SAT Content Areas

Here is a litte more about the content areas:

Heart of Algebra questions on the SAT Math Test focus on the mastery of linear equations, systems of linear equations, and linear functions. The ability to analyze and create linear equations, inequalities, and functions is essential for success in college and career, as is the ability to solve linear equations and systems fluently.

The Problem Solving and Data Analysis questions on the SAT Math Test assess your ability to use your understanding of math and your skills to solve problems set in the real world. The questions ask you to create a representation of a problem, consider the units involved, pay attention to the meaning of quantities, know and use different properties of mathematical operations and representations, and apply key principles of statistics and probability. Special focus in this domain is given to mathematical models. Models are representations of real-life contexts. They help us to explain or interpret the behavior of certain components of a system and to predict results that are as yet unobserved or unmeasured. You may be asked to create and use a model and to understand the distinction between the predictions of a model and the data that has been collected.

Passport to Advanced Math questions include topics that are especially important for students to master before studying advanced math. Chief among these topics is the understanding of the structure of expressions and the ability to analyze, manipulate, and rewrite these expressions. These questions also include reasoning with more complex equations and interpreting and building functions.

In addition to the questions in Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math, the SAT Math Test includes several questions that are drawn from areas of geometry, trigonometry, and the arithmetic of complex numbers. They include both multiple-choice and student-produced response questions. Some of these questions appear in the no-calculator portion, where the use of a calculator is not permitted, and others are in the calculator portion, where the use of a calculator is permitted.