The Math questions on your SAT will appear in two different formats:
- Regular multiple-choice questions
- Grid-Ins
The Grid-Ins will appear at the end of each Math section: 5 questions in Section 3, and 8 questions in
Section 4. (See Chapter 17 for more on the Grid-In questions.)
THE INSTRUCTIONS
Both of the Math sections on the SAT will begin with the same set of instructions. We’ve reprinted these
instructions, just as they appear on the SAT, in the Math sections of the practice tests in this book. These
instructions include a few formulas and other information that you may need to know in order to answer
some of the questions. You should learn these formulas ahead of time so you don’t have to waste valuable
time flipping back to them during the test.
Still, if you do suddenly blank out on one of the formulas while taking the test, you can always refresh
your memory by glancing back at the instructions. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them thoroughly
ahead of time, so you’ll know which formulas are there.
STANDARD SYMBOLS
The following standard symbols are used frequently on the SAT:
SYMBOL MEANING
= is equal to
≠ is not equal to
< is less than
> is greater than
≤ is less than or equal to
≥ is greater than or equal toTHERE ARE ONLY SIX OPERATIONS
There are only six arithmetic operations that you will ever need to perform on the SAT:
- Addition (3 + 3)
- Subtraction (3 – 3)
- Multiplication (3 × 3 or 3 • 3)
- Division (3 ÷ 3 or 3/3)