Question ID 3008cfc3

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 3008cfc3

The table gives the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane. The y-intercept of the line is , where and
are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 3008cfc3 Answer

Correct Answer: 33

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given in the table that the coordinates of two points on a line in the xy-plane are
and . The y-intercept is another point on the line. The slope computed using any pair of points
from the line will be the same. The slope of a line, , between any two points, and , on the line can
be calculated using the slope formula, . It follows that the slope of the line with the given points from
the table, and , is , which is equivalent to , or . It's given that
the y-intercept of the line is . Substituting for and the coordinates of the points and
into the slope formula yields , which is equivalent to , or . Multiplying
both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d1b66ae6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d1b66ae6

negative x plus y, equals negative 3 point 5, and, x plus 3 y, equals 9 point 5

If satisfies the system of equations above, what

is the value of y ?

ID: d1b66ae6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . One method for solving the system of equations for y is to add corresponding sides of the
two equations. Adding the left-hand sides gives , or 4y. Adding the right-hand sides yields

. It follows that . Finally, dividing both sides of by 4 yields or . Note that 3/2

and 1.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3cdbf026
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 3cdbf026

The graph of the equation is a line in the xy-plane, where a and k are
constants. If the line contains the points and , what is the value of

k?

A.
negative 2

B.
negative 1

C.
2

D.
3

ID: 3cdbf026 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The value of k can be found using the slope-intercept form of a linear equation, ,

where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. The equation can be rewritten in the

form . One of the given points, , is the y-intercept. Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept

must be equal to . Multiplying both sides by k gives . Dividing both sides by gives .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made rewriting the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ff501705
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: ff501705

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: ff501705 Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale

The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in standard
form, and , are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are proportional
to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation, meaning ; and the lines are distinct if the constants
are not proportional, meaning is not equal to or . The first equation in the given system is
. Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Adding to each
side of this equation yields , or . The second equation in the given system is
. Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Subtracting from each
side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields .
Therefore, the two equations in the given system, written in standard form, are and .
As previously stated, if this system has no solution, the lines represented by the equations in the xy-plane are
parallel and distinct, meaning the proportion , or , is true and the proportion is not
true. The proportion is not true. Multiplying each side of the true proportion, , by yields
. Therefore, if the system has no solution, then the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8c5e6702
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 8c5e6702

A window repair specialist charges for the first two hours of repair plus an hourly fee for each additional hour. The total
cost for hours of repair is . Which function gives the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8c5e6702 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the window repair specialist charges for the first two hours of repair plus an
hourly fee for each additional hour. Let represent the hourly fee for each additional hour after the first two hours.
Since it’s given that is the number of hours of repair, it follows that the charge generated by the hourly fee after
the first two hours can be represented by the expression . Therefore, the total cost, in dollars, for hours of
repair is . It’s given that the total cost for hours of repair is . Substituting for and
for into the equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Substituting for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Therefore, the total cost, in dollars, for hours of
repair is .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist
charges , rather than , for the first two hours of repair.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist
charges , rather than , for the first two hours of repair, and an hourly fee of , rather than , after the
first two hours.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents the total cost, in dollars, for hours of repair where the specialist
charges , rather than , for the first two hours of repair, and an hourly fee of , rather than , after the
first two hours.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2937ef4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 2937ef4f

Hector used a tool called an auger to remove corn from a storage bin at a constant
rate. The bin contained 24,000 bushels of corn when Hector began to use
the auger. After 5 hours of using the auger, 19,350 bushels of corn remained in the
bin. If the auger continues to remove corn at this rate, what is the total number of
hours Hector will have been using the auger when 12,840 bushels of corn remain in
the bin?

A. 3

B. 7

C. 8

D. 12

ID: 2937ef4f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. After using the auger for 5 hours, Hector had removed 24,000 – 19,350 = 4,650 bushels of corn
from the storage bin. During the 5-hour period, the auger removed corn from the bin at a constant rate of

bushels per hour. Assuming the auger continues to remove corn at this rate, after x hours it will have
removed 930x bushels of corn. Because the bin contained 24,000 bushels of corn when Hector started using the
auger, the equation 24,000 – 930x = 12,840 can be used to find the number of hours, x, Hector will have been using the
auger when 12,840 bushels of corn remain in the bin. Subtracting 12,840 from both sides of this equation and adding
930x to both sides of the equation yields 11,160 = 930x. Dividing both sides of this equation by 930 yields x = 12.
Therefore, Hector will have been using the auger for 12 hours when 12,840 bushels of corn remain in the storage bin.

Choice A is incorrect. Three hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000 – 3(930) = 21,210 bushels of corn
remained, not 12,840. Choice B is incorrect. Seven hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000 – 7(930) = 17,490
bushels of corn will remain, not 12,840. Choice C is incorrect. Eight hours after Hector began using the auger, 24,000
– 8(930) = 16,560 bushels of corn will remain, not 12,840.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9bbce683
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9bbce683

For line , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Line is the result of translating line
down units in the xy-plane. What is the x-intercept of line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9bbce683 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The equation of line can be written in slope-intercept form , where is the slope
of the line and is the y-intercept of the line. It’s given that line contains the points , , and
. Therefore, its slope can be found as , or . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in yields
. Since line is the result of translating line down units, an equation of line is ,
or . Substituting for in this equation yields . Solving this equation for yields
. Therefore, the x-intercept of line is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2b15d65f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 2b15d65f

An economist modeled the demand Q for a certain product as a linear function of

the selling price P. The demand was 20,000 units when the selling price was $40
per unit, and the demand was 15,000 units when the selling price was $60 per unit.
Based on the model, what is the demand, in units, when the selling price is $55 per
unit?

A. 16,250

B. 16,500

C. 16,750

D. 17,500

ID: 2b15d65f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Let the economist’s model be the linear function , where Q is the demand, P is the

selling price, m is the slope of the line, and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line in the xy-plane, where
. Two pairs of the selling price P and the demand Q are given. Using the coordinate pairs , two points

that satisfy the function are and . The slope m of the function can be found using the

formula . Substituting the given values into this formula yields , or

. Therefore, . The value of b can be found by substituting one of the points into the function.
Substituting the values of P and Q from the point yields , or

. Adding 10,000 to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the linear
function the economist used as the model is . Substituting 55 for P yields
. It follows that when the selling price is $55 per unit, the demand is 16,250 units.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation or conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 686b7244
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 686b7244

A certain apprentice has enrolled in hours of training courses. The equation represents this situation,
where is the number of on-site training courses and is the number of online training courses this apprentice has enrolled
in. How many more hours does each online training course take than each on-site training course?

ID: 686b7244 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the equation represents the situation, where is the
number of on-site training courses, is the number of online training courses, and is the total number of hours of
training courses the apprentice has enrolled in. Therefore, represents the number of hours the apprentice has
enrolled in on-site training courses, and represents the number of hours the apprentice has enrolled in online
training courses. Since is the number of on-site training courses and is the number of online training courses
the apprentice has enrolled in, is the number of hours each on-site course takes and is the number of hours
each online course takes. Subtracting these numbers gives , or more hours each online training course
takes than each on-site training course.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID be9cb6a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: be9cb6a2

The cost of renting a backhoe for up to days is for the first day and for each additional day. Which of the
following equations gives the cost , in dollars, of renting the backhoe for days, where is a positive integer and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: be9cb6a2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the cost of renting a backhoe for up to days is for the first day and
for each additional day. Therefore, the cost , in dollars, for days, where , is the sum of the cost for the first
day, , and the cost for the additional days, . It follows that , which is
equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the cost of renting a backhoe is for the first
day and for each additional day.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID db422e7f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: db422e7f

Line is defined by . Line is perpendicular to line in the xy-plane. What is the slope of line ?

ID: db422e7f Answer

Correct Answer: .5, 1/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . For an equation in slope-intercept form , represents the slope of the line in
the xy-plane defined by this equation. It's given that line is defined by . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or
. Thus, the slope of line is . If line is perpendicular to line , then the slope of line is the
negative reciprocal of the slope of line . The negative reciprocal of is . Note that 1/2 and .5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 45cfb9de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 45cfb9de

Adam’s school is a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute bus ride away from his house.
The bus runs once every 30 minutes, and the number of minutes, w, that Adam
waits for the bus varies between 0 and 30. Which of the following inequalities gives
the values of w for which it would be faster for Adam to walk to school?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 45cfb9de Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It is given that w is the number of minutes that Adam waits for the bus. The total time it takes
Adam to get to school on a day he takes the bus is the sum of the minutes, w, he waits for the bus and the 5 minutes
the bus ride takes; thus, this time, in minutes, is w + 5. It is also given that the total amount of time it takes Adam to
get to school on a day that he walks is 20 minutes. Therefore, w + 5 > 20 gives the values of w for which it would be
faster for Adam to walk to school.

Choices A and B are incorrect because w – 5 is not the total length of time for Adam to wait for and then take the bus
to school. Choice C is incorrect because the inequality should be true when walking 20 minutes is faster than the
time it takes Adam to wait for and ride the bus, not less.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7e6394d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: b7e6394d

Alan drives an average of 100 miles each week. His car can travel an average of
25 miles per gallon of gasoline. Alan would like to reduce his weekly expenditure
on gasoline by $5. Assuming gasoline costs $4 per gallon, which equation can Alan
use to determine how many fewer average miles, m, he should drive each week?

A.
the fraction 25 over 4, end fraction, times m, equals, 95

B.
the fraction 25 over 4, end fraction, times m, equals, 5

C.
the fraction 4 over 25, end fraction, times m, equals, 95

D.
the fraction 4 over 25, end fraction, times m, equals, 5

ID: b7e6394d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since gasoline costs $4 per gallon, and since Alan’s car travels an average of 25 miles per gallon,

the expression gives the cost, in dollars per mile, to drive the car. Multiplying by m gives the cost for Alan

to drive m miles in his car. Alan wants to reduce his weekly spending by $5, so setting m equal to 5 gives the

number of miles, m, by which he must reduce his driving.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Choices A and B transpose the numerator and the denominator in the fraction. The

fraction would result in the unit miles per dollar, but the question requires a unit of dollars per mile. Choices A
and C set the expression equal to 95 instead of 5, a mistake that may result from a misconception that Alan wants to
reduce his driving by 5 miles each week; instead, the question says he wants to reduce his weekly expenditure by
$5.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 95cad55f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 95cad55f

A laundry service is buying detergent and fabric softener from its supplier. The
supplier will deliver no more than 300 pounds in a shipment. Each container of
detergent weighs 7.35 pounds, and each container of fabric softener weighs
6.2 pounds. The service wants to buy at least twice as many containers of detergent
as containers of fabric softener. Let d represent the number of containers of
detergent, and let s represent the number of containers of fabric softener, where d
and s are nonnegative integers. Which of the following systems of inequalities best
represents this situation?

A.
7 point three five d, plus, 6 point 2 s, is less than or equal to 300, and, d is greater than or equal to 2 s

B.
7 point three five d, plus, 6 point 2 s, is less than or equal to 300, and, 2 d is greater than or equal to s

C.
14 point 7 d, plus, 6 point 2 s, is less than or equal to 300, and, d is greater than or equal to 2 s

D.
14 point 7 d, plus, 6 point 2 s, is less than or equal to 300, and, 2 d is greater than or equal to s

ID: 95cad55f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The number of containers in a shipment must have a weight less than or equal to 300 pounds.
The total weight, in pounds, of detergent and fabric softener that the supplier delivers can be expressed as the
weight of each container multiplied by the number of each type of container, which is 7.35d for detergent and 6.2s
for fabric softener. Since this total cannot exceed 300 pounds, it follows that . Also, since the

laundry service wants to buy at least twice as many containers of detergent as containers of fabric softener, the
number of containers of detergent should be greater than or equal to two times the number of containers of fabric
softener. This can be expressed by the inequality .

Choice B is incorrect because it misrepresents the relationship between the numbers of each container that the
laundry service wants to buy. Choice C is incorrect because the first inequality of the system incorrectly doubles the
weight per container of detergent. The weight of each container of detergent is 7.35, not 14.7 pounds. Choice D is
incorrect because it doubles the weight per container of detergent and transposes the relationship between the
numbers of containers.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID ee2f611f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: ee2f611f

A local transit company sells a monthly pass for $95 that allows an unlimited
number of trips of any length. Tickets for individual trips cost $1.50, $2.50, or $3.50,
depending on the length of the trip. What is the minimum number of trips
per month for which a monthly pass could cost less than purchasing individual
tickets for trips?

ID: ee2f611f Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 28. The minimum number of individual trips for which the cost of the monthly pass is less
than the cost of individual tickets can be found by assuming the maximum cost of the individual tickets, $3.50. If
n tickets costing $3.50 each are purchased in one month, the inequality 95 < 3.50n represents this situation. Dividing
both sides of the inequality by 3.50 yields 27.14 < n, which is equivalent to n > 27.14. Since only a whole number of
tickets can be purchased, it follows that 28 is the minimum number of trips.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 25e1cfed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 25e1cfed

How many solutions does the equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 25e1cfed Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Applying the distributive property to each side of the given equation yields
. Applying the commutative property of addition to the right-hand side of this equation
yields . Since the two sides of the equation are equivalent, this equation is true for any
value of . Therefore, the given equation has infinitely many solutions.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fdee0fbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: fdee0fbf

In the xy-plane, line k intersects the y-axis at the point and passes through

the point . If the point lies on line k, what is the value of w ?

ID: fdee0fbf Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 74. The y-intercept of a line in the xy-plane is the ordered pair of the point of

intersection of the line with the y-axis. Since line k intersects the y-axis at the point , it follows that

is the y-intercept of this line. An equation of any line in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where
m is the slope of the line and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, the equation of line k can be written
as , or . The value of m can be found by substituting the x- and y-coordinates from a point

on the line, such as , for x and y, respectively. This results in . Solving this equation for m gives

. Therefore, an equation of line k is . The value of w can be found by substituting the x-coordinate,
20, for x in the equation of line k and solving this equation for y. This gives , or . Since w is the y-

coordinate of this point, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 541bef2f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 541bef2f

Which point is a solution to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 541bef2f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A point is a solution to a system of inequalities in the xy-plane if substituting the x-
coordinate and the y-coordinate of the point for and , respectively, in each inequality makes both of the
inequalities true. Substituting the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate of choice D, and , for and , respectively,
in the first inequality in the given system, , yields , or , which is true. Substituting for
and for in the second inequality in the given system, , yields , or , which
is true. Therefore, the point is a solution to the given system of inequalities in the xy-plane.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or ,

which is not true.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or

, which is not true.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the inequality yields , or ,

which is not true.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f75bd744
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f75bd744

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: f75bd744 Answer

Correct Answer: 8

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given system of equations can be solved using the elimination method. Multiplying
both sides of the second equation in the given system by yields , or . Adding
this equation to the first equation in the given system, , yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields , or . If the given system
has no solution, then the equation has no solution. If this equation has no solution, the
coefficients of on each side of the equation, and , must be equal, which yields the equation .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Thus, if the system has no solution, the value of is .

Alternate approach: A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in the form
, where , , and are constant terms, are parallel if the ratio of the x-coefficients is equal to the
ratio of the y-coefficients, and distinct if the ratio of the x-coefficients are not equal to the ratio of the constant
terms. Subtracting from both sides of the first equation in the given system yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of the second equation
in the given system yields , or . The ratio of the x-coefficients for
these equations is , or . The ratio of the y-coefficients for these equations is . The ratio of the constant
terms for these equations is , or . Since the ratio of the x-coefficients, , is not equal to the ratio of the
constants, , the lines represented by the equations are distinct. Setting the ratio of the x-coefficients equal to the
ratio of the y-coefficients yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, when , the lines represented by these equations are parallel.
Thus, if the system has no solution, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b3abf40f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: b3abf40f

The function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. If a
temperature increased by kelvins, by how much did the temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b3abf40f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the function gives the temperature, in degrees
Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. A temperature that increased by kelvins means
that the value of increased by kelvins. It follows that an increase in by increases by , or
. Therefore, if a temperature increased by kelvins, the temperature increased by degrees
Fahrenheit.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e6cb2402
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: e6cb2402

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

ID: e6cb2402 Answer

Correct Answer: .9411, .9412, 16/17

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the equation has no solution. A linear equation in
the form , where , , , and are constants, has no solution only when the coefficients of on each
side of the equation are equal and the constant terms aren't equal. Dividing both sides of the given equation by
yields , or . Since the coefficients of on each side of the equation must
be equal, it follows that the value of is . Note that 16/17, .9411, .9412, and 0.941 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6c71f3ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 6c71f3ec

A salesperson’s total earnings consist of a base salary of dollars per year, plus commission earnings of of the total
sales the salesperson makes during the year. This year, the salesperson has a goal for the total earnings to be at least times
and at most times the base salary. Which of the following inequalities represents all possible values of total sales , in
dollars, the salesperson can make this year in order to meet that goal?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6c71f3ec Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that a salesperson's total earnings consist of a base salary of dollars per year plus
commission earnings of of the total sales the salesperson makes during the year. If the salesperson makes
dollars in total sales this year, the salesperson’s total earnings can be represented by the expression . It’s
also given that the salesperson has a goal for the total earnings to be at least times and at most times the base
salary, which can be represented by the expressions and , respectively. Therefore, this situation can be
represented by the inequality . Subtracting from each part of this inequality yields
. Dividing each part of this inequality by yields . Therefore, the inequality
represents all possible values of total sales , in dollars, the salesperson can make this year in
order to meet their goal.

