | 200 to 800 |
| Wrong answers | No penalty, so never leave a question blank |
The section is adaptive by module. Everyone gets a mix of easier and harder questions in the first module. How you do there decides whether your second module is harder or easier. A harder second module is what makes the top scores possible, so accuracy in the first module counts for a lot.
The four content areas
| Domain | Share of questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra | About 35% (13–15 questions) | Linear equations and inequalities, systems, linear functions and their graphs |
| Advanced Math | About 35% (13–15 questions) | Quadratics, exponentials, polynomials, rational and radical equations, function notation and transformations |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | About 15% (5–7 questions) | Ratios, rates, percentages, units, probability, reading tables and graphs, basic statistics |
| Geometry and Trigonometry | About 15% (5–7 questions) | Area and volume, lines and angles, triangles, right-triangle trig, circles |
Algebra and Advanced Math together are about 70% of the test. If your time is limited, that’s where to spend it.
What each area looks like
Here are original questions in the style of each domain, with solutions.
Example Algebra: If 3x − 7 = 2x + 5, what is the value of x?
Subtract 2x from both sides: x − 7 = 5. Add 7: x = 12.
Example Advanced Math: The function f(x) = x² − 6x + 5. What is the vertex of its graph?
- The x-coordinate of the vertex is −b/(2a) = 6/2 = 3.
- f(3) = 9 − 18 + 5 = −4.
- The vertex is (3, −4). The graph crosses the x-axis where (x − 1)(x − 5) = 0, at 1 and 5, and the vertex sits halfway between them.
Example Problem-Solving and Data Analysis: After a 20% discount, a shirt costs $24. What was the original price?
The sale price is 80% of the original: 0.8p = 24, so p = $30.
Example Geometry and Trigonometry: A circle has equation (x − 2)² + (y + 1)² = 16. What are its center and radius?
The form (x − h)² + (y − k)² = r² gives the center (2, −1) and radius √16 = 4. Watch the sign: y + 1 means k = −1.
Use the built-in calculator well
The Desmos calculator in Bluebook is a real advantage if you practice with it beforehand.
- Systems of equations: type both equations and click the intersection. For 2x + y = 7 and x − y = 2, the lines cross at (3, 1).
- Quadratics: graph the function and click the x-intercepts or the vertex.
- “How many solutions?” questions: graph both sides and count the crossings.
- Checking an answer: substitute it into the original equation in a single line.
Don’t reach for the calculator on every question. A problem like 3x − 7 = 2x + 5 is faster in your head. Practicing with the free Desmos calculator online helps you learn which questions it speeds up.
Strategies that save points
- Answer every question. There’s no penalty for guessing.
- Flag and move on. If a question takes more than two minutes, mark it with the flag tool and come back. Within a module you can move freely between questions.
- Plug in the answer choices. When the question asks for a value of x and the choices are numbers, try them. Start with a middle value.
- Pick your own numbers. When the answers are expressions with variables, choose simple values like x = 2, evaluate the question and each choice, and see which match.
- Reread the question before you answer. Many wrong answers are correct values for the wrong thing: x instead of 2x, or the original price instead of the discount.
- Check units and signs on student-produced responses. You can enter negative numbers, fractions and decimals.
An 8-week study plan
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take a full-length official practice test in Bluebook under real timing. Score it and sort your mistakes by domain. |
| 2–3 | Algebra: linear equations, slope, systems, inequalities. |
| 4–5 | Advanced Math: quadratics, exponents, functions, exponential growth. |
| 6 | Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, then Geometry and Trigonometry. |
| 7 | A second full practice test. Review every miss. Revisit your weakest domain. |
| 8 | Mixed timed sets, a final practice test early in the week, and light review the last two days. |
Keep an error log: for each missed question, write the topic, why you missed it (didn’t know the concept, made a careless error, misread the question, ran out of time) and the fix. Patterns show up within a couple of weeks, and they tell you exactly what to study.
The College Board’s full-length practice tests in Bluebook and the free official SAT practice on Khan Academy are made to match the real test. Use them as your main practice material.
Topic guides for each area
- Algebra: Linear Equations, Slope and Linear Equations, Systems of Equations
- Advanced Math: Quadratic Equations, Factoring, Exponent Rules, Functions
- Problem-Solving and Data Analysis: Percentages, Mean, Median and Standard Deviation, Probability
- Geometry and Trigonometry: Pythagorean Theorem, SOH CAH TOA, Area and Volume
Check yourself
If 4(x + 3) = 2x + 20, what is x?
Show answer
4. Distribute: 4x + 12 = 2x + 20, so 2x = 8.
A line passes through (0, 3) and (2, 11). What is the value of y when x = 5?
Show answer
23. The slope is 8/2 = 4 and the y-intercept is 3, so y = 4(5) + 3.
The equation x² + kx + 9 = 0, where k is a positive constant, has exactly one real solution. What is k?
Show answer
6. Exactly one solution means the discriminant is zero: k² − 36 = 0.
In a random sample of 400 students at a school of 1,200, 35% walk to school. About how many students at the school walk?
Show answer
About 420. 0.35 × 1,200.
A right triangle has legs of 9 and 12. What is the sine of the angle opposite the leg of length 9?
Show answer
3/5. The hypotenuse is 15, so sin = 9/15.
Practice
Mixed problems from the topics on the test.
Questions students ask
Is the digital SAT easier?
It’s shorter, and every Math question allows a calculator, which many students find friendlier. The content and the scoring scale are the same as before, so it isn’t easier to get a high score.
How long should I study?
It depends on your starting point and goal. Many students see real gains from 6 to 10 weeks of steady practice, a few hours a week, more than from cramming the week before.
Can I use my own calculator?
Yes, an approved calculator is allowed alongside the built-in one. Use whichever you’ve practiced with.