SAT Practice Test: Math Section Explained
SAT Math section explained – question types, distribution and time management
SAT Math Section Overview
The SAT Math section has two parts: No Calculator (20 questions, 25 min) and Calculator (38 questions, 55 min). Together they account for 800 of the 1600 total score.
Question Distribution
Heart of Algebra (33%): Linear equations, systems, and inequalities
Problem Solving and Data Analysis (29%): Ratios, rates, statistics, and interpreting data
Passport to Advanced Math (28%): Quadratics, functions, and polynomials
Additional Topics (10%): Geometry, trigonometry, and complex numbers
Grid-In Questions
13 of the 58 Math questions are student-produced responses (no answer choices). Common mistakes: entering a fraction as a decimal unnecessarily, or missing that there may be multiple valid answers.
Time Management
No Calculator: 75 seconds per question. Calculator: 87 seconds per question. Skip and return – never spend 5 minutes on one question at the expense of others.
Related
- Lesson
SAT Reading: Past Paper Question Walkthrough
SAT Reading past paper walkthrough – passage order, question types and traps
- Activity
Words in Context
Words-in-context (WIC) questions ask you to identify the meaning of a specific word or phrase as it is used in the passage — not its most common definition, but the precise meaning it carries in that particular sentence…
- Activity
Inference Questions
Reading between the lines – carefully. Go one step beyond what is stated, but never further than evidence allows.
- Activity
SAT Vocab Master