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total sales, rather than the total earnings,
are at least times and at most times, rather than at least times and at most times, the base salary.

Choice C is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total sales, rather than the total earnings,
are at least times and at most times the base salary.

Choice D is incorrect. This inequality represents a situation in which the total earnings are at least times and at
most times, rather than at least times and at most times, the base salary.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b988eeec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: b988eeec

The functions and are defined as and . If the function is defined as

, what is the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: b988eeec Answer

Correct Answer: -12

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the functions and are defined as and .
If the function is defined as , then substituting for and for in this
function yields . This can be rewritten as , or . The x-
intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . The equation representing the graph of
is . Substituting for in this equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields , or . Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of in
the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 70feb725
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 70feb725

During a month, Morgan ran r miles at 5 miles per hour and biked b miles at
10 miles per hour. She ran and biked a total of 200 miles that month, and she biked
for twice as many hours as she ran. What is the total number of miles that Morgan
biked during the month?

A. 80

B. 100

C. 120

D. 160

ID: 70feb725 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The number of hours Morgan spent running or biking can be calculated by dividing the distance
she traveled during that activity by her speed, in miles per hour, for that activity. So the number of hours she ran can

be represented by the expression , and the number of hours she biked can be represented by the expression .

It’s given that she biked for twice as many hours as she ran, so this can be represented by the equation

, which can be rewritten as . It’s also given that she ran r miles and biked b miles, and that she ran and biked a

total of 200 miles. This can be represented by the equation . Substituting for b in this equation yields

, or . Solving for r yields . Determining the number of miles she biked, b, can be found by
substituting 40 for r in , which yields . Solving for b yields .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they don’t satisfy that Morgan biked for twice as many hours as she ran. In
choice A, if she biked 80 miles, then she ran 120 miles, which means she biked for 8 hours and ran for 24 hours. In
choice B, if she biked 100 miles, then she ran 100 miles, which means she biked for 10 hours and ran for 20 hours. In
choice C, if she biked 120 miles, then she ran for 80 miles, which means she biked for 12 hours and ran for 16 hours.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1a621af4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 1a621af4

A number is at most less than times the value of . If the value of is , what is the greatest possible value of ?

ID: 1a621af4 Answer

Correct Answer: -14

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that a number is at most less than times the value of . Therefore, is
less than or equal to less than times the value of . The expression represents times the value of . The
expression represents less than times the value of . Therefore, is less than or equal to . This can
be shown by the inequality . Substituting for in this inequality yields or, .
Therefore, if the value of is , the greatest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID af2ba762
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: af2ba762
According to data provided by the US Department of Energy, the average price per gallon of regular gasoline in
the United States from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is modeled by the function F defined below, where
is the average price per gallon x months after September 1.

The constant 2.74 in this function estimates which of the following?

A. The average monthly decrease in the price per gallon

B. The difference in the average price per gallon from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014

C. The average price per gallon on September 1, 2014

D. The average price per gallon on December 1, 2014

ID: af2ba762 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since 2.74 is a constant term, it represents an actual price of gas rather than a measure of
change in gas price. To determine what gas price it represents, find x such that F(x) = 2.74, or 2.74 = 2.74 – 0.19(x – 3).
Subtracting 2.74 from both sides gives 0 = –0.19(x – 3). Dividing both sides by –0.19 results in 0 = x – 3, or x = 3.
Therefore, the average price of gas is $2.74 per gallon 3 months after September 1, 2014, which is December 1, 2014.

Choice A is incorrect. Since 2.74 is a constant, not a multiple of x, it cannot represent a rate of change in price.
Choice B is incorrect. The difference in the average price from September 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014, is F(3) – F(0) =
2.74 – 0.19(3 – 3) – (2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3)) = 2.74 – (2.74 + 0.57) = –0.57, which is not 2.74. Choice C is incorrect. The
average price per gallon on September 1, 2014, is F(0) = 2.74 – 0.19(0 – 3) = 2.74 + 0.57 = 3.31, which is not 2.74.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b9835972
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: b9835972

In the xy-plane, line 𝓁 passes through the point and is parallel to the line represented by the equation . If
line 𝓁 also passes through the point , what is the value of ?

ID: b9835972 Answer

Correct Answer: 24

Rationale

The correct answer is . A line in the xy-plane can be defined by the equation , where is the slope of
the line and is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line. It's given that line 𝓁 passes through the point .
Therefore, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of line 𝓁 is . It's given that line 𝓁 is parallel to the line represented by
the equation . Since parallel lines have the same slope, it follows that the slope of line 𝓁 is . Therefore,
line 𝓁 can be defined by an equation in the form , where and . Substituting for and for
in yields the equation , or . If line 𝓁 passes through the point , then when
, for the equation . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e1248a5c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e1248a5c

In the system of equations below, a and c are constants.

Equation 1: one half x, plus one third y, equals one sixth.
Equation 2: a, x, plus y equals c
If the system of equations has an infinite number of
solutions , what is the value of a ?

A.
negative one half

B.
0

C.
one half

D.
three halves

ID: e1248a5c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has infinitely many solutions if one equation is equivalent to
the other. This means that when the two equations are written in the same form, each coefficient or constant in one
equation is equal to the corresponding coefficient or constant in the other equation multiplied by the same number.
The equations in the given system of equations are written in the same form, with x and y on the left-hand side and
a constant on the right-hand side of the equation. The coefficient of y in the second equation is equal to the
coefficient of y in the first equation multiplied by 3. Therefore, a, the coefficient of x in the second equation, must be

equal to 3 times the coefficient of x in the first equation: , or .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. When , , or , the given system of equations has one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 05bb1af9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 05bb1af9

The graph of is shown. Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 05bb1af9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. An equation for the graph shown can be written in slope-intercept form , where
is the slope of the graph and its y-intercept is . Since the y-intercept of the graph shown is , the value of
is . Since the graph also passes through the point , the slope can be calculated as , or . Therefore, the
value of is . Substituting for and for in the equation yields . It’s given
that an equation for the graph shown is . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc7ffe02
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cc7ffe02

Keenan made cups of vegetable broth. Keenan then filled small jars and large jars with all the vegetable broth he
made. The equation represents this situation. Which is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The number of large jars Keenan filled

B. The number of small jars Keenan filled

C. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the large jars

D. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars

ID: cc7ffe02 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the equation represents the situation where Keenan filled small
jars and large jars with all the vegetable broth he made, which was cups. Therefore, represents the total
number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars and represents the total number of cups of vegetable broth in
the large jars.

Choice A is incorrect. The number of large jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice B is incorrect. The number of small jars Keenan filled is represented by , not .

Choice D is incorrect. The total number of cups of vegetable broth in the small jars is represented by , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ae2287e2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: ae2287e2

A certain product costs a company $65 to make. The product is sold by a

salesperson who earns a commission that is equal to 20% of the sales price of the
product. The profit the company makes for each unit is equal to the sales price
minus the combined cost of making the product and the commission. If the sales
price of the product is $100, which of the following equations gives the number of
units, u, of the product the company sold to make a profit of $6,840 ?

A.

B.

C.
0 point 8 times 100, minus 65 u, equals 6,840

D.

ID: ae2287e2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The sales price of one unit of the product is given as $100. Because the salesperson is awarded a
commission equal to 20% of the sales price, the expression 100(1 – 0.2) gives the sales price of one unit after the
commission is deducted. It is also given that the profit is equal to the sales price minus the combined cost of
making the product, or $65, and the commission: 100(1 – 0.2) – 65. Multiplying this expression by u gives the profit of
u units: (100(1 – 0.2) – 65)u. Finally, it is given that the profit for u units is $6,840; therefore (100(1 – 0.2) – 65)u =
$6,840.

Choice B is incorrect. In this equation, cost is subtracted before commission and the equation gives the commission,
not what the company retains after commission. Choice C is incorrect because the number of units is multiplied
only by the cost but not by the sale price. Choice D is incorrect because the value 0.2 shows the commission, not
what the company retains after commission.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1362ccde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 1362ccde

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 1362ccde Answer

Correct Answer: 35

Rationale

The correct answer is . The first equation in the given system of equations defines as . Substituting
for in the second equation in the given system of equations yields . Applying the
distributive property on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each
side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Substituting
for in the first equation of the given system of equations yields , or . Substituting
for and for into the expression yields , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 52cb8ea4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 52cb8ea4

Equation 1: 7 x minus 5 y, equals 4. Equation 2: 4 x minus 8 y, equals 9.

If is the solution to the system of equations above,

what is the value of ?

A.
negative 13

B.
negative 5

C.
5

D.
13

ID: 52cb8ea4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation, , results in

, or . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation

yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from miscalculating as . Choice C is incorrect and may result from
miscalculating as 5. Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding 9 to 4 instead of subtracting 9 from 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0b46bad5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0b46bad5

a, x, plus b y, equals b

In the equation above, a and b are constants and . Which of the following

could represent the graph of the equation in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0b46bad5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The given equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m

represents the slope of the line represented by the equation, and k represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of
the line. Subtracting ax from both sides of the equation yields , and dividing both sides of this

equation by b yields , or . With the equation now in slope-intercept form, it shows that

, which means the y-coordinate of the y-intercept is 1. It’s given that a and b are both greater than 0 (positive)
and that . Since , the slope of the line must be a value between and 0. Choice C is the only graph

of a line that has a y-value of the y-intercept that is 1 and a slope that is between and 0.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because the slopes of the lines in these graphs aren’t between and 0.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d5d1b32
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 7d5d1b32

In the given equation, and are constants and . The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 7d5d1b32 Answer

Correct Answer: -.9333, -14/15

Rationale

The correct answer is . A linear equation in the form has no solution only when the
coefficients of on each side of the equation are equal and the constant terms are not equal. Dividing both sides of
the given equation by yields , or . Since it’s given that the equation
has no solution, the coefficient of on both sides of this equation must be equal, and the constant terms on both
sides of this equation must not be equal. Since , and it's given that , the second condition is true. Thus,
must be equal to . Note that -14/15, -.9333, and -0.933 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c362c210
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c362c210

The points plotted in the coordinate plane above represent the possible numbers
of wallflowers and cornflowers that someone can buy at the Garden Store in order
to spend exactly $24.00 total on the two types of flowers. The price of each
wallflower is the same and the price of each cornflower is the same. What is the
price, in dollars, of 1 cornflower?

ID: c362c210 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1.5. The point corresponds to the situation where 16 cornflowers and 0 wallflowers are

purchased. Since the total spent on the two types of flowers is $24.00, it follows that the price of 16 cornflowers is
$24.00, and the price of one cornflower is $1.50. Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee7b1de1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: ee7b1de1

A small business owner budgets to purchase candles. The owner must purchase a minimum of candles to
maintain the discounted pricing. If the owner pays per candle to purchase small candles and per candle to
purchase large candles, what is the maximum number of large candles the owner can purchase to stay within the budget and
maintain the discounted pricing?

ID: ee7b1de1 Answer

Correct Answer: 182

Rationale

The correct answer is . Let represent the number of small candles the owner can purchase, and let 𝓁 represent
the number of large candles the owner can purchase. It’s given that the owner pays per candle to purchase
small candles and per candle to purchase large candles. Therefore, the owner pays dollars for small
candles and 𝓁 dollars for 𝓁 large candles, which means the owner pays a total of 𝓁 dollars to
purchase candles. It’s given that the owner budgets to purchase candles. Therefore, 𝓁 .
It’s also given that the owner must purchase a minimum of candles. Therefore, 𝓁 . The inequalities
𝓁 and 𝓁 can be combined into one compound inequality by rewriting the second
inequality so that its left-hand side is equivalent to the left-hand side of the first inequality. Subtracting 𝓁 from both
sides of the inequality 𝓁 yields 𝓁 . Multiplying both sides of this inequality by yields
𝓁 , or 𝓁. Adding 𝓁 to both sides of this inequality yields
𝓁 𝓁 𝓁 , or 𝓁 𝓁 . This inequality can be combined
with the inequality 𝓁 , which yields the compound inequality
𝓁 𝓁 . It follows that 𝓁 . Subtracting from both sides of
this inequality yields 𝓁 . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields approximately 𝓁
. Since the number of large candles the owner purchases must be a whole number, the maximum number of large
candles the owner can purchase is the largest whole number less than , which is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1035faea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 1035faea

A psychologist set up an experiment to study the tendency of a person to select

the first item when presented with a series of items. In the experiment, 300 people
were presented with a set of five pictures arranged in random order. Each person
was asked to choose the most appealing picture. Of the first 150 participants,
36 chose the first picture in the set. Among the remaining 150 participants, p
people chose the first picture in the set. If more than 20% of all participants chose
the first picture in the set, which of the following inequalities best describes the
possible values of p ?

A. , where
p is greater than, 0 point 20 times, open parenthesis, 300 minus 36, close parenthesis

B. , where
p is greater than, 0 point 20 times, open parenthesis, 300 plus 36, close parenthesis

C. , where
p minus 36 is greater than, 0 point 20 times 300

D. , where
p plus 36 is greater than, 0 point 20 times 300

ID: 1035faea Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Of the first 150 participants, 36 chose the first picture in the set, and of the 150 remaining
participants, p chose the first picture in the set. Hence, the proportion of the participants who chose the first picture

in the set is . Since more than 20% of all the participants chose the first picture, it follows that

This inequality can be rewritten as . Since p is a number of people among the remaining 150
participants, .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may be the result of some incorrect interpretations of the given information or
of computational errors.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 94b48cbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 94b48cbf

The graph of in the -plane has an -intercept at and a -intercept at , where and are
constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 94b48cbf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The x-coordinate of the x-intercept can be found by substituting for in the given
equation, which gives , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the value of is . The y-coordinate of the y-intercept can be found by substituting for in
the given equation, which gives , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Therefore, the value of is . It follows that the value of is , which is equivalent to , or

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 45a534d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 45a534d0

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

ID: 45a534d0 Answer

Correct Answer: -34

Rationale

The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. Two lines represented by equations in
standard form , where , , and are constants, are parallel if the coefficients for and in one
equation are proportional to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation. The first equation in the given
system can be written in standard form by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield
. The second equation in the given system can be written in standard form by adding to both
sides of the equation to yield . The coefficient of in this second equation, , is times the
coefficient of in the first equation, . For the lines to be parallel the coefficient of in the second equation, , must
also be times the coefficient of in the first equation, . Thus, , or . Therefore, if the
given system has no solution, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50f4cb9c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 50f4cb9c

For the linear function , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Function is defined by
, where and are constants. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 50f4cb9c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The table gives that when . Substituting 0 for and for into the equation
yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . The table gives
that when . Substituting for , for , and for into the equation
yields . Combining like terms yields , or . Since , substituting for
into this equation gives , which yields . Thus, the value of can be written as
, which is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 16889ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 16889ef3

Oil and gas production in a certain area dropped from 4 million barrels in 2000 to
1.9 million barrels in 2013. Assuming that the oil and gas production decreased at a
constant rate, which of the following linear functions f best models the production,
in millions of barrels, t years after the year 2000?

A.
f of t equals, the fraction 21 over 130, end fraction, t plus 4

B.
f of t equals, the fraction 19 over 130, end fraction, t plus 4

C.
f of t equals, the negative fraction 21 over 130, end fraction, t plus 4

D.
f of t equals, the negative fraction 19 over 130, end fraction, t plus 4

ID: 16889ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It is assumed that the oil and gas production decreased at a constant rate. Therefore, the
function f that best models the production t years after the year 2000 can be written as a linear function,
, where m is the rate of change of the oil and gas production and b is the oil and gas production, in

millions of barrels, in the year 2000. Since there were 4 million barrels of oil and gas produced in 2000, . The

rate of change, m, can be calculated as , which is equivalent to , the rate of change in

choice C.

Choices A and B are incorrect because each of these functions has a positive rate of change. Since the oil and gas
production decreased over time, the rate of change must be negative. Choice D is incorrect. This model may result
from misinterpreting 1.9 million barrels as the amount by which the production decreased.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID adb0c96c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: adb0c96c

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: adb0c96c Answer

Correct Answer: 80

Rationale

The correct answer is . Subtracting the second equation in the given system from the first equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing each
side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the second equation yields .
Adding to both sides of this equation yields .

Alternate approach: Multiplying each side of the second equation in the given system by yields .
Subtracting the first equation in the given system from this equation yields ,
which is equivalent to , or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d7bf55e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: d7bf55e1

A movie theater sells two types of tickets, adult tickets for $12 and child tickets for
$8. If the theater sold 30 tickets for a total of $300, how much, in dollars, was spent
on adult tickets? (Disregard the $ sign when gridding your answer.)

