SAT Basics
What are the two main sections of the SAT?
Reading/Writing and Math
"The teacher's explanation was so lucid that even the most confused students understood." Lucid means:
Clear and easy to understand
On the SAT Reading section, how many answer choices does each question have?
What is the slope and y-intercept of y = −2x + 5?
Slope = −2, y-intercept = 5
A square has a side length of 7. What is its area and perimeter?
Area = 49, Perimeter = 28
Can you go back and change answers within a module on the Digital SAT?
Yes you can flag and return to any question within the same module
"Despite the arduous hike, the view from the top made it worth it." Arduous means:
Very difficult and tiring
An author ends every paragraph with a question instead of a conclusion. What effect does this create?
It keeps the reader uncertain and engaged, suggesting the topic is still debated
If 5x − 3 = 22, what is x?
x = 5
A right triangle has legs of 9 and 12. What is the hypotenuse?
15 (because 9² + 12² = 225, √225 = 15)
What is the score range for each section of the SAT?
200–800 per section, 400–1600 total
"The politician gave an ambiguous answer that left reporters unsure of his actual position." Ambiguous means:
Unclear or open to more than one interpretation
A Part A question asks "What is the author's main claim?" and Part B asks "Which quote best supports your answer?" What should you do first?
Answer Part A first, then find the quote in Part B that matches your answer
A phone plan costs $30/month plus $0.10 per text. Write an equation for the total cost C after sending t texts, then find the cost if you send 200 texts.
C = 30 + 0.10t; C = $50
A circle has a circumference of 20π. What is its radius?
10 (C = 2πr, so r = 10)
How is the Digital SAT different from the old paper SAT?
It's shorter, taken on a computer, adaptive by module, and allows a built-in Desmos calculator
"Her pragmatic approach meant she skipped the fancy solution and just fixed the problem." Pragmatic means:
Practical and focused on results
A science passage describes an experiment but never states a conclusion. What can you infer about the author's purpose?
To present findings objectively and let readers draw their own conclusions
Solve the system: 2x + y = 11 and x − y = 1
x = 4, y = 3
Two angles are supplementary. One angle is 3x and the other is x + 40. Find x and both angles.
3x + x + 40 = 180 → x = 35; angles are 105° and 75°
The SAT has two Math modules. You do well on the first module, but the second one is more challenging. Why is this?
The SAT is an adaptive test
"The critic called the author's newest novel derivative, saying it added nothing new to the genre." Derivative means:
Unoriginal/copied or heavily borrowed from existing works
Two authors write about social media. Author 1 says it increases loneliness. Author 2 says it builds community. What would Author 1 most likely say about Author 2's argument?
That Author 2 is ignoring the negative psychological effects and focusing only on surface-level connections
The equation x² + 6x + 9 = 0 has how many solutions, and what are they?
One solution: x = −3 (it's a perfect square — (x+3)²= 0)
A cylinder has a radius of 4 and height of 10. A cone has the same radius and height. How much more volume does the cylinder hold than the cone?
Cylinder = 160π, Cone = 160π/3, Difference = 320π/3 ≈ 335.1 cubic units