The math portion of the test is one of the biggest differences between the SAT and ACT, and that means that it’s also one of the main things for students to consider when they’re deciding which of the two tests to take. Knowledge of the Math section is just as important for those students who have already decided that the SAT is the test for them, as preparation for this half of the test is likely to take up a considerable portion of their study time. Either way, the first step for both deciding which of the SAT and ACT fits you better and getting started on your SAT preparation is having a firm grasp of what’s on the SAT Math section. Here’s everything you need to know, straight from the experts at GoTutor.
What is the structure of the SAT Math section?
First and foremost, we should start by clarifying that the SAT Math section—which you’ll also sometimes hear called the SAT Math Test—is actually SAT Math sectionS, plural. The math portion of the test is split up into two distinct parts: the third section of the SAT is a Math No Calculator section, while the fourth and final section of the test is a Math With Calculator section. The structure of these two sections is outlined in more detail below.
- Section 3: SAT Math No Calculator
- 25 minutes (standard time)
- 20 questions—15 multiple-choice questions followed by 5 grid-in questions
- Section 4: SAT Math With Calculator
- 55 minutes (standard time)
- 38 questions—30 multiple-choice questions followed by 8 grid-in questions
In case the names of the sections weren’t clear enough, the biggest difference between these two parts of the test is that students are allowed to use a calculator on Section 4 while Section 3 must be completed without a calculator. It’s also worth noting that students have a bit more time per question on the Calculator section than they do on the No Calculator section; combined with the fact that all math must be done by hand on the No Calculator section, this can result in students feeling a bit pressed for time on Section 3 of the test.
One other structural feature of the SAT that should also be expanded on is the infamous grid-in questions, also known (by the College Board, at least; no one else calls them this) as Student-Produced Response questions. Rather than offering four answer choices for students to choose from, grid-ins provide four blanks that students can fill with digits 0-9, a decimal point, or a forward slash (which is used to denote fractions). See the image below for a visual.
There’s not much difference between grid-in questions and multiple-choice questions from a test-taking standpoint; however, the lack of answer choices does limit students’ ability to utilize test-taking strategies such as process of elimination. We’ll cover the test-taking differences between these two question formats in more detail in our post on the best strategies for the SAT Math section, so stay tuned.
How is SAT Math scored?
Like the rest of the SAT, students earn a raw score on the math portion of the test that is equivalent to the number of questions they answer correctly. (I am contractually obligated to remind you that there is no penalty for getting a question wrong on the SAT, which means that you should always always always guess on questions that you can’t figure out.)
Once a student’s raw score has been calculated, the next step is to convert that to a scaled score. This conversion is done using a process called ‘equating,’ which takes into account the difficulty level of that particular Math section relative to the difficulty levels of the Math sections from the previous several years. So for example, if the Math Test you take is more difficult than average, it will likely take a slightly lower raw score for you to earn a 700 than it would have on an easier Math Test. This allows the College Board to ensure that scores are standardized from year to year and therefore from college application class to college application class.
It’s important to note that although the SAT Math Test is divided into two sections, those two sections receive one combined raw score and therefore one combined scaled score. They are treated as one big pool of 58 questions for the purposes of generating a raw score (which means that the maximum Math raw score you can earn is 58), and that combined raw score is then converted into a scaled score out of 800. The upshot of this is that Math makes up one half of your total SAT composite score, as the maximum composite score you can attain on the test as a whole is a 1600.
What is the content of the section?
The College Board’s website breaks down what’s on the SAT Math section as follows:
- Heart of Algebra, which focuses on the mastery of linear equations and systems (19 questions)
- Problem Solving and Data Analysis, which is about being quantitatively literate (17 questions)
- Passport to Advanced Math, which features questions that require the manipulation of complex equations (16 questions)
- Additional Topics in Math, which includes the geometry and trigonometry most relevant to college and career readiness (6 questions)
These content subdivisions are intentionally vague, as this gives the College Board room to mix things up somewhat while still adhering to their stated structure. And while there is indeed some variation from test to test in terms of the specific topics that will appear and the amount of each that you’ll see, here are a few main concepts and their sub-concepts that you should be as prepared for as possible going into your SAT Math Test:
- Linear equations
- Slope and intercepts
- Parallel and perpendicular lines
- Systems of linear equations
- Analyzing equations in the context of real-world situations
- Quadratic equations
- Factoring and finding zeroes
- Calculating vertex
- Graphing and transformations
- Quadratic formula
- Data and statistics
- Mean, median, and mode
- Frequency graphs
- Reading tables and figures and making calculations based on data (mainly percent change)
- Drawing conclusions from data
- Plane geometry
- Pythagorean theorem
- Special right triangles
- Circles—area, circumference, arcs
- Exponents and roots
- Right triangle trigonometry
This is by no means a comprehensive list of what’s on the SAT Math section, but it should provide a strong starting point for you as you look to put yourself in the best position possible to conquer the section.
One question that many students ask me is whether there is any difference between the content of the Calculator section and that of the No Calculator section. The short answer is no—at least, not a substantive difference. You can generally expect to see more of a focus on data analysis concepts on the Calculator section: more graphs and scatterplots, more statistics-based questions, etc. Other than that, though, you probably won’t notice much of a difference at all. This is a benefit to students, as it allows them to simply prepare for the two SAT Math sections as if they’re one big section in terms of content; the only real differences, as I described above, are structural.
How can I get better at SAT Math?
Now that you know what’s on the SAT Math section, you’ll want to keep building your comfort level with this section so that you can get better at SAT Math. The next step is to learn the best strategies, techniques, and shortcuts to attack questions on this half of the test, then practice them repeatedly—consistent practice is crucial to improve your score. If you’d like help to get better at SAT Math, or any other section of the SAT, check out GoTutor’s SAT prep headquarters and let our expert courses help you master the test!