ID: d7bf55e1 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 180. Let a be the number of adult tickets sold and c be the number of child tickets sold. Since
the theater sold a total of 30 tickets, a + c = 30. The price per adult ticket is $12, and the price per child ticket is $8.
Since the theater received a total of $300 for the 30 tickets sold, it follows that 12a + 8c = 300. To eliminate c, the first
equation can be multiplied by 8 and then subtracted from the second equation:

Because the question asks for the amount spent on adult tickets, which is 12a dollars, the resulting equation can be
multiplied by 3 to give 3(4a) = 3(60) = 180. Therefore, $180 was spent on adult tickets.

Alternate approach: If all the 30 tickets sold were child tickets, their total price would be 30($8) = $240. Since the
actual total price of the 30 tickets was $300, the extra $60 indicates that a certain number of adult tickets, a, were
sold. Since the price of each adult ticket is $4 more than each child ticket, 4a = 60, and it follows that 12a = 180.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 771bd0ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 771bd0ca

What value of is the solution to the given equation?

ID: 771bd0ca Answer

Correct Answer: -22

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten as . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore,
is the value of that is the solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a309803e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a309803e

One gallon of paint will cover square feet of a surface. A room has a total wall area of square feet. Which equation
represents the total amount of paint , in gallons, needed to paint the walls of the room twice?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a309803e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that represents the total wall area, in square feet. Since the walls of the room will be
painted twice, the amount of paint, in gallons, needs to cover square feet. It’s also given that one gallon of paint
will cover square feet. Dividing the total area, in square feet, of the surface to be painted by the number of square
feet covered by one gallon of paint gives the number of gallons of paint that will be needed. Dividing by
yields , or . Therefore, the equation that represents the total amount of paint , in gallons, needed to paint
the walls of the room twice is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from finding the amount of paint needed to paint the walls once rather than
twice.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5bf5136d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 5bf5136d

The triangle inequality theorem states that the sum of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the third
side. If a triangle has side lengths of and , which inequality represents the possible lengths, , of the third side of the
triangle?

A.

B.

C.

D. or

ID: 5bf5136d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that a triangle has side lengths of and , and represents the length of the third
side of the triangle. It’s also given that the triangle inequality theorem states that the sum of any two sides of a
triangle must be greater than the length of the third side. Therefore, the inequalities , , and
represent all possible values of . Subtracting from both sides of the inequality yields
, or . Adding and in the inequality yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of the inequality yields , or . Since all x-values that satisfy the inequality
also satisfy the inequality , it follows that the inequalities and represent the possible
values of . Therefore, the inequality represents the possible lengths, , of the third side of the triangle.

Choice A is incorrect. This inequality gives the upper bound for but does not include its lower bound.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 90095507
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 90095507

Townsend Realty Group Investments

Property Purchase price Monthly rental
address (dollars) price (dollars)

Clearwater
128,000 950
Lane

Driftwood
176,000 1,310
Drive

Edgemont
70,000 515
Street

Glenview
140,000 1,040
Street

Hamilton
450,000 3,365
Circle

The Townsend Realty Group invested in the five different properties listed in the
table above. The table shows the amount, in dollars, the company paid for each
property and the corresponding monthly rental price, in dollars, the company
charges for the property at each of the five locations. Townsend Realty purchased
the Glenview Street property and received a 40% discount off the original price
along with an additional 20% off the discounted price for purchasing the property
in cash. Which of the following best approximates the original price, in dollars, of
the Glenview Street property?

A. $350,000

B. $291,700

C. $233,300

D. $175,000

ID: 90095507 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Let x be the original price, in dollars, of the Glenview Street property. After the 40% discount, the
price of the property became dollars, and after the additional 20% off the discounted price, the price of
0 point 6 x
the property became . Thus, in terms of the original price of the property, x, the
0 point 8 times 0 point 6 x
purchase price of the property is . It follows that . Solving this equation
0 point 4 8 x 0 point 4 8 x equals 140,000
for x gives . Therefore, of the given choices,
x equals 291,666 point 6, with the 6 repeating after the decimal point
$291,700 best approximates the original price of the Glenview Street property.

Choice A is incorrect because it is the result of dividing the purchase price of the property by 0.4, as though the
purchase price were 40% of the original price. Choice C is incorrect because it is the closest to dividing the purchase
price of the property by 0.6, as though the purchase price were 60% of the original price. Choice D is incorrect
because it is the result of dividing the purchase price of the property by 0.8, as though the purchase price were 80%
of the original price.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 98d3393a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 98d3393a

Line in the xy-plane is perpendicular to the line with equation

. What is the slope of line ?

A.
0

B.
negative one half

C.
negative 2

D. The slope of line is undefined.

ID: 98d3393a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It is given that line is perpendicular to a line whose equation is x = 2. A line whose equation is

a constant value of x is vertical, so must therefore be horizontal. Horizontal lines have a slope of 0, so has a

slope of 0.

Choice B is incorrect. A line with slope is perpendicular to a line with slope 2. However, the line with equation
x = 2 is vertical and has undefined slope (not slope of 2). Choice C is incorrect. A line with slope –2 is perpendicular

to a line with slope . However, the line with equation x = 2 has undefined slope (not slope of ). Choice D is

incorrect; this is the slope of the line x = 2 itself, not the slope of a line perpendicular to it.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6989c80a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 6989c80a

The function gives the temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. If a
temperature increased by kelvins, by how much did the temperature increase, in degrees Fahrenheit?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6989c80a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the function gives the temperature, in degrees
Fahrenheit, that corresponds to a temperature of kelvins. A temperature that increased by kelvins means
that the value of increased by kelvins. It follows that an increase in by increases by , or
. Therefore, if a temperature increased by kelvins, the temperature increased by degrees Fahrenheit.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0cb57740
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 0cb57740

Each side of a -sided polygon has one of three lengths. The number of sides with length is times
the number of sides with length . There are sides with length . Which equation must be true for the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0cb57740 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that each side of a -sided polygon has one of three lengths. It's also given that the
number of sides with length is times the number of sides with length . Therefore, there
are , or , sides with length . It’s also given that there are sides with length . Therefore, the
number of , , and sides are , , and , respectively. Since there are a total of sides, the equation
represents this situation. Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields
. Therefore, the equation that must be true for the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e8f9e117
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: e8f9e117

I equals, V over R

The formula above is Ohm’s law for an electric circuit with current I, in amperes,
potential difference V, in volts, and resistance R, in ohms. A circuit has a resistance
of 500 ohms, and its potential difference will be generated by n six-volt batteries
that produce a total potential difference of volts. If the circuit is to have a
current of no more than 0.25 ampere, what is the greatest number, n, of six-volt
batteries that can be used?

ID: e8f9e117 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 20. For the given circuit, the resistance R is 500 ohms, and the total potential difference V
generated by n batteries is volts. It’s also given that the circuit is to have a current of no more than 0.25 ampere,

which can be expressed as . Since Ohm’s law says that , the given values for V and R can be

substituted for I in this inequality, which yields . Multiplying both sides of this inequality by 500 yields

, and dividing both sides of this inequality by 6 yields . Since the number of batteries must be a

whole number less than 20.833, the greatest number of batteries that can be used in this circuit is 20.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d8539e09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: d8539e09

For which of the following tables are all the values of and their corresponding values of solutions to the given inequality?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d8539e09 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. All the tables in the choices have the same three values of , so each of the three values of can
be substituted in the given inequality to compare the corresponding values of in each of the tables. Substituting
for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of is
less than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the
corresponding value of is less than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or .
Therefore, when , the corresponding value of is less than . For the table in choice C, when , the
corresponding value of is , which is less than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is less
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is less than . Therefore, the table in choice C gives
values of and their corresponding values of that are all solutions to the given inequality.

Choice A is incorrect. In the table for choice A, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ; when , the corresponding
value of is , which is not less than .

Choice B is incorrect. In the table for choice B, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less
than .

Choice D is incorrect. In the table for choice D, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is not less than ; when , the corresponding
value of is , which is not less than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 48fb34c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 48fb34c8

For which of the following tables are all the values of and their corresponding values of solutions to the given inequality?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 48fb34c8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. All the tables in the choices have the same three values of , so each of the three values of can
be substituted in the given inequality to compare the corresponding values of in each of the tables. Substituting
for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of
is greater than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields , or . Therefore, when
, the corresponding value of is greater than . Substituting for in the given inequality yields
, or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of is greater than . For the table in
choice D, when , the corresponding value of is , which is greater than ; when , the corresponding
value of is , which is greater than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is greater than .
Therefore, the table in choice D gives values of and their corresponding values of that are all solutions to the
given inequality.

Choice A is incorrect. In the table for choice A, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ; when , the
corresponding value of is , which is not greater than .

Choice B is incorrect. In the table for choice B, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than .

Choice C is incorrect. In the table for choice C, when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater
than ; when , the corresponding value of is , which is not greater than ; when , the
corresponding value of is , which is not greater than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f718c9cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f718c9cf

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: f718c9cf Answer

Correct Answer: 1.8, 9/5

Rationale

The correct answer is . Multiplying the first equation in the given system by yields . Subtracting
the second equation in the given system, , from yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . The value of can be found by substituting for in either of the two
given equations. Substituting for in the equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, the value of is , or . Note that 9/5 and 1.8 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc3e9528
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cc3e9528

The graph of is translated down units in the xy-plane. What is the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the
resulting graph?

ID: cc3e9528 Answer

Correct Answer: 59/9, 6.555, 6.556

Rationale

The correct answer is . When the graph of an equation in the form , where , , and are
constants, is translated down units in the xy-plane, the resulting graph can be represented by the equation
. It’s given that the graph of is translated down units in the xy-plane.
Therefore, the resulting graph can be represented by the equation , or .
Adding to both sides of this equation yields . The x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of
an equation in the xy-plane is the value of in the equation when . Substituting for in the equation
yields , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the resulting graph is . Note that 59/9, 6.555, and 6.556 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 153ee763
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 153ee763

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no solution. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 153ee763 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A linear equation in one variable has no solution if and only if the equation is false; that is, when
there is no value of that produces a true statement. It's given that in the equation , is a
constant and the equation has no solution for . Therefore, the value of the constant is one that results in a false
equation. Factoring out the common factor of on the left-hand side of the given equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . This equation is false if and only if . Adding to both sides of
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . It follows that the equation
is false if and only if . Therefore, the given equation has no solution if and only if the value of is
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 466b87e3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 466b87e3

Equation 1: y equals, one half x, plus 8. Equation 2: y equals, c x plus 10.

In the system of equations above, c is a constant. If the system has

no solution, what is the value of c ?

ID: 466b87e3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations
one half
have the same slope and different y-intercepts. Each of the given linear equations is written in the slope-intercept
form, , where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the
y equals, m x plus b
equation. For these two linear equations, the y-intercepts are and
the points with coordinates 0 comma 8
. Thus, if the system of equations has no solution, the slopes of the graphs of the two linear equations
0 comma 10
must be the same. The slope of the graph of the first linear equation is . Therefore, for the system of
one half
equations to have no solution, the value of c must be . Note that 1/2 and .5 are examples of ways to enter a
one half
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aee9fd2d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: aee9fd2d

If , the value of is between which of the following pairs of values?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: aee9fd2d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by , or , yields ,

or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, if , then the value of is . It follows
that of the given choices, the value of is between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0366d965
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 0366d965

x y

3 7

k 11

12 n

The table above shows the coordinates of three points on a line in the xy-plane,
where k and n are constants. If the slope of the line is 2, what is the value of ?

ID: 0366d965 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The slope of a line can be found by using the slope formula, . It’s given that the

slope of the line is 2; therefore, . According to the table, the points and lie on the line.

Substituting the coordinates of these points into the equation gives . Multiplying both sides of this

equation by gives , or . Solving for k gives . According to the table, the

points and also lie on the line. Substituting the coordinates of these points into gives

. Solving for n gives . Therefore, , or 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 963da34c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 963da34c

A shipping service restricts the dimensions of the boxes it will ship for a certain
type of service. The restriction states that for boxes shaped like rectangular prisms,
the sum of the perimeter of the base of the box and the height of the box cannot
exceed 130 inches. The perimeter of the base is determined using the width and
length of the box. If a box has a height of 60 inches and its length is 2.5 times the
width, which inequality shows the allowable width x, in inches, of the box?

A.
zero is less than x, which is less than or equal to 10

B.
zero is less than x, which is less than or equal to 11 and two-thirds

C.
zero is less than x, which is less than or equal to 17 and one-half

D.
zero is less than x, which is less than or equal to 20

ID: 963da34c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. If x is the width, in inches, of the box, then the length of the box is 2.5x inches. It follows that the
perimeter of the base is , or 7x inches. The height of the box is given to be 60 inches. According to the
restriction, the sum of the perimeter of the base and the height of the box should not exceed 130 inches.
Algebraically, this can be represented by , or . Dividing both sides of the inequality by 7 gives

. Since x represents the width of the box, x must also be a positive number. Therefore, the inequality

represents all the allowable values of x that satisfy the given conditions.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation errors or misreading the given information.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e2e3942f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: e2e3942f

Equation 1: y equals, 2 x plus 1. Equation 2: y equals, a, x minus 8.

In the system of equations above, a is a constant. If the system of equations

has no solution, what is the value of a ?

A.
negative one half

B.
0

C.
1

D.
2

ID: e2e3942f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations has no solution when the graphs of the equations have the
same slope and different y-coordinates of the y-intercepts. Each of the given equations is written in the slope-
intercept form of a linear equation, , where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of

the graph of the equation. For these two linear equations, the y-coordinates of the y-intercepts are different: and

. Thus, if the system of equations has no solution, the slopes of the two linear equations must be the same. The

slope of the first linear equation is 2. Therefore, for the system of equations to have no solution, the value of a must
be 2.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual and computational errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f03465dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: f03465dc

For each real number , which of the following points lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given
system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f03465dc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Dividing both sides of the second equation in the given system by yields , which
is the first equation in the given system. Therefore, the first and second equations represent the same line in the xy-
plane. If the x- and y-coordinates of a point satisfy an equation, the point lies on the graph of the equation in the xy-
plane. Choice A is a point with x-coordinate and y-coordinate . Substituting for and for in
the equation yields . Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of
this equation yields . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields , so
the coordinates of the point satisfy both equations in the given system. Therefore, for each real
number , the point lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given system.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a35c7164
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a35c7164

In the given pair of equations, and are constants. The graph of this pair of equations in the xy-plane is a pair of
perpendicular lines. Which of the following pairs of equations also represents a pair of perpendicular lines?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a35c7164 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Two lines are perpendicular if their slopes are negative reciprocals, meaning that the slope of
the first line is equal to divided by the slope of the second line. Each equation in the given pair of equations can
be written in slope-intercept form, , where is the slope of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane
and is the y-intercept. For the first equation, , subtracting from both sides gives
, and dividing both sides of this equation by gives . Therefore, the slope of the graph of this equation
is . For the second equation, , subtracting from both sides gives , and dividing
both sides of this equation by gives . Therefore, the slope of the graph of this equation is . Since
the graph of the given pair of equations is a pair of perpendicular lines, the slope of the graph of the second
equation, , must be the negative reciprocal of the slope of the graph of the first equation, . The negative
reciprocal of is , or . Therefore, , or . Similarly, rewriting the equations in choice B in

slope-intercept form yields and . It follows that the slope of the graph of the first
equation in choice B is and the slope of the graph of the second equation in choice B is . Since ,
is equal to , or . Since is the negative reciprocal of , the pair of equations in choice B
represents a pair of perpendicular lines.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03503d49
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 03503d49

A business owner plans to purchase the same model of chair for each of the employees. The total budget to spend on
these chairs is , which includes a sales tax. Which of the following is closest to the maximum possible price per
chair, before sales tax, the business owner could pay based on this budget?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 03503d49 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that a business owner plans to purchase chairs. If is the price per chair, the total
price of purchasing chairs is . It’s also given that sales tax is included, which is equivalent to
multiplied by , or . Since the total budget is , the inequality representing the situation is given
by . Dividing both sides of this inequality by and rounding the result to two decimal
places gives . To not exceed the budget, the maximum possible price per chair is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the maximum possible price per chair including sales tax, not the maximum possible
price per chair before sales tax.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the maximum possible price if the sales tax is added to the total budget, not the
maximum possible price per chair before sales tax.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d54c272
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 2d54c272

At a school fair, students can win colored tokens that are worth a different number of points depending on the color. One
student won green tokens and red tokens worth a total of points. The given equation represents this situation. How
many more points is a red token worth than a green token?

