Summary
◦ Both of the Math sections on your SAT will contain a group of problems without multiple-choice
answers. ETS and the College Board call these problems “student-produced responses.” We call
them Grid-Ins, because you have to mark your answers on a grid printed on your answer sheet.
◦ Despite their format, Grid-Ins are really just like other Math questions on the SAT, and many of the
same techniques that you have learned still apply.
◦ The grid format increases the likelihood of careless errors. Know the instructions and check your
work carefully.
◦ Just like the rest of the exam, there is no guessing penalty for Grid-Ins, so you should always grid in
your answer, even if you’re not sure whether it’s correct.
◦ Always write the numbers in the boxes at the top of the grid before you (carefully) fill in the
corresponding ovals.
◦ Grid in your answer as far to the left as possible.
◦ If the answer to a Grid-In question contains a fraction or a decimal, you can grid in the answer in
either form. When gridding in fractions or decimals, use whichever form is easier and least likely to
cause careless mistakes.
◦ There’s no need to round decimals, even though it is permitted.
◦ If you have a long or repeating decimal, be sure to fill up all the spaces in the grid.
◦ If a fraction fits in the grid, you don’t have to reduce the fraction before gridding it in.
◦ The scoring computer does not recognize mixed numbers. Convert mixed numbers to fractions or
decimals before gridding them in.
◦ Some Grid-In questions will have more than one correct answer. It doesn’t matter which answer you
grid in, as long as it’s one of the possible answers.
◦ Like all other questions on the SAT Math Test, Grid-In problems are arranged in a loose order of
difficulty. Use your knowledge of your own strengths and weaknesses to decide which ones to
tackle first and which ones, if any, to skip.
◦ The last two Grid-Ins in Section 4 are Extended Thinking questions, a set of questions on the same
information. Usually, they can be answered independently, and they are worth only 1 point each.
Attempt both only if you are aiming for a top score.
◦ Negatives, π, square roots, %, and degree symbols cannot be gridded in.
