SAT Math: what is tested, how it is weighted, and where the time goes
SAT Math is 44 questions in 70 minutes, split into two 35-minute modules — about 95 seconds per question. It covers four domains: Algebra (about 35%), Advanced Math (about 35%), Problem-Solving and Data Analysis (about 15%), and Geometry and Trigonometry (about 15%). A calculator is permitted throughout, and a formula reference sheet is on screen the whole time.
About 75% four-option multiple choice and about 25% student-produced response, where you type the answer rather than pick it. Roughly 30% of questions are set in a real-world context.
Pace, not depth
Calculator throughout
Weighting decides the plan
Exam facts on this page follow College Board, the SAT Math section. Last reviewed 3 September 2026.
Where the 44 questions actually come from
| Domain | Share | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algebra | about 35% | 13–15 questions | Linear equations in one and two variables, linear functions, systems of two linear equations, and linear inequalities. |
| Advanced Math | about 35% | 13–15 questions | Quadratics, exponentials and other nonlinear work: equivalent expressions, nonlinear equations in one variable, systems in two variables, and nonlinear functions. |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | about 15% | 5–7 questions | Quantitative reasoning over data: rates, proportion, percentage, distributions, scatterplots, probability, and what a sample does and does not license you to conclude. |
| Geometry and Trigonometry | about 15% | 5–7 questions | The smallest domain, and the one most often over-prepared relative to its weight. |
Algebra
Linear equations in one and two variables, linear functions, systems of two linear equations, and linear inequalities.
The foundation domain, and the one where a small insecurity compounds. Most Advanced Math questions are algebra with an extra step, so a student who is 80% reliable here rarely gets above that in the harder domain either. Interpretation of linear models in context is the sub-skill that most often separates a mid from a high Math score.
Skills tested
- Linear equations in one variable
- Linear equations in two variables
- Linear functions
- Systems of two linear equations
- Linear inequalities
Advanced Math
Quadratics, exponentials and other nonlinear work: equivalent expressions, nonlinear equations in one variable, systems in two variables, and nonlinear functions.
Equal in weight to Algebra and usually the difference between a good Math score and a top one. These appear in forms that reward recognising a structure rather than grinding through it, and function transformation is the sub-skill most often missing. This is the domain where Desmos saves the most time.
Skills tested
- Equivalent expressions
- Nonlinear equations in one variable
- Systems of equations in two variables
- Nonlinear functions
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
Quantitative reasoning over data: rates, proportion, percentage, distributions, scatterplots, probability, and what a sample does and does not license you to conclude.
Less about calculation than about reading a table, a scatterplot or a survey description correctly. A recurring trap is inference: being asked what a sample does and does not license you to conclude, where the mathematically correct answer is often the cautious one.
Skills tested
- Ratios, rates and proportional relationships
- Percentages
- One-variable and two-variable data
- Probability and conditional probability
- Inference from sample statistics
- Evaluating statistical claims
Geometry and Trigonometry
The smallest domain, and the one most often over-prepared relative to its weight.
The smallest domain. With the formula sheet on screen, the marks are lost on setting the problem up rather than on recall — spotting the similar triangle, or realising a circle question is really about completing the square.
Skills tested
- Area and volume
- Lines, angles and triangles
- Right triangles and trigonometry
- Circles
How we plan Math preparation
- 01
Separate the three failure modes
A missed question is either content you do not know, a method you know but applied wrongly, or a question you would have got with more time. These need different fixes, and lumping them together is why generic practice stalls.
- 02
Secure Algebra before touching Advanced Math
Advanced Math questions are usually algebra with an extra layer. A student shaky on linear systems will not hold a method for nonlinear ones.
- 03
Learn Desmos deliberately
Not as a fallback. Several standard question types — systems, quadratic roots, intersections — are faster and safer solved graphically.
- 04
Drill student-produced response separately
No options means no working backwards and no partial credit. Students who only practise multiple choice consistently lose marks here.
- 05
Fix module-1 accuracy first
Module 1 is scored and it also decides which second module you see, so accuracy there carries more weight on the section score than its question count suggests.
- 06
Time-box the smallest domains
Geometry and Trigonometry is about 15% of the section. It deserves real attention and not a third of your revision.
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