ID: 2d54c272 Answer

Correct Answer: 40

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that , where is the number of green tokens and is the
number of red tokens won by one student and these tokens are worth a total of points. Since the equation
represents the situation where the student won points with green tokens and red tokens for a total of points,
each term on the left-hand side of the equation represents the number of points won for one of the colors. Since the
coefficient of in the given equation is , a green token must be worth points. Similarly, since the coefficient of
in the given equation is , a red token must be worth points. Therefore, a red token is worth points, or
points, more than a green token.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1e11190a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 1e11190a

Store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint. Store B sells raspberries for per pint
and blackberries for per pint. A certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries would cost at Store A or
at Store B. How many pints of blackberries are in this purchase?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e11190a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that store A sells raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint,
and a certain purchase of raspberries and blackberries at store A would cost . It’s also given that store B sells
raspberries for per pint and blackberries for per pint, and this purchase of raspberries and blackberries
at store B would cost . Let represent the number of pints of raspberries and represent the number of pints
of blackberries in this purchase. The equation represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store A and the equation represents this purchase of raspberries and
blackberries from store B. Solving the system of equations by elimination gives the value of and the value of that
make the system of equations true. Multiplying both sides of the equation for store A by yields
, or . Multiplying both sides of the equation
for store B by yields , or . Subtracting both
sides of the equation for store A, , from the corresponding sides of the equation for store B,
, yields , or . Dividing
both sides of this equationby yields . Thus, pints of blackberries are in
this purchase.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors. Choice D is incorrect. This is the
number of pints of raspberries, not blackberries, in the purchase.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 78391fcc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 78391fcc

x negative negative negative negative

11 10 9 8

f(x) 21 18 15 12

The table above shows some values of x and their corresponding values for

the linear function f. What is the x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-

plane?

A.
the point with coordinates negative 3 comma 0

B.
the point with coordinates negative 4 comma 0

C.
the point with coordinates negative 9 comma 0

D.
the point with coordinates negative 12 comma 0

ID: 78391fcc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The equation of a linear function can be written in the form , where , m is

the slope of the graph of , and b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph. The value of m can be

found using the slope formula, . According to the table, the points and lie on the

graph of . Using these two points in the slope formula yields , or . Substituting for m

in the slope-intercept form of the equation yields . The value of b can be found by substituting values
from the table and solving; for example, substituting the coordinates of the point into the equation

gives , which yields . This means the function given by the table can be

represented by the equation . The value of the x-intercept of the graph of can be determined

by finding the value of x when . Substituting into yields , or . This

corresponds to the point .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from substituting the value of the slope for the x-coordinate of the x-intercept.
Choice C is incorrect and may result from a calculation error. Choice D is incorrect and may result from substituting
the y-coordinate of the y-intercept for the x-coordinate of the x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8e73b5b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: b8e73b5b

Ken is working this summer as part of a crew on a farm. He earned $8 per hour for
the first 10 hours he worked this week. Because of his performance, his crew leader
raised his salary to $10 per hour for the rest of the week. Ken saves 90% of his
earnings from each week. What is the least number of hours he must work the rest
of the week to save at least $270 for the week?

A. 38

B. 33

C. 22

D. 16

ID: b8e73b5b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Ken earned $8 per hour for the first 10 hours he worked, so he earned a total of $80 for the first 10
hours he worked. For the rest of the week, Ken was paid at the rate of $10 per hour. Let x be the number of hours he
will work for the rest of the week. The total of Ken’s earnings, in dollars, for the week will be . He saves 90%
of his earnings each week, so this week he will save dollars. The inequality

represents the condition that he will save at least $270 for the week. Factoring 10 out of the expression

gives . The product of 10 and 0.9 is 9, so the inequality can be rewritten as . Dividing both

sides of this inequality by 9 yields , so . Therefore, the least number of hours Ken must work the

rest of the week to save at least $270 for the week is 22.

Choices A and B are incorrect because Ken can save $270 by working fewer hours than 38 or 33 for the rest of the
week. Choice D is incorrect. If Ken worked 16 hours for the rest of the week, his total earnings for the week will be
, which is less than $270. Since he saves only 90% of his earnings each week, he would save

even less than $240 for the week.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 830120b0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear inequalities

in one or two
variables

ID: 830120b0

Which of the following consists of the y-coordinates of all the points that
satisfy the system of inequalities above?

A.
y is greater than 6

B.
y is greater than 4

C.
y is greater than five-halves

D.
y is greater than three-halves

ID: 830120b0 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Subtracting the same number from each side of an inequality gives an equivalent inequality.
Hence, subtracting 1 from each side of the inequality gives . So the given system of inequalities is

equivalent to the system of inequalities and , which can be rewritten as . Using

the transitive property of inequalities, it follows that .

Choice A is incorrect because there are points with a y-coordinate less than 6 that satisfy the given system of
inequalities. For example, satisfies both inequalities. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from solving the

inequality for x, then replacing x with y. Choice D is incorrect because this inequality allows y-values that are

not the y-coordinate of any point that satisfies both inequalities. For example, is contained in the set ;

however, if 2 is substituted into the first inequality for y, the result is . This cannot be true because the second

inequality gives .
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID c4ea43ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: c4ea43ef

To earn money for college, Avery works two part-time jobs: A and B. She earns $10
per hour working at job A and $20 per hour working at job B. In one week, Avery
earned a total of s dollars for working at the two part-time jobs. The graph above
represents all possible combinations of numbers of hours Avery could have worked
at the two jobs to earn s dollars. What is the value of s ?

A. 128

B. 160

C. 200

D. 320

ID: c4ea43ef Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Avery earns $10 per hour working at job A. Therefore, if she works a hours at job A, she will earn
dollars. Avery earns $20 per hour working at job B. Therefore, if she works b hours at job B, she will earn
dollars. The graph shown represents all possible combinations of the number of hours Avery could have worked at
the two jobs to earn s dollars. Therefore, if she worked a hours at job A, worked b hours at job B, and earned s dollars
from both jobs, the following equation represents the graph: , where s is a constant. Identifying any

point from the graph and substituting the values of the coordinates for a and b, respectively, in this equation

yield the value of s. For example, the point , where and , lies on the graph. Substituting 16 for a

and 0 for b in the equation yields , or . Similarly, the point , where

and , lies on the graph. Substituting 0 for a and 8 for b in the equation yields

, or .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. If the value of s is 128, 200, or 320, then no points on the graph will satisfy

this equation. For example, if the value of s is 128 (choice A), then the equation becomes
 . The point , where and , lies on the graph. However, substituting 16 for a and 0

for b in yields , or , which is false. Therefore, doesn’t satisfy

the equation, and so the value of s can’t be 128. Similarly, if (choice C) or (choice D), then

substituting 16 for a and 0 for b yields and , respectively, which are both false.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 14360f84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 14360f84

In the given system of equations, is a constant. If the system has no solution, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 14360f84 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane
represented by equations in the form , where , , and are constants, are parallel if the coefficients
for and in one equation are proportional to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation. The first
equation in the given system can be written in the form by subtracting from both sides of the
equation to yield . The second equation in the given system can be written in the form
by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield . The coefficient of in this second
equation, , is times the coefficient of in the first equation, . For the lines to be parallel, the coefficient of
in the second equation, , must also be times the coefficient of in the first equation, . Thus, ,
or . Therefore, if the given system has no solution, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Choice B is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. If the value of is , then the given system would have one solution, rather than no solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cb58833c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: cb58833c

The line with the equation is graphed in the xy‑plane. What is the

x-coordinate of the x‑intercept of the line?

ID: cb58833c Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1.25. The y-coordinate of the x-intercept is 0, so 0 can be substituted for y, giving

. This simplifies to . Multiplying both sides of by 5 gives . Dividing both sides

of by 4 gives , which is equivalent to 1.25. Note that 1.25 and 5/4 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 567ac7ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 567ac7ab

One of the two equations in a linear system is . The system has no

solution. Which of the following could be the other equation in the system?

A.
x plus 3 y, equals 5

B.
x plus 3 y, equals negative 20

C.
6 x minus 2 y, equals 0

D.
6 x plus 2 y, equals 10

ID: 567ac7ab Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A system of two linear equations written in standard form has no solution when the equations
are distinct and the ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient for one equation is equivalent to the ratio of the x-
coefficient to the y-coefficient for the other equation. This ratio for the given equation is 2 to 6, or 1 to 3. Only choice
B is an equation that isn’t equivalent to the given equation and whose ratio of the x-coefficient to the y-coefficient is
1 to 3.

Choice A is incorrect. Multiplying each of the terms in this equation by 2 yields an equation that is equivalent to the
given equation. This system would have infinitely many solutions. Choices C and D are incorrect. The ratio of the x-
coefficient to the y-coefficient in (choice C) is to 2, or to 1. This ratio in (choice D) is
6 to 2, or 3 to 1. Since neither of these ratios is equivalent to that for the given equation, these systems would have
exactly one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9d0396d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: 9d0396d4

The point with coordinates lies on the line shown. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9d0396d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given from the graph that the points and lie on the line. For two points on a line,
and , the slope of the line can be calculated using the slope formula . Substituting
for and for in this formula, the slope of the line can be calculated as , or .
It's also given that the point lies on the line. Substituting for , for , and for
in the slope formula yields , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
. Expanding the left-hand side of this equation yields . Adding to both sides of
this equation yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Thus, the value of is .
Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a04050d8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: a04050d8

The table above gives the typical amounts of energy per gram, expressed in both
food calories and kilojoules, of the three macronutrients in food. If the 180 food
calories in a granola bar come entirely from p grams of protein, f grams of fat, and
c grams of carbohydrate, which of the following expresses f in terms of p and c ?

A.
f equals, 20 plus the fraction 4 over 9, end fraction, times, open parenthesis, p plus c, close parenthesis

B.
f equals, 20 minus the fraction 4 over 9, end fraction, times, open parenthesis, p plus c, close parenthesis

C.
f equals, 20 minus the fraction 4 over 9, end fraction, times, open parenthesis, p minus c, close parenthesis

D.
f equals, 20 plus the fraction 9 over 4, end fraction, times, open parenthesis, p plus c, close parenthesis

ID: a04050d8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It is given that there are 4.0 food calories per gram of protein, 9.0 food calories per gram of fat,
and 4.0 food calories per gram of carbohydrate. If 180 food calories in a granola bar came from p grams of protein, f
grams of fat, and c grams of carbohydrate, then the situation can be represented by the equation
. The equation can then be rewritten in terms of f by subtracting 4p and 4c from both sides of the equation and then

dividing both sides of the equation by 9. The result is the equation .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of not representing the situation with the correct equation or
incorrectly rewriting the equation in terms of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID daad7c32
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: daad7c32

An object hangs from a spring. The formula relates the length , in

centimeters, of the spring to the weight w, in newtons, of the object. Which of the
following describes the meaning of the 2 in this context?

A. The length, in centimeters, of the spring with no weight attached

B. The weight, in newtons, of an object that will stretch the spring 30 centimeters

C. The increase in the weight, in newtons, of the object for each one-centimeter increase in the length of the spring

D. The increase in the length, in centimeters, of the spring for each one-newton increase in the weight of the object

ID: daad7c32 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The value 2 is multiplied by w, the weight of the object. When the weight is 0, the length is 30 +
2(0) = 30 centimeters. If the weight increases by w newtons, the length increases by 2w centimeters, or 2
centimeters for each one-newton increase in weight.

Choice A is incorrect because this describes the value 30. Choice B is incorrect because 30 represents the length of
the spring before it has been stretched. Choice C is incorrect because this describes the value w.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f8a701b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 3f8a701b

The equation , where a and b are constants, has no

solutions. Which of the following must be true?
I.
II.

III.

A. None

B. I only

C. I and II only

D. I and III only

ID: 3f8a701b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. For a linear equation in a form to have no solutions, the x-terms must have equal
coefficients and the remaining terms must not be equal. Expanding the right-hand side of the given equation yields
. Inspecting the x-terms, 9 must equal a, so statement I must be true. Inspecting the remaining

terms, 5 can’t equal . Dividing both of these quantities by 9 yields that b can’t equal . Therefore, statement III

must be true. Since b can have any value other than , statement II may or may not be true.

Choice A is incorrect. For the given equation to have no solution, both and must be true. Choice B is

incorrect because it must also be true that . Choice C is incorrect because when , there are many values

of b that lead to an equation having no solution. That is, b might be 5, but b isn’t required to be 5.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 023c0a8d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: 023c0a8d

For the function f, if for all values of x,

what is the value of ?

A.
negative 6

B.
negative 4

C.
0

D.
2

ID: 023c0a8d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that for all values of x. If , then will equal . Dividing both

sides of by 3 gives . Therefore, substituting 2 for x in the given equation yields , which
can be rewritten as .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of the constant in the given equation for f. Choice C is incorrect and may
result from substituting , rather than , into the given equation. Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of x
that yields for the left-hand side of the given equation; it’s not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 75012ee7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 75012ee7

For each real number , which of the following points lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given
system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 75012ee7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The two given equations are equivalent because the second equation can be obtained from the
first equation by multiplying each side of the equation by . Thus, the graphs of the equations are coincident, so if a
point lies on the graph of one of the equations, it also lies on the graph of the other equation. A point lies on
the graph of an equation in the xy-plane if and only if this point represents a solution to the equation. It is sufficient,
therefore, to find the point that represents a solution to the first given equation. Substituting the x- and y-
coordinates of choice B, and , for and , respectively, in the first equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the point represents a solution to the
first equation and thus lies on the graph of each equation in the xy-plane for the given system.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a7a14e87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a7a14e87

In the xy-plane, line k is defined by . Line j is perpendicular to line k, and

the y-intercept of line j is . Which of the following is an equation of line j ?

A.
x plus y, equals 3

B.
x plus y, equals negative 3

C.
x minus y, equals 3

D.
x minus y, equals negative 3

ID: a7a14e87 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that line j is perpendicular to line k and that line k is defined by the equation .
This equation can be rewritten in slope-intercept form, , where m represents the slope of the line and b
represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line, by subtracting x from both sides of the equation, which
yields . Thus, the slope of line k is . Since line j and line k are perpendicular, their slopes are opposite

reciprocals of each other. Thus, the slope of line j is 1. It’s given that the y-intercept of line j is . Therefore, the
equation for line j in slope-intercept form is , which can be rewritten as .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5e08a055
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 5e08a055

One of the equations in a system of two linear equations is given. The system has no solution. Which equation could be the
second equation in the system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5e08a055 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, and , has no solution if the lines
represented by the equations in the xy-plane are parallel and distinct. Lines represented by equations in standard
form, and , are parallel if the coefficients for and in one equation are proportional
to the corresponding coefficients in the other equation, meaning ; and the lines are distinct if the constants
are not proportional, meaning is not equal to or . The given equation, , can be written in
standard form by subtracting from both sides of the equation to yield . Therefore, the given
equation can be written in the form , where , , and . The equation in choice B,
, is written in the form , where , , and . Therefore, ,
which can be rewritten as ; , which can be rewritten as ; and , which can be rewritten
as . Since , , and is not equal to , it follows that the given equation and the equation
are parallel and distinct. Therefore, a system of two linear equations consisting of the given equation
and the equation has no solution. Thus, the equation in choice B could be the second equation in the
system.

Choice A is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent the same line in the xy-plane.
Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have infinitely many solutions, rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent lines in the xy-plane that are
distinct and not parallel. Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have exactly one solution, rather than
no solution.

Choice D is incorrect. The equation and the given equation represent lines in the xy-plane that are
distinct and not parallel. Therefore, a system of these linear equations would have exactly one solution, rather than
no solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a1fd2304
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

two variables

ID: a1fd2304

How many liters of a 25% saline solution must be added to 3 liters of a 10% saline
solution to obtain a 15% saline solution?

ID: a1fd2304 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1.5. The total amount, in liters, of a saline solution can be expressed as the liters of each type
of saline solution multiplied by the percent concentration of the saline solution. This gives , , and

, where x is the amount, in liters, of 25% saline solution and 10%, 15%, and 25% are represented as 0.10,
0.15, and 0.25, respectively. Thus, the equation must be true. Multiplying 3 by 0.10 and

distributing 0.15 to yields . Subtracting 0.15x and 0.30 from each side of the
equation gives . Dividing each side of the equation by 0.10 yields . Note that 1.5 and 3/2 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 628300a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear equations in

one variable

ID: 628300a9

A science teacher is preparing the 5 stations of a science laboratory. Each station

will have either Experiment A materials or Experiment B materials, but not both.
Experiment A requires 6 teaspoons of salt, and Experiment B requires 4 teaspoons
of salt. If x is the number of stations that will be set up for Experiment A and the
remaining stations will be set up for Experiment B, which of the following
expressions represents the total number of teaspoons of salt required?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 628300a9 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It is given that x represents the number of stations that will be set up for Experiment A and that
there will be 5 stations total, so it follows that 5 – x is the number of stations that will be set up for Experiment B. It
is also given that Experiment A requires 6 teaspoons of salt and that Experiment B requires 4 teaspoons of salt, so
the total number of teaspoons of salt required is 6x + 4(5 – x), which simplifies to 2x + 20.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may be the result of not understanding the description of the context.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bbf9e5ce
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Linear functions

ID: bbf9e5ce

For groups of or more people, a museum charges per person for the first people and for each additional
person. Which function gives the total charge, in dollars, for a tour group with people, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bbf9e5ce Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A tour group with people, where , can be split into two subgroups: the first people
and the additional people. Since the museum charges per person for the first people and for each
additional person, the charge for the first people is and the charge for the additional people is
. Therefore, the total charge, in dollars, is given by the function , or
.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 27f5fff3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Algebra Systems of two

linear equations in
two variables

ID: 27f5fff3

If a new graph of three linear equations is created using the system of equations shown and the equation ,
how many solutions will the resulting system of three equations have?

A. Zero

B. Exactly one

C. Exactly two

D. Infinitely many

ID: 27f5fff3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A solution to a system of equations must satisfy each equation in the system. It follows that if
an ordered pair is a solution to the system, the point lies on the graph in the xy-plane of each equation
in the system. The only point that lies on each graph of the system of two linear equations shown is their
intersection point . It follows that if a new graph of three linear equations is created using the system of
equations shown and the graph of , this system has either zero solutions or one solution, the point
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or . Since
this equation is not true, the point does not lie on the graph of . Therefore, is not a
solution to the system of three equations. It follows that there are zero solutions to this system.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 91e7ea5e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 91e7ea5e

h of x equals, 2 times, open parenthesis, x minus 4, close parenthesis, squared, minus 32

The quadratic function h is defined as shown. In the xy-plane, the graph of

intersects the x-axis at the points and , where t is a constant.
What is the value of t ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 8

ID: 91e7ea5e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the graph of intersects the x-axis at and , where t is a constant.

Since this graph intersects the x-axis when or when , it follows that and . If ,

then . Adding 32 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this

equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding 4 to
both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of t is 8.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3a9d60b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3a9d60b2

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

ID: 3a9d60b2 Answer

Correct Answer: 9

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten as . Dividing each side of this equation
by yields . By the definition of absolute value, if , then or .
Subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by
yields . Similarly, subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each
side of this equation by yields . Therefore, since the two solutions to the given equation are and , the
positive solution to the given equation is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8490cc45
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 8490cc45

The function is defined by . What is the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8490cc45 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane occurs at the point on the graph where
. In other words, when , the corresponding value of is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept.
Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Thus, when , the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This could be the y-intercept for , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ba0edc30
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ba0edc30

One solution to the given equation can be written as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ba0edc30 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . To complete the square, adding
to each side of this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of each side of
this equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Since it's given
that one of the solutions to the equation can be written as , the value of must be .

Alternate approach: It's given that is a solution to the given equation. It follows that .
Substituting for in the given equation yields , or

. Expanding the products on the left-hand side of this equation yields

, or . Adding to each side of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fc3d783a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3d783a

In the -plane, a line with equation intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola has equation
, where is a positive constant, what is the value of ?

ID: fc3d783a Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that a line with equation intersects a parabola with equation
, where is a positive constant, at exactly one point in the xy-plane. It follows that the system of
equations consisting of and has exactly one solution. Dividing both sides of the equation
of the line by yields . Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields .
Adding and subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . A quadratic equation
in the form of , where , , and are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant,
, is equal to zero. Substituting for and for in the expression and setting this expression
equal to yields , or . Adding to each side of this equation yields .
Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields . It’s given that is positive, so the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a9084ca4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a9084ca4

The given function models the number of advertisements a company sent to its clients each year, where represents the
number of years since , and . If is graphed in the xy-plane, which of the following is the best
interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

C. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

D. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

ID: a9084ca4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where . For the given function ,
the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of advertisements
a company sent to its clients each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of advertisements the
company sent to its clients each year. It's also given that represents the number of years since . Therefore,
represents years since , or . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of
is that the estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c6f214f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2c6f214f

The first term of a sequence is . Each term after the first is times the preceding term. If represents the th term of the
sequence, which equation gives in terms of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c6f214f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since represents the th term of the sequence and is the first term of the sequence, the
value of is when the value of is . Since each term after the first is times the preceding term, the value of
is when the value of is . Therefore, the value of is , or , when the value of is . More
generally, the value of is for a given value of . Therefore, the equation gives in terms of
.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each term
after the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each term
after the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4661e2a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4661e2a9

Equation 1: x minus y, equals 1. Equation 2: x plus y equals, x squared minus 3

Which ordered pair is a solution to the system of

equations above?

A.
1 plus the square root of 3, comma, the square root of 3

B.
the square root of 3, comma, the negative of the square root of 3

C.
1 plus the square root of 5, comma, the square root of 5

D.
the square root of 5, comma, negative 1 plus the square root of 5

ID: 4661e2a9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The solution to the given system of equations can be found by solving the first equation for x,
which gives , and substituting that value of x into the second equation which gives .

Rewriting this equation by adding like terms and expanding gives . Subtracting from

both sides of this equation gives . Adding to 2 to both sides of this equation gives . Therefore, it
follows that . Substituting for y in the first equation yields . Adding to both sides of

this equation yields . Therefore, the ordered pair is a solution to the given system of
equations.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the first equation yields , or

, which isn’t a true statement. Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the second equation

yields , or , which isn’t a true statement. Choice D is incorrect.

Substituting for x and for y in the second equation yields , or

, which isn’t a true statement.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 371cbf6b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 371cbf6b
open parenthesis, a x plus 3, close parenthesis, times, open parenthesis, 5 x squared, minus b x, plus 4, close
parenthesis, equals, 20 x cubed, minus 9 x squared, minus 2 x, plus 12

The equation above is true for all x, where a and b are constants. What is the value
of ab ?

A. 18

B. 20

C. 24

D. 40

ID: 371cbf6b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. If the equation is true for all x, then the expressions on both sides of the equation will be
equivalent. Multiplying the polynomials on the left-hand side of the equation gives
. On the right-hand side of the equation, the only -term is . Since the

expressions on both sides of the equation are equivalent, it follows that , which can be

rewritten as . Therefore, , which gives .

Choice A is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be

, which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice B is incorrect. If

, then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t

equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice D is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of on

the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on the
right-hand side.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c3b116d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c3b116d7

Which of the following expressions is(are) a factor of ?

I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: c3b116d7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression can be factored by first finding two values whose sum is and whose
product is , or . Those two values are and . It follows that the given expression can be rewritten
as . Since the first two terms of this expression have a common factor of and the last two
terms of this expression have a common factor of , this expression can be rewritten as .
Since the two terms of this expression have a common factor of , it can be rewritten as .
Therefore, expression II, , is a factor of , but expression I, , is not a factor of
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40c09d66
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 40c09d66

If for all positive values of x,

what is the value of ?

ID: 40c09d66 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The value of can be found by first rewriting the left-hand side of the given equation as

. Using the properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as . This expression can be

rewritten by subtracting the fractions in the exponent, which yields . Thus, is . Note that 7/6, 1.166, and

1.167 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8f13a3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b8f13a3a

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of has a y-
intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: b8f13a3a Answer

Correct Answer: 20

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It’s
given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f65288e8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f65288e8

the fraction with numerator 1, and denominator x squared, plus 10 x, plus 25, end fraction, equals 4

If x is a solution to the given equation, which of the following is a

possible value of ?

A.
one half

B.
five halves

C.
nine halves

D.
eleven halves

ID: f65288e8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given equation can be rewritten as . Multiplying both sides of this equation by

yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields . Taking the square root of

both sides of this equation yields or . Therefore, a possible value of is .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational or conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7902bed0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7902bed0

A machine launches a softball from ground level. The softball reaches a maximum height of meters above the ground
at seconds and hits the ground at seconds. Which equation represents the height above ground , in meters, of the
softball seconds after it is launched?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 7902bed0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. An equation representing the height above ground , in meters, of a softball seconds after it is
launched by a machine from ground level can be written in the form , where , , and are
positive constants. In this equation, represents the time, in seconds, at which the softball reaches its maximum
height of meters above the ground. It's given that this softball reaches a maximum height of meters above
the ground at seconds; therefore, and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . It's also given that this softball hits the ground at
seconds; therefore, when . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or . Adding
to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Substituting for in the equation yields . Therefore,
represents the height above ground , in meters, of this softball seconds after it is
launched.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the
ground at seconds, not meters above the ground at seconds.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the
ground at seconds, not seconds.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4a0d0399
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4a0d0399

The function is defined by , where and are constants. In the -plane, the graph of has an -
intercept at and a -intercept at . What is the value of ?

ID: 4a0d0399 Answer

Correct Answer: -324

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the function is defined by , where and are constants.
It's also given that the graph of has a y-intercept at . It follows that . Substituting
for and for in yields , or . Subtracting from each side of
this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f2f3fa00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f2f3fa00

During a 5-second time interval, the average acceleration a, in meters per second
squared, of an object with an initial velocity of 12 meters per second is defined by

the equation , where vf is the final velocity of the object in

meters per second. If the equation is rewritten in the form vf = xa + y, where x and
y are constants, what is the value of x ?

ID: f2f3fa00 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The given equation can be rewritten in the form , like so:

It follows that the value of x is 5 and the value of y is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9654add7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9654add7

f of x equals, negative 500, x squared, plus 25,000 x

The revenue , in dollars, that a company receives from sales of a product is
given by the function f above, where x is the unit price, in dollars, of the product.
The graph of in the xy-plane intersects the x-axis at 0 and a. What does a

represent?

A. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0

B. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

C. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0

D. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make

ID: 9654add7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. By definition, the y-value when a function intersects the x-axis is 0. It’s given that the graph of
the function intersects the x-axis at 0 and a, that x is the unit price, in dollars, of a product, and that , where
, is the revenue, in dollars, that a company receives from the sales of the product. Since the value of a
occurs when , a is the unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0.

Choice A is incorrect. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0 is represented by , when

. Choice B is incorrect. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue is
represented by the x-coordinate of the maximum of f. Choice D is incorrect. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that
the company can make is represented by the y-coordinate of the maximum of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 34847f8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 34847f8a
the fraction with numerator 2, and denominator x minus 2, end fraction, plus, the fraction with numerator 3, and
denominator x plus 5, end fraction, equals, the fraction with numerator r x plus t, and denominator, open parenthesis, x
minus 2, close parenthesis, times, open parenthesis, x plus 5, close parenthesis, end fraction

The equation above is true for all , where r and t are positive constants. What

is the value of rt ?

A.
negative 20

B.
15

C.
20

D.
60

ID: 34847f8a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. To express the sum of the two rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation as the
single rational expression on the right-hand side of the equation, the expressions on the left-hand side must have

the same denominator. Multiplying the first expression by results in , and multiplying the

second expression by results in , so the given equation can be rewritten as

, or . Since the two

rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation have the same denominator as the rational expression on
the right-hand side of the equation, it follows that . Combining like terms on the left-
hand side yields , so it follows that and . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error when determining the sign of either r or t. Choice B is incorrect
and may result from not distributing the 2 and 3 to their respective terms in

. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 137cc6fd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 137cc6fd

For what value of is the given expression equivalent to , where ?

ID: 137cc6fd Answer

Correct Answer: .0177, .0178, 4/225

Rationale

The correct answer is . An expression of the form , where is an integer greater than and , is

equivalent to . Therefore, the given expression, where , is equivalent to . Applying

properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as , or , which can be

rewritten as , or . It's given that the expression is equivalent to , where

. It follows that is equivalent to . Therefore, . Dividing both sides of this equation

by yields , or . Thus, the value of for which the given expression is equivalent to ,
where , is . Note that 4/225, .0177, .0178, 0.017, and 0.018 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6ce95fc8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6ce95fc8

2 x squared, minus 2, equals 2 x plus 3

Which of the following is a solution to the equation

above?

A.
2

B.
1 minus the square root of 11

C.
one half plus the square root of 11

D.
the fraction with numerator 1 plus the square root of 11, and denominator 2

ID: 6ce95fc8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c are constants, can be

solved using the quadratic formula: . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation

yields . Applying the quadratic formula, where , , and , yields

. This can be rewritten as . Since , or , the

equation can be rewritten as . Dividing 2 from both the numerator and denominator yields

or . Of these two solutions, only is present among the choices. Thus, the correct choice is D.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from a computational or conceptual error. Choice B is incorrect and may result

from using instead of as the quadratic formula. Choice C is incorrect

and may result from rewriting as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 263f9937
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 263f9937
Growth of a Culture of Bacteria
Number of bacteria per
Day
milliliter at end of day

A culture of bacteria is growing at an exponential rate, as shown in the table above.

At this rate, on which day would the number of bacteria per milliliter reach
?

A. Day 5

B. Day 9

C. Day 11

D. Day 12

ID: 263f9937 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The number of bacteria per milliliter is doubling each day. For example, from day 1 to day 2, the
5 5 6
number of bacteria increased from 2.5 × 10 to 5.0 × 10 . At the end of day 3 there are 10 bacteria per milliliter. At
6 6 6
the end of day 4, there will be 10 × 2 bacteria per milliliter. At the end of day 5, there will be (10 × 2) × 2, or 10 ×
2 6 d–3
(2 ) bacteria per milliliter, and so on. At the end of day d, the number of bacteria will be 10 × (2 ). If the
8
number of bacteria per milliliter will reach 5.12 × 10 at the end of day d, then the equation
8 6
must hold. Since 5.12 × 10 can be rewritten as 512 × 10 , the equation is equivalent to
9
. Rewriting 512 as 2 gives d – 3 = 9, so d = 12. The number of bacteria per milliliter would reach 5.12 ×
8
10 at the end of day 12.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Given the growth rate of the bacteria, the number of bacteria will not reach 5.12 ×
8
10 per milliliter by the end of any of these days.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4dd4efcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4dd4efcf

In the given quadratic function, and are constants. The graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola that opens
upward and has a vertex at the point , where and are constants. If and , which of the
following must be true?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 4dd4efcf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola with vertex . If
, then for the graph of , the point with an x-coordinate of and the point with an x-
coordinate of have the same y-coordinate. In the xy-plane, a parabola is a symmetric graph such that when two
points have the same y-coordinate, these points are equidistant from the vertex, and the x-coordinate of the vertex
is halfway between the x-coordinates of these two points. Therefore, for the graph of , the points with x-
coordinates and are equidistant from the vertex, , and is halfway between and . The value that is
halfway between and is , or . Therefore, . The equation defining can also be written in vertex
form, . Substituting for in this equation yields , or
. This equation is equivalent to , or .
Since , it follows that and . Dividing both sides of the equation by
yields , or . Since , it's not true that . Therefore, statement II isn't true. Substituting for
in the equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. If , then , or . Since could be any value less than , it's not necessarily true that
. Therefore, statement I isn't necessarily true. Thus, neither I nor II must be true.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID f5aa5040
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f5aa5040

In the xy-plane, a line with equation for some constant intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola
has equation , what is the value of ?

ID: f5aa5040 Answer

Correct Answer: 20.25, 81/4

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given linear equation is . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields . Adding and to both
sides of this equation yields . Since it’s given that the line and the parabola intersect at exactly
one point, the equation must have exactly one solution. An equation of the form
, where , , and are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, ,
is equal to . In the equation , where , , and , the discriminant is
. Setting the discriminant equal to yields , or . Adding to
both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 81/4
and 20.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 841ef26c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 841ef26c

The function is defined by . For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 841ef26c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that

. Expanding the quantity in this equation yields
. Distributing the and the yields
. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form
, where , , and are constants and is positive, reaches its minimum, , when the
value of is . The equation can be rewritten in this form by completing the square. This
equation is equivalent to , or . This equation can
be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to
. This equation is in the form , where , , and .
Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ea6d05bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ea6d05bb

The expression is equivalent to the expression , where , , and are constants. What is
the value of ?

ID: ea6d05bb Answer

Correct Answer: -419

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the expression is equivalent to the expression
, where , , and are constants. Applying the distributive property to the given expression,
, yields , which can be rewritten as
. Combining like terms yields . Since this expression is equivalent to
, it follows that the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 433184f1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 433184f1

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 433184f1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . To add the two terms of this
expression, the terms can be rewritten with a common denominator. Since , the expression can be
rewritten as . Since , the expression can be rewritten as . Therefore, the
expression can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
. Applying the distributive property to each term of the numerator yields , or .
Adding like terms in the numerator yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d135f4bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d135f4bf

The function is defined by . In the xy-plane, the graph of is the result of

translating the graph of up units. What is the value of ?

ID: d135f4bf Answer

Correct Answer: 76

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the graph of is the result of translating the graph of up
units in the xy-plane. It follows that the graph of is the same as the graph of . Substituting
for in the equation yields . It's given that .
Substituting for in the equation yields
. Substituting for in this equation yields ,
or . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d8789a4c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: d8789a4c

the fraction with numerator x squared, minus c, and denominator x minus b, end fraction

In the expression above, b and c are positive integers. If the expression is

equivalent to and , which of the following could be the value of c ?

A. 4

B. 6

C. 8

D. 10

ID: d8789a4c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. If the given expression is equivalent to , then , where x isn’t equal to b.

Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Since the right-hand side of this
equation is in factored form for the difference of squares, the value of c must be a perfect square. Only choice A gives
a perfect square for the value of c.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. None of these values of c produces a difference of squares. For example, when 6 is

substituted for c in the given expression, the result is . The expression can’t be factored with integer

values, and therefore isn’t equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d0a53ef5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: d0a53ef5

What is the smallest solution to the given equation?

ID: d0a53ef5 Answer

Correct Answer: -3

Rationale

The correct answer is . Squaring both sides of the given equation yields , which can be
rewritten as . Subtracting and from both sides of this equation yields
. This quadratic equation can be rewritten as . According to the zero product
property, equals zero when either or . Solving each of these equations for
yields or . Therefore, the given equation has two solutions, and . Of these two solutions, is
the smallest solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 271ffad7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 271ffad7

A quadratic function models a projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after it was
launched. The model estimates that the projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the ground and
reached a maximum height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. How many seconds after the launch
does the model estimate that the projectile will return to a height of meters?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 271ffad7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It follows that an equation representing the model can be
written in the form , where is the projectile's estimated height above the ground, in
meters, seconds after the launch, is a constant, and is the maximum height above the ground, in meters, the
model estimates the projectile reached seconds after the launch. It's given that the model estimates the projectile
reached a maximum height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. Therefore, and
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields .
It's also given that the model estimates that the projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the
ground. Therefore, when , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for in
the equation yields . Therefore, the equation
models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground seconds after it was
launched. The number of seconds after the launch that the model estimates that the projectile will return to a height
of meters is the value of when . Substituting for in yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this
equation yields two equations: and . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Since seconds after the launch represents
the time at which the projectile was launched, must be the number of seconds the model estimates that the
projectile will return to a height of meters.
Alternate approach: It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It's also given that the model estimates that the projectile was
launched from an initial height of meters above the ground and reached a maximum height of meters above
the ground seconds after the launch. Since the model is quadratic, and quadratic functions are symmetric, the
model estimates that for any given height less than the maximum height, the time the projectile takes to travel from
the given height to the maximum height is the same as the time the projectile takes to travel from the maximum
height back to the given height. Thus, since the model estimates the projectile took seconds to travel from
meters above the ground to its maximum height of meters above the ground, the model also estimates the
projectile will take more seconds to travel from its maximum height of meters above the ground back to
meters above the ground. Thus, the model estimates that the projectile will return to a height of meters seconds
after it reaches its maximum height, which is seconds after the launch.

Choice A is incorrect. The model estimates that seconds after the launch, the projectile reached a height of
meters, not meters.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee857afb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ee857afb

The given equation relates the variables and . For what value of does the value of reach its minimum?

ID: ee857afb Answer

Correct Answer: 7

Rationale

The correct answer is . When an equation is of the form , where , , and are constants, the
value of reaches its minimum when . Since the given equation is of the form , it
follows that , , and . Therefore, the value of reaches its minimum when , or
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c05d312
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c05d312

In the given equation, and are positive constants. The product of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a
constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c05d312 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The left-hand side of the given equation is the expression . Applying
the distributive property to this expression yields . Since the first two terms of this
expression have a common factor of and the last two terms of this expression have a common factor of , this
expression can be rewritten as . Since the two terms of this expression have a common
factor of , it can be rewritten as . Therefore, the given equation can be rewritten as
. By the zero product property, it follows that or . Subtracting from
both sides of the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of the equation
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given
equation are and . It follows that the product of the solutions of the given equation is , or . It’s
given that the product of the solutions of the given equation is . It follows that , which can also be
written as . It’s given that and are positive constants. Therefore, dividing both sides of the
equation by yields . Thus, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fe32f7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1fe32f7d

In the given equation, is a positive integer. The equation has no real solution. What is the greatest possible value of ?

ID: 1fe32f7d Answer

Correct Answer: 51

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no
real solution if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. In the given equation, and .
Substituting for and for in this expression yields a discriminant of , or .
Since this value must be negative, , or . Taking the positive square root of each side of this
inequality yields . Since is a positive integer, and the greatest integer less than is , the greatest
possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a45ffacb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a45ffacb

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of has a y-
intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: a45ffacb Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It’s
given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 18e35375
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 18e35375

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 18e35375 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .

Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its
minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum.
For an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is
. For the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the
vertex is , or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the
graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The
midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and
is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c303ad23
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c303ad23

If , what is the value of ?

ID: c303ad23 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . Dividing each side of the given equation by yields . Adding to each side
of this equation yields . Therefore, if , the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7bd10ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7bd10ef3

2 x squared, minus 4 x, equals t

In the equation above, t is a constant. If the equation has no real solutions, which
of the following could be the value of t ?

A.
negative 3

B.
negative 1

C.
1

D.
3

ID: 7bd10ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The number of solutions to any quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and

c are constants, can be found by evaluating the expression , which is called the discriminant. If the value of

is a positive number, then there will be exactly two real solutions to the equation. If the value of is

zero, then there will be exactly one real solution to the equation. Finally, if the value of is negative, then

there will be no real solutions to the equation.

The given equation is a quadratic equation in one variable, where t is a constant. Subtracting t from

both sides of the equation gives . In this form, , , and . The values of t for which

the equation has no real solutions are the same values of t for which the discriminant of this equation is a negative
value. The discriminant is equal to ; therefore, . Simplifying the left side of the
inequality gives . Subtracting 16 from both sides of the inequality and then dividing both sides by 8 gives

. Of the values given in the options, is the only value that is less than . Therefore, choice A must be the
correct answer.
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from a misconception about how to use the discriminant to
determine the number of solutions of a quadratic equation in one variable.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 03ff48d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 03ff48d2

In the given equation, is an integer constant. If the equation has no real solution, what is the least possible value of ?

ID: 03ff48d2 Answer

Correct Answer: 50

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no real
solutions if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. Applying the distributive property to the left-hand
side of the equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields
. Substituting for , for , and for in yields a discriminant of
, or . If the given equation has no real solution, it follows that the value of
must be negative. Therefore, . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields
. Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields , or . Since it's given that is an
integer, the least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ce579859
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce579859

A model estimates that at the end of each year from to , the number of squirrels in a population was more
than the number of squirrels in the population at the end of the previous year. The model estimates that at the end of ,
there were squirrels in the population. Which of the following equations represents this model, where is the estimated
number of squirrels in the population years after the end of and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: ce579859 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the model estimates that the number of squirrels in the population increased by a fixed
percentage, , each year, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the form
, where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population at the end of , and the model
estimates that at the end of each year, the number is more than the number at the end of the previous year.
Since the model estimates that at the end of each year, the number was more than the number at the end of
the previous year, . Substituting for in the equation yields , which
is equivalent to , or . It’s given that the estimated number of squirrels at the end of
was . This means that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for
in the equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of
squirrels was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of
squirrels was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year, and the
estimated number of squirrels at the end of , not the end of , was .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a model where the estimated number of squirrels at the end of ,
not the end of , was .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5355c0ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5355c0ef

The given expression can be rewritten as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5355c0ef Answer

Correct Answer: .09, 9/100

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the expression can be rewritten as
. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Therefore, can be rewritten as . It follows that in the
expressions and , the coefficients of are equivalent, the coefficients of
are equivalent, and the constant terms are equivalent. Therefore, , , and . Solving
any of these equations for yields the value of . Dividing both sides of the equation by yields
. Therefore, the value of is . Note that .09 and 9/100 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2f51abc2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2f51abc2

The function is defined by the given equation. For which of the following values of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2f51abc2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The value of for which can be found by substituting for and for in the
given equation, , which yields . For this equation to be true, either
or . Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or , which isn't
a true statement. Therefore, isn't the value of . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting
for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to , or
, which is a true statement. Therefore, the value of for which is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 17d0e87d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 17d0e87d

The given equation relates the distinct positive real numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of
and ?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 17d0e87d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Dividing each side of the given equation by yields , or . Because
it's given that each of the variables is positive, squaring each side of this equation yields the equivalent equation
. Subtracting from each side of this equation yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c81b6c57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c81b6c57

In the expression , p is a constant. This expression is

equivalent to the expression . What is the value of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c81b6c57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

2
Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the first given expression can be rewritten as 6x + 3px + 24 –
2 2
16px – 64x + 24, and then rewritten as 6x + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24. Since the expression 6x + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24 is
2
equivalent to 6x – 155x + 24, the coefficients of the x terms from each expression are equivalent to each other; thus
3p – 16p – 64 = –155. Combining like terms gives –13p – 64 = –155. Adding 64 to both sides of the equation gives –
13p = –71. Dividing both sides of the equation by –13 yields p = 7.

2
Choice A is incorrect. If p = –3, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 25x + 24. Choice C is incorrect.
2
If p = 13, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 233x + 24. Choice D is incorrect. If p = 155, then the
2
first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 2,079x + 24.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 66bce0c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 66bce0c1

The square root of 2 x plus 6, end root, plus 4 equals, x plus 3

What is the solution set of the equation

above?

A.
set consisting of negative 1

B.
set consisting of 5

C.
set consisting of negative 1 and 5

D.
set consisting of 0, negative 1, and 5

ID: 66bce0c1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Subtracting 4 from both sides of isolates the radical expression on the left

side of the equation as follows: . Squaring both sides of yields .

This equation can be rewritten as a quadratic equation in standard form: . One way to solve this

quadratic equation is to factor the expression by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a

product of . These numbers are and 1. So the quadratic equation can be factored as . It
follows that 5 and are the solutions to the quadratic equation. However, the solutions must be verified by

checking whether 5 and satisfy the original equation, . When , the original equation

gives , or , which is false. Therefore, does not satisfy the original equation. When

, the original equation gives , or , which is true. Therefore, is the only solution
to the original equation, and so the solution set is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these sets contains at least one value that results in a false
statement when substituted into the given equation. For instance, in choice D, when 0 is substituted for x into the
given equation, the result is , or . This is not a true statement, so 0 is not a solution
to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 97e50fa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 97e50fa2

The graph of the function f, defined by , is shown in the

xy-plane above. If the function g (not shown) is defined by , what

is one possible value of a such that ?

ID: 97e50fa2 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 2 or 8. Substituting in the definitions for f and g gives

and , respectively. If , then . Subtracting 10 from both sides

of this equation gives . Multiplying both sides by gives . Expanding

gives . Combining the like terms on one side of the equation gives . One way to

solve this equation is to factor by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of 16.

These numbers are and , so the quadratic equation can be factored as . Therefore, the
possible values of a are either 2 or 8. Note that 2 and 8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: Graphically, the condition implies the graphs of the functions and

intersect at . The graph is given, and the graph of may be sketched as a line with y-intercept
10 and a slope of (taking care to note the different scales on each axis). These two graphs intersect at and

.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID ebb717ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ebb717ab

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no real solutions if . What is the least possible value of ?

ID: ebb717ab Answer

Correct Answer: 289

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
no real solutions when the value of the discriminant, , is less than . In the given equation,
, and . Therefore, the discriminant of the given equation can be expressed as
, or . It follows that the given equation has no real solutions when .
Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields
, or . It's given that the equation has no real solutions when . Therefore, the
least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9afe2370
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9afe2370
The population P of a certain city y years after the last census is modeled by the equation below, where r is a
constant and is the population when .

If during this time the population of the city decreases by a fixed percent each year,
which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9afe2370 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The term (1 + r) represents a percent change. Since the population is decreasing, the percent
change must be between 0% and 100%. When the percent change is expressed as a decimal rather than as a percent,
the percentage change must be between 0 and 1. Because (1 + r) represents percent change, this can be expressed as
0 < 1 + r < 1. Subtracting 1 from all three terms of this compound inequality results in –1 < r < 0.

Choice A is incorrect. If r < –1, then after 1 year, the population P would be a negative value, which is not possible.
Choices C and D are incorrect. For any value of r > 0, 1 + r > 1, and the exponential function models growth for
positive values of the exponent. This contradicts the given information that the population is decreasing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7c74b73
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b7c74b73

The function gives the value, in dollars, of a certain piece of equipment after months of use. If the value of the
equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding year, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b7c74b73 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For a function of the form , where , , and are constants and , the value of
decreases by for every increase of by . In the given function, , , and .
Therefore, for the given function, the value of decreases by , or , for every increase of by
. Since represents the value, in dollars, of the equipment after months of use, it follows that the value of
the equipment decreases every months by of its value the preceding months. Since there are months
in a year, the value of the equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding year. Thus, the value of
is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d12b1e0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3d12b1e0

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 3d12b1e0 Answer

Correct Answer: -1

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, has
exactly one solution when its discriminant, , is equal to . In the given equation, ,
and . Substituting for and for in yields , or .
Since the given equation has exactly one solution, . Subtracting from both sides of this equation
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c88af4d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 2c88af4d

The expression , where and , is equivalent to which of

the following?

A.
The fraction with numerator the square root of y and denominator the cube root of x squared

B.
The fraction with numerator y times the square root of y and denominator the cube root of x squared

C.
The fraction with numerator y times the square root of y and denominator x times the square root of x

D.
The fraction with numerator y times the square root of y and denominator x squared times the cube root of x

ID: 2c88af4d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. For and , and are equivalent to and , respectively. Also, and

are equivalent to and , respectively. Therefore, the given expression can be rewritten as .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because these choices are not equivalent to the given expression for and

For example, for and , the value of the given expression is ; the values of the choices, however, are

, , and 1, respectively.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ffdbcad4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ffdbcad4

The expression , where is a constant, can be rewritten as , where , , and are integer
constants. Which of the following must be an integer?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ffdbcad4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that can be rewritten as . The expression

can be rewritten as , or . Therefore,
is equivalent to . It follows that . Dividing each side of this equation
by yields . Since is an integer, must be an integer. Therefore, must also be an integer.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 71014fb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 71014fb1

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 71014fb1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Any quantity that is positive or negative in value has a positive value when squared. Therefore,
the left-hand side of the given equation is either positive or zero for any value of . Since the right-hand side of the
given equation is negative, there is no value of for which the given equation is true. Thus, the number of distinct
real solutions for the given equation is zero.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 22fd3e1f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 22fd3e1f

f of x equals, x cubed minus, 9 x, and, g of x equals, x squared minus, 2 x minus 3

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to , for ?

A.
the fraction with numerator 1, and denominator x plus 1, end fraction

B.
the fraction with numerator x plus 3, and denominator x plus 1, end fraction

the fraction with numerator x times, open parenthesis, x minus 3, close parenthesis, and denominator x plus 1, end
C.
fraction

the fraction with numerator x times, open parenthesis, x plus 3, close parenthesis, and denominator x plus 1, end
D.
fraction

ID: 22fd3e1f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since and , the fraction can be written

as . It is given that , so the common factor is not equal to 0. Therefore, the fraction can be

further simplified to .

Choice A is incorrect. The expression is not equivalent to because at , as a value of 1 and

has a value of 0.

Choice B is incorrect and results from omitting the factor x in the factorization of . Choice C is incorrect and

may result from incorrectly factoring as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID a0b4103e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a0b4103e

The expression can be rewritten as , where k is a

positive constant. What is the value of k ?

A. 2

B. 6

C.
the square root of 2

D.
the square root of 6

ID: a0b4103e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Factoring out the coefficient , the given expression can be rewritten as . The

expression can be approached as a difference of squares and rewritten as . Therefore, k

must be .

Choice A is incorrect. If k were 2, then the expression given would be rewritten as , which is

equivalent to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly factoring the expression and finding as the

factored form of the expression. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly distributing the and

rewriting the expression as .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2cd6b22d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2cd6b22d

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 2cd6b22d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The number of solutions of a quadratic equation of the form , where , , and
are constants, can be determined by the value of the discriminant, . If the value of the discriminant is
positive, then the quadratic equation has exactly two distinct real solutions. If the value of the discriminant is equal
to zero, then the quadratic equation has exactly one real solution. If the value of the discriminant is negative, then
the quadratic equation has zero real solutions. In the given equation, , , , and
. Substituting these values for , , and in yields , or . Since the value of its
discriminant is negative, the given equation has zero real solutions. Therefore, the number of distinct real solutions
the given equation has is zero.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f2d60b99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f2d60b99

The function gives a metal ball's height above the ground , in inches, seconds after it started
moving on a track, where . Which of the following is the best interpretation of the vertex of the graph of
in the xy-plane?

A. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

B. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

C. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

D. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

ID: f2d60b99 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The graph of a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are positive
constants, is a parabola that opens upward with vertex . The given function is in the
form , where , , , and . Therefore, the graph of is a parabola
that opens upward with vertex . Since the parabola opens upward, the vertex is the lowest point on the graph.
It follows that the y-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the minimum value of . Therefore, the
minimum value of is . It’s given that represents the metal ball’s height above the
ground, in inches, seconds after it started moving on a track. Therefore, the best interpretation of the vertex of the
graph of is that the metal ball’s minimum height was inches above the ground.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e9349667
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: e9349667

If and are the two solutions to the system of equations

above, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e9349667 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The system of equations can be solved using the substitution method. Solving the second
2
equation for y gives y = –x – 1. Substituting the expression –x – 1 for y into the first equation gives –x – 1 = x + 2x +
2
1. Adding x + 1 to both sides of the equation yields x + 3x + 2 = 0. The left-hand side of the equation can be factored
by finding two numbers whose sum is 3 and whose product is 2, which gives (x + 2)(x + 1) = 0. Setting each factor
equal to 0 yields x + 2 = 0 and x + 1 = 0, and solving for x yields x = –2 or x = –1. These values of x can be substituted
for x in the equation y = –x – 1 to find the corresponding y-values: y = –(–2) – 1 = 2 – 1 = 1 and y = –(–1) – 1 = 1 – 1 = 0.
It follows that (–2, 1) and (–1, 0) are the solutions to the given system of equations. Therefore, (x1, y1) = (–2, 1), (x2,
y2) = (–1, 0), and y1 + y2 = 1 + 0 = 1.

Choice A is incorrect. The solutions to the system of equations are (x1, y1) = (–2, 1) and (x2, y2) = (–1, 0). Therefore, –
3 is the sum of the x-coordinates of the solutions, not the sum of the y-coordinates of the solutions. Choices B and C
are incorrect and may be the result of computation or substitution errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1f353a9e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1f353a9e

The given function models the number of coupons a company sent to their customers at the end of each year, where
represents the number of years since the end of , and . If is graphed in the ty-plane, which of the
following is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

C. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

D. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

ID: 1f353a9e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the ty-plane is the point where . For the given function ,
the y-intercept of the graph of in the ty-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the
y-intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of coupons a
company sent to their customers at the end of each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of
coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of each year. It's also given that represents the number of
years since the end of . Therefore, represents years since the end of , or the end of . Thus, the
best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of is that the estimated number of coupons the company
sent to their customers at the end of was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b03adde3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b03adde3

If , what is t in terms of u
?

A.
t equals, the fraction 1 over u

B.
t equals, the fraction 2 u plus 9, over u

C.
t equals, the fraction 1 over, u minus 3, end fraction

D.
t equals, the fraction 2 u, over u minus 3, end fraction

ID: b03adde3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by yields . Dividing both sides

of this equation by yields . Adding 2 to both sides of this equation yields , which

can be rewritten as . Since the fractions on the right-hand side of this equation have a

common denominator, adding the fractions yields . Applying the distributive property to the

numerator on the right-hand side of this equation yields , which is equivalent to .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from various misconceptions or miscalculations.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ce9ffcd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1ce9ffcd

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1ce9ffcd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the equation has exactly one solution. A quadratic equation
of the form has exactly one solution if and only if its discriminant, , is equal to zero. It
follows that for the given equation, and . Substituting for and for into yields
, or . Since the discriminant must equal zero, . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is greater than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have two solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Choice B is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is greater than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have two solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Choice D is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is less than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have no real solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 104bff62
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 104bff62

In the given equation, is a positive constant. Which of the following is one of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 104bff62 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. If , then neither side of the given equation is defined and there can be no solution.
Therefore, . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields , or

. Squaring both sides of this equation yields , or . Since

is positive and, therefore, nonzero, the expression is defined and equivalent to . It follows that the equation
can be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of both sides
of this equation yields two solutions: and . Therefore, of the given choices,
is one of the solutions to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 92f812bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 92f812bb

In the xy-plane, a parabola has vertex and intersects the x-axis at two points. If the equation of the parabola is
written in the form , where , , and are constants, which of the following could be the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92f812bb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The equation of a parabola in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where
is a constant and is the vertex of the parabola. If is positive, the parabola will open upward, and if is
negative, the parabola will open downward. It’s given that the parabola has vertex . Substituting for and
for in the equation gives , which can be rewritten as
, or . Distributing the factor of on the right-hand side of
this equation yields . Therefore, the equation of the parabola,
, can be written in the form , where , , and
. Substituting for and for in the expression yields
, or . Since the vertex of the parabola, , is below the x-axis, and it’s
given that the parabola intersects the x-axis at two points, the parabola must open upward. Therefore, the constant
must have a positive value. Setting the expression equal to the value in choice D yields
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields ,
which is a positive value. Therefore, if the equation of the parabola is written in the form , where
, , and are constants, the value of could be .

Choice A is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative, which means the parabola
will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two points.

Choice B is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative, which means the parabola
will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two points.
Choice C is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be , which is inconsistent with the
equation of a parabola.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7dbd46d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7dbd46d9

The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the -plane. What is a possible
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7dbd46d9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point
. Therefore, this intersection point is a solution to the given system. The solution can be found by isolating in
each equation. The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by subtracting from both sides of
the equation, which gives . The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by
subtracting from both sides of the equation, which gives . With each equation solved for , the
value of from one equation can be substituted into the other, which gives . Adding and
to both sides of this equation results in . Dividing both sides of this equation by results in
. This equation can be rewritten by factoring the left-hand side, which yields
. By the zero-product property, if , then , or .
It follows that , or . Since only is given as a choice, a possible value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0121a235
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0121a235

x p(x)

x is negative 2 p of x is 5

x is negative 1 p of x is 0

x is 0 p of x is negative 3

x is 1 p of x is negative 1

x is 2 p of x is 0

The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p. Based on the
values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

A.
open parenthesis, x minus 3, close parenthesis

B.
open parenthesis, x plus 3, close parenthesis

C.
open parenthesis, x minus 1, close parenthesis, times, open parenthesis, x plus 2, close parenthesis

D.
open parenthesis, x plus 1, close parenthesis, times, open parenthesis, x minus 2, close parenthesis

ID: 0121a235 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x-intercepts of the graph of p
are and . Since and are x-intercepts, it follows that and are factors of the
polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of
is 0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p.

Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice
B is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice C is
incorrect. The factors and correspond to x-intercepts and , respectively, which aren’t present
in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 158591f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 158591f0

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

ID: 158591f0 Answer

Correct Answer: 29/3, 9.666, 9.667

Rationale

The correct answer is . Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of the given equation,
, yields . Applying the distributive property to the right-hand side of the given equation,
, yields . Thus, the equation becomes . Combining like terms on the
left- and right-hand sides of this equation yields , or . For
a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the quadratic formula gives the

solutions to the equation in the form . Substituting for , for , and for from the

equation into the quadratic formula yields , or . It

follows that the solutions to the given equation are and . Adding these two solutions gives the
sum of the solutions: , which is equivalent to , or . Note that 29/3, 9.666, and 9.667
are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bba18ecb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: bba18ecb

When the quadratic function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , its vertex is . One of the x-intercepts of
this graph is . What is the other x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bba18ecb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the line of symmetry for the graph of a quadratic function contains the vertex of the
graph, the x-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the x-coordinate of the midpoint of its two x-
intercepts. The midpoint of two points with x-coordinates and has x-coordinate , where . It′s
given that the vertex is and one of the x-intercepts is . Substituting for and for in
the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields .
Adding to each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the other x-intercept is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 70753f99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70753f99

The function f is defined by . The graph of f in the xy-plane is

a parabola. Which of the following intervals contains the x-coordinate of the vertex
of the graph of f ?

A.
negative 4 is less than x, which is less than negative 3

B.
negative 3 is less than x, which is less than 1

C.
1 is less than x, which is less than 3

D.
3 is less than x, which is less than 4

ID: 70753f99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The graph of a quadratic function in the xy-plane is a parabola. The axis of symmetry of the
parabola passes through the vertex of the parabola. Therefore, the vertex of the parabola and the midpoint of the
segment between the two x-intercepts of the graph have the same x-coordinate. Since , the x-

coordinate of the vertex is . Of the shown intervals, only the interval in choice B contains –2.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from either calculation errors or misidentification of the graph’s x-
intercepts.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 58dcc59f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 58dcc59f

A landscaper is designing a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is to be 5

feet longer than the width. If the area of the garden will be 104 square feet, what
will be the length, in feet, of the garden?

ID: 58dcc59f Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 13. Let w represent the width of the rectangular garden, in feet. Since the length of the garden
will be 5 feet longer than the width of the garden, the length of the garden will be feet. Thus the area of the
garden will be . It is also given that the area of the garden will be 104 square feet. Therefore,

, which is equivalent to . Factoring this equation results in . Therefore,

and . Because width cannot be negative, the width of the garden must be 8 feet. This means the length of
the garden must be feet.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d1614a1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2d1614a1

The function models the population, in thousands, of a certain city years after . According to the model, the
population is predicted to increase by every months. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2d1614a1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the function models the population of the city years after . Since there are
months in a year, months is equivalent to years. Therefore, the expression can represent the number
of years in -month periods. Substituting for in the given equation yields ,
which is equivalent to . Therefore, for each -month period, the predicted population of the
city is times, or of, the previous population. This means that the population is predicted to increase by
every months.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. Each year, the predicted population of the city is times the previous year's predicted
population, which is not the same as an increase of .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 30281058
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 30281058

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects line p at and , where

a and b are constants. What is the slope of line p ?

A.
6

B.
2

C.
negative 2

D.
negative 6

ID: 30281058 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the graph of and line p intersect at and . Therefore, the value
of y when is the value of a, and the value of y when is the value of b. Substituting 1 for x in the given

equation yields , or . Similarly, substituting 5 for x in the given equation yields , or

. Therefore, the intersection points are and . The slope of line p is the ratio of the change in y to

the change in x between these two points: , or 6.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors in determining the values of a,
b, or the slope of line p.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84dd43f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84dd43f8

For the function , , and for each increase in by , the value of decreases by . What is the value of
?

ID: 84dd43f8 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of
decreases by . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each -unit increase
in the value of , this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form , where
represents the initial value of the function and represents the rate of decay,
expressed as a decimal. Because , the value of must be . Because the value of decreases by
for each -unit increase in , the value of must be , or . Therefore, the function can be defined by
. Substituting for in this function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Either or may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases by
. Therefore, when , the value of is , or , of , which can be expressed as
. Since , the value of is . Similarly, when , the value of is of
, which can be expressed as . Since , the value of is . Either or
may be entered as the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 59d1f4b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 59d1f4b5

M equals 1,800 times, 1 point 0 2, to the power t

The equation above models the number of members, M, of a gym t years after the
gym opens. Of the following, which equation models the number of members of
the gym q quarter years after the gym opens?

A.
M equals 1,800 times, 1 point 0 2, to the power of the fraction q over 4

B.
M equals 1,800 times, 1 point 0 2, to the power 4 q

C.
M equals 1,800 times, 1 point 0 0 5, to the power 4 q

D.
M equals 1,800 times, 1 point 0 8 2, to the power q

ID: 59d1f4b5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. In 1 year, there are 4 quarter years, so the number of quarter years, q, is 4 times the number of

years, t ; that is, . This is equivalent to , and substituting this into the expression for M in terms of t

gives .

Choices B and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using instead of . (Choices B and D

are nearly the same since is equivalent to , which is approximately .) Choice C is incorrect
and may be the result of incorrectly using and unnecessarily dividing 0.02 by 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5910bfff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5910bfff

D equals, T minus, the fraction 9 over 25, end fraction, times open parenthesis, 100 minus H, close parenthesis
The formula above can be used to approximate the dew point D, in degrees
Fahrenheit, given the temperature T, in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative
humidity of H percent, where . Which of the following expresses the relative
humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point?

A.
H equals, the fraction 25 over 9, end fraction, times open parenthesis, D minus T, close parenthesis, plus 100

B.
H equals, the fraction 25 over 9, end fraction, times open parenthesis, D minus T, close parenthesis, minus 100

C.
H equals, the fraction 25 over 9, end fraction, times open parenthesis, D plus T, close parenthesis, plus 100

D.
H equals, the fraction 25 over 9, end fraction, times open parenthesis, D plus T, close parenthesis, minus 100

ID: 5910bfff Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative humidity
in terms of the temperature and the dew point. Subtracting T from both sides of this equation yields

. Multiplying both sides by yields . Subtracting 100 from

both sides yields . Multiplying both sides by results in the formula

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rewriting the given formula.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 01668cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 01668cd6

The functions and are defined by the given equations, where . Which of the following equations displays, as a
constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it defines, where ?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 01668cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Functions and are both exponential functions with a base of . Since is less than ,
functions and are both decreasing exponential functions. This means that and decrease as
increases. Since and decrease as increases, the maximum value of each function occurs at the least
value of for which the function is defined. It's given that functions and are defined for . Therefore, the
maximum value of each function occurs at . Substituting for in the equation defining yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the maximum value of is
. Since the equation doesn't display the value , the equation defining doesn't
display the maximum value of . Substituting for in the equation defining yields ,
which can be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to .
Therefore, the maximum value of is . Since the equation displays the value , the
equation defining displays the maximum value of . Thus, only equation II displays, as a constant or coefficient,
the maximum value of the function it defines.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fbb96bb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fbb96bb1

Which of the following are solutions to the given equation, where is a constant and ?
I.
II.
III.

A. I and II only

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

ID: fbb96bb1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Subtracting the expression from both sides of the given equation yields
, which can be rewritten as . Since the two
terms on the right-hand side of this equation have a common factor of , it can be rewritten as
, or . Since is equivalent to , the
equation can be rewritten as . By the zero product property, it
follows that or . Adding to both sides of the equation yields .
Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the two solutions to the
given equation are and . Thus, only and , not , are solutions to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ad038c19
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ad038c19

Which of the following is equivalent to ?

A.
a, squared, plus the fraction b squared over 2

B.
a, squared, plus the fraction b squared over 4

C.
a, squared, plus the fraction a, times b, over 2, end fraction, plus the fraction b squared over 2

D.
a, squared, plus a, times b, plus the fraction b squared over 4

ID: ad038c19 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . Using the distributive property,

the expression yields . Combining like terms gives .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors using the distributive property on the given expression
or combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ef926848
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ef926848

Square P has a side length of inches. Square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square P.
The function gives the area of square Q, in square inches. Which of the following defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ef926848 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Let represent the side length, in inches, of square P. It follows that the perimeter of square P is
inches. It's given that square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square P. Thus,
the perimeter of square Q is inches greater than inches, or inches. Since the perimeter of a square
is times the side length of the square, each side length of Q is , or inches. Since the area of a square
is calculated by multiplying the length of two sides, the area of square Q is , or square
inches. It follows that function is defined by .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 77c0cced
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 77c0cced

In the given system of equations, is a constant. The graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one
point, , in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 77c0cced Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one point,
, in the xy-plane. Therefore, is the only solution to the given system of equations. The given system of
equations can be solved by subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation,
. This yields , or . Since the
given system has only one solution, this equation has only one solution. A quadratic equation in the form
, where , , and are constants, has one solution if and only if the discriminant, , is equal
to zero. Substituting for , for , and for in the expression yields
. Setting this expression equal to zero yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation
by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields ,
or . Factoring from the right-hand side of this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , which is equivalent to , or
. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 1697ffcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1697ffcf

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects the graph of at the

points and . What is the value of a ?

ID: 1697ffcf Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The intersection points of the graphs of and can be found by solving
the system consisting of these two equations. To solve the system, substitute x for y in the first equation. This gives
. Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives . Factoring out of each term on
the left-hand side of the equation gives . Therefore, the possible values for x are 0 and 5. Since ,
the two intersection points are and . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 635f54ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 635f54ee

The surface area of a cube is , where a is a positive constant. Which of the

following gives the perimeter of one face of the cube?

A.
the fraction a, over 4

B.
a

C.
4a

D.
6a

ID: 635f54ee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A cube has 6 faces of equal area, so if the total surface area of a cube is , then the area of

one face is . Likewise, the area of one face of a cube is the square of one of its edges; therefore, if the area of

one face is , then the length of one edge of the cube is . Since the perimeter of one face of a cube is four

times the length of one edge, the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is , then the total surface area of the cube is

, which is not . Choice C is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is 4a,

then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not . Choice D is incorrect because if the
perimeter of one face of the cube is 6a, then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 25da87f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 25da87f8

A triangle with angle measures 30°, 60°, and 90° has a perimeter of .
What is the length of the longest side of the triangle?

ID: 25da87f8 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 12. It is given that the triangle has angle measures of 30°, 60°, and 90°, and so the triangle is a
special right triangle. The side measures of this type of special triangle are in the ratio . If x is the measure
of the shortest leg, then the measure of the other leg is and the measure of the hypotenuse is 2x. The perimeter

of the triangle is given to be , and so the equation for the perimeter can be written as
. Combining like terms and factoring out a common factor of x on the left-hand side of the

equation gives . Rewriting the right-hand side of the equation by factoring out 6 gives

. Dividing both sides of the equation by the common factor gives x = 6. The longest

side of the right triangle, the hypotenuse, has a length of 2x, or 2(6), which is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 459dd6c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 459dd6c5

Triangles and are similar. Each side length of triangle is times the corresponding side length of triangle
. The area of triangle is square inches. What is the area, in square inches, of triangle ?

ID: 459dd6c5 Answer

Correct Answer: 135/8, 16.87, 16.88

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that triangles and are similar and each side length of triangle
is times the corresponding side length of triangle . For two similar triangles, if each side length of the first
triangle is times the corresponding side length of the second triangle, then the area of the first triangle is times
the area of the second triangle. Therefore, the area of triangle is , or , times the area of triangle . It's
given that the area of triangle is square inches. Let represent the area, in square inches, of triangle
. It follows that is times , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields ,
which is equivalent to . Thus, the area, in square inches, of triangle is . Note that 135/8, 16.87, and
16.88 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 310c87fe
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 310c87fe

A cube has a surface area of 54 square meters. What is the

volume, in cubic meters, of the cube?

A. 18

B. 27

C. 36

D. 81

ID: 310c87fe Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The surface area of a cube with side length s is equal to . Since the surface area is given as 54

square meters, the equation can be used to solve for s. Dividing both sides of the equation by 6 yields

. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields and . Since the side length of a cube
must be a positive value, can be discarded as a possible solution, leaving . The volume of a cube with

side length s is equal to . Therefore, the volume of this cube, in cubic meters, is , or 27.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6a3fbec3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 6a3fbec3

In the figure above, and

the length of line segment B D equals 6
. What is the length of
the length of line segment A D equals 8
?
line segment D C

ID: 6a3fbec3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 4.5. According to the properties of right triangles, BD divides triangle ABC into two similar
triangles, ABD and BCD. The corresponding sides of ABD and BCD are proportional, so the ratio of BD to AD is the
same as the ratio of DC to BD. Expressing this information as a proportion gives
. Solving the proportion for DC results in . Note
six eighths equals, the fraction D C, over 6 D C equals 4 point 5
that 4.5 and 9/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 306264ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 306264ab

A right triangle has sides of length , , and units. What is the area of the triangle, in square units?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 306264ab Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The area, , of a triangle can be found using the formula , where is the length of the
base of the triangle and is the height of the triangle. It's given that the triangle is a right triangle. Therefore, its
base and height can be represented by the two legs. It’s also given that the triangle has sides of length , ,
and units. Since units is the greatest of these lengths, it's the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, the two
legs have lengths and units. Substituting these values for and in the formula gives
, which is equivalent to square units, or square units.

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the perimeter, rather than the area, of the triangle.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8027db3f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 8027db3f

In triangle , and angle is a right angle. What is the value of ?

ID: 8027db3f Answer

Correct Answer: .8823, .8824, 15/17

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that angle is the right angle in triangle . Therefore, the acute angles of
triangle are angle and angle . The hypotenuse of a right triangle is the side opposite its right angle.
Therefore, the hypotenuse of triangle is side . The cosine of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of
the length of the side adjacent to the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. It's given that . This can be
written as . Since the cosine of angle is a ratio, it follows that the length of the side adjacent to
angle is and the length of the hypotenuse is , where is a constant. Therefore, and .
The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the
sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. For triangle , it follows that
. Substituting for and for yields . This is equivalent to
. Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Taking the
square root of each side of this equation yields . Since , it follows that , which
can be rewritten as . Note that 15/17, .8824, .8823, and 0.882 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID acd30391
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: acd30391

A circle in the xy-plane has equation . Which of the

following points does NOT lie in the interior of the circle?

A.
negative 7 comma 3

B.
negative 3 comma 1

C.
zero comma zero

D.
3 comma 2

ID: acd30391 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The circle with equation has center and radius 5. For a point to be
inside of the circle, the distance from that point to the center must be less than the radius, 5. The distance between

and is , which is greater than 5. Therefore, does

NOT lie in the interior of the circle.

Choice A is incorrect. The distance between and is ,

which is less than 5, and therefore lies in the interior of the circle. Choice B is incorrect because it is the

center of the circle. Choice C is incorrect because the distance between and is

, which is less than 5, and therefore in the interior of the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dba6a25a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: dba6a25a

In the figure above, is parallel to .

What is the length of ?

ID: dba6a25a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. In the figure given, since is parallel to and both segments are intersected by ,

then angle BDC and angle AEC are corresponding angles and therefore congruent. Angle BCD and angle ACE are also
congruent because they are the same angle. Triangle BCD and triangle ACE are similar because if two angles of one
triangle are congruent to two angles of another triangle, the triangles are similar. Since triangle BCD and triangle
ACE are similar, their corresponding sides are proportional. So in triangle BCD and triangle ACE, corresponds to

and corresponds to . Therefore, . Since triangle BCD is a right triangle, the Pythagorean

theorem can be used to give the value of CD: . Taking the square root of each side gives .

Substituting the values in the proportion yields . Multiplying each side by CE, and then

multiplying by yields . Therefore, the length of is 30.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2be01bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 2be01bd9

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angle corresponds to angle .
Angles and are right angles. If , what is the value of ?

ID: 2be01bd9 Answer

Correct Answer: .14, 7/50

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to
angle and angle corresponds to angle . In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal.
Since angle and angle are corresponding angles, if , then . It's also given that angles
and are right angles. It follows that triangle is a right triangle with acute angles and . The tangent of
one acute angle in a right triangle is the inverse of the tangent of the other acute angle in the triangle. Therefore,
. Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Thus, if
, the value of is . Note that 7/50 and .14 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f7e626b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: f7e626b2

The dimensions of a right rectangular prism are 4 inches by 5 inches by 6 inches.

What is the surface area, in square inches, of the prism?

A. 30

B. 74

C. 120

D. 148

ID: f7e626b2 Answer

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The surface area is found by summing the area of each face. A right rectangular prism consists
of three pairs of congruent rectangles, so the surface area is found by multiplying the areas of three adjacent
rectangles by 2 and adding these products. For this prism, the surface area is equal to , or
, which is equal to 148.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the area of one of the faces of the prism. Choice B is incorrect and may result from
adding the areas of three adjacent rectangles without multiplying by 2. Choice C is incorrect. This is the volume, in
cubic inches, of the prism.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 17912810
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 17912810

In the figure, parallel lines and are intersected by lines and . If and , what is the value of ?

ID: 17912810 Answer

Correct Answer: 101/2, 50.5

Rationale

The correct answer is . In the figure, lines , , and form a triangle. One interior angle of this triangle is vertical
to the angle marked ; therefore, the interior angle also has measure . It's given that . Therefore, the
interior angle of the triangle has measure . A second interior angle of the triangle forms a straight line, , with
the angle marked . Therefore, the sum of the measures of these two angles is . It's given that .
Therefore, the angle marked has measure and the second interior angle of the triangle has measure
, or . The sum of the interior angles of a triangle is . Therefore, the measure of the third
interior angle of the triangle is , or . It's given that parallel lines and are intersected by line
. It follows that the triangle's interior angle with measure is congruent to the same side interior angle between
lines and formed by lines and . Since this angle is supplementary to the two angles marked , the sum of
, , and is . It follows that , or . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 101/2 and 50.5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 92eb236a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 92eb236a

In a right triangle, the tangent of one of the two acute angles is . What
is the tangent of the other acute angle?

A.
the negative of the fraction with numerator the square root of 3, and denominator 3

B.
the negative of the fraction with numerator 3, and denominator the square root of 3

C.
the fraction with numerator the square root of 3, and denominator 3

D.
the fraction with numerator 3, and denominator the square root of 3

ID: 92eb236a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The tangent of a nonright angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg
opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Using that definition for tangent, in a right triangle

with legs that have lengths a and b, the tangent of one acute angle is and the tangent for the other acute angle is

. It follows that the tangents of the acute angles in a right triangle are reciprocals of each other. Therefore, the

tangent of the other acute angle in the given triangle is the reciprocal of or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other acute angle is the negative of the
tangent of the angle described. Choice B is incorrect and may result from assuming that the tangent of the other
acute angle is the negative of the reciprocal of the tangent of the angle described. Choice C is incorrect and may
result from interpreting the tangent of the other acute angle as equal to the tangent of the angle described.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f329442c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: f329442c

Circle has a radius of and circle has a radius of , where is a positive constant. The area of circle is how
many times the area of circle ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f329442c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The area of a circle can be found by using the formula , where is the area and is the
radius of the circle. It’s given that the radius of circle A is . Substituting this value for into the formula
gives , or . It’s also given that the radius of circle B is . Substituting this value for into the
formula gives , or . Dividing the area of circle B by the area of circle A gives
, which simplifies to . Therefore, the area of circle B is times the area of circle A.

Choice A is incorrect. This is how many times greater the radius of circle B is than the radius of circle A.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the coefficient on the term that describes the radius of circle B.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID eb70d2d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: eb70d2d0

What is the area, in square units, of the triangle formed by connecting the three points shown?

ID: eb70d2d0 Answer

Correct Answer: 24.5, 49/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that a triangle is formed by connecting the three points shown, which are
, , and . Let this triangle be triangle A. The area of triangle A can be found by calculating the
area of the rectangle that circumscribes it and subtracting the areas of the three triangles that are inside the
rectangle but outside triangle A. The rectangle formed by the points , , , and
circumscribes triangle A. The width, in units, of this rectangle can be found by calculating the distance between the
points and . This distance is , or . The length, in units, of this rectangle can be found by
calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . It follows that the
area, in square units, of the rectangle is , or . One of the triangles that lies inside the rectangle but outside
triangle A is formed by the points , , and . The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be
found by calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . The
corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points
and . This distance is , or . It follows that the area, in square units, of this triangle is , or .
A second triangle that lies inside the rectangle but outside triangle A is formed by the points , , and
. The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points
 and . This distance is , or . The corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found
by calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . It follows that the
area, in square units, of this triangle is , or . The third triangle that lies inside the rectangle but outside
triangle A is formed by the points , , and . The length, in units, of a base of this triangle can
be found by calculating the distance between the points and . This distance is , or . The
corresponding height, in units, of this triangle can be found by calculating the distance between the points
and . This distance is , or . It follows that the area, in square units, of this triangle is , or
. Thus, the area, in square units, of the triangle formed by connecting the three points shown is
, or . Note that 24.5 and 49/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c6dff223
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: c6dff223

Triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to angle and angles and are right angles. The
length of is times the length of . If , what is the value of ?

ID: c6dff223 Answer

Correct Answer: .7241, 21/29

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that triangle is similar to triangle , where angle corresponds to
angle and angles and are right angles. In similar triangles, the tangents of corresponding angles are equal.
Therefore, if , then . In a right triangle, the tangent of an acute angle is the ratio of the
length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. Therefore, in triangle , if
, the ratio of the length of to the length of is . If the lengths of and are and ,
respectively, then the ratio of the length of to the length of is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute
angle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. Therefore, the value of
is the ratio of the length of to the length of . The length of can be calculated using the
Pythagorean theorem, which states that if the lengths of the legs of a right triangle are and and the length of the
hypotenuse is , then . Therefore, if the lengths of and are and , respectively, then
, or . Taking the positive square root of both sides of this equation yields
. Therefore, if the lengths of and are and , respectively, then the length of is and the
ratio of the length of to the length of is . Thus, if , the value of is . Note that 21/29,
.7241, and 0.724 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ae041e52
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: ae041e52

A square is inscribed in a circle. The radius of the circle is inches. What is the side length, in inches, of the square?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ae041e52 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. When a square is inscribed in a circle, a diagonal of the square is a diameter of the circle. It's
given that a square is inscribed in a circle and the length of a radius of the circle is inches. Therefore, the
length of a diameter of the circle is inches, or inches. It follows that the length of a diagonal of the
square is inches. A diagonal of a square separates the square into two right triangles in which the legs are the
sides of the square and the hypotenuse is a diagonal. Since a square has congruent sides, each of these two right
triangles has congruent legs and a hypotenuse of length inches. Since each of these two right triangles has
congruent legs, they are both - - triangles. In a - - triangle, the length of the hypotenuse is times
the length of a leg. Let represent the length of a leg of one of these - - triangles. It follows that
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the length of a leg of one of
these - - triangles is inches. Since the legs of these two - - triangles are the sides of the square, it
follows that the side length of the square is inches.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the length of a radius, in inches, of the circle.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the length of a diameter, in inches, of the circle.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fb58c0db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: fb58c0db

Points A and B lie on a circle with radius 1, and arc has length . What

fraction of the circumference of the circle is the length of arc ?

ID: fb58c0db Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The circumference, C, of a circle is , where r is the length of the radius of the
circle. For the given circle with a radius of 1, the circumference is , or . To find what fraction of

the circumference the length of arc is, divide the length of the arc by the circumference, which gives .

This division can be represented by . Note that 1/6, .1666, .1667, 0.166, and 0.167 are examples of ways
to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 93de3f84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 93de3f84

The volume of right circular cylinder A is 22 cubic centimeters. What is the volume,
in cubic centimeters, of a right circular cylinder with twice the radius and half the
height of cylinder A?

A. 11

B. 22

C. 44

D. 66

ID: 93de3f84 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The volume of right circular cylinder A is given by the expression , where r is the radius of
its circular base and h is its height. The volume of a cylinder with twice the radius and half the height of cylinder A

is given by , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the volume is twice the volume of

cylinder A, or .

Choice A is incorrect and likely results from not multiplying the radius of cylinder A by 2. Choice B is incorrect and
likely results from not squaring the 2 in 2r when applying the volume formula. Choice D is incorrect and likely
results from a conceptual error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f243c383
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: f243c383

Two identical rectangular prisms each have a height of . The base of each prism is a square, and the
surface area of each prism is . If the prisms are glued together along a square base, the resulting prism has a surface
area of . What is the side length, in , of each square base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f243c383 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Let represent the side length, in , of each square base. If the two prisms are glued together
along a square base, the resulting prism has a surface area equal to twice the surface area of one of the prisms,
minus the area of the two square bases that are being glued together, which yields . It’s given that
this resulting surface area is equal to , so . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . This equation can be rewritten by multiplying on the left-hand side by
, which yields , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . The surface area , in , of each
rectangular prism is equivalent to the sum of the areas of the two square bases and the areas of the four lateral
faces. Since the height of each rectangular prism is and the side length of each square base is , it
follows that the area of each square base is and the area of each lateral face is . Therefore, the
surface area of each rectangular prism can be represented by the expression , or .
Substituting this expression for in the equation yields . Subtracting and
from both sides of this equation yields . Factoring from the right-hand side of this equation
yields . Applying the zero product property, it follows that and . Adding
to both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Since a side length of a rectangular prism can’t be , the length of each square base is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e80d62c6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: e80d62c6

The equation represents circle A. Circle B is obtained by shifting circle A down units in the xy-plane.
Which of the following equations represents circle B?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: e80d62c6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The standard form of an equation of a circle in the xy-plane is , where
the coordinates of the center of the circle are and the length of the radius of the circle is . The equation of
circle A, , can be rewritten as . Therefore, the center of circle A is at
and the length of the radius of circle A is . If circle A is shifted down units, the y-coordinate of its center
will decrease by ; the radius of the circle and the x-coordinate of its center will not change. Therefore, the center of
circle B is at , or , and its radius is . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation
yields , or . Therefore, the equation
represents circle B.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a circle obtained by shifting circle A up, rather than down, units.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a circle obtained by shifting circle A right, rather than down, units.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a circle obtained by shifting circle A left, rather than down, units.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7c25b0dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 7c25b0dc

The length of a rectangle’s diagonal is , and the length of the rectangle’s shorter side is . What is the length of the
rectangle’s longer side?

ID: 7c25b0dc Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale

The correct answer is . The diagonal of a rectangle forms a right triangle, where the shorter side and the longer
side of the rectangle are the legs of the triangle and the diagonal of the rectangle is the hypotenuse of the triangle.
It's given that the length of the rectangle's diagonal is and the length of the rectangle's shorter side is . Thus,
the length of the hypotenuse of the right triangle formed by the diagonal is and the length of one of the legs is
. By the Pythagorean theorem, if a right triangle has a hypotenuse with length and legs with lengths and , then
. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation
yields , or . Since represents a length, which must be positive, the value of is . Thus, the
length of the rectangle's longer side is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 89661424
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 89661424

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at and has a radius of . An equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 89661424 Answer

Correct Answer: -52

Rationale

The correct answer is . The equation of a circle in the xy-plane with its center at and a radius of can be
written in the form . It's given that a circle in the xy-plane has its center at and
has a radius of . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields
, or . It's also given that an equation of this circle is
, where , , and are constants. Therefore, can be rewritten
in the form . The equation , or
, can be rewritten as .
Combining like terms on the left-hand side of this equation yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields , which is equivalent to
. This equation is in the form . Therefore, the
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 981275d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 981275d2
Open parenthesis, x minus 6, close parenthesis, squared, plus, open parenthesis, y plus 5, close parenthesis, squared,
equals 16

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation above is a circle. Point P is on the circle
and has coordinates . If is a diameter of the circle, what are the
coordinates of point Q ?

A.
2 comma negative 5

B.
6 comma negative 1

C.
6 comma negative 5

D.
6 comma negative 9

ID: 981275d2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The standard form for the equation of a circle is , where are the
coordinates of the center and r is the length of the radius. According to the given equation, the center of the circle is
. Let represent the coordinates of point Q. Since point P and point Q are the endpoints

of a diameter of the circle, the center lies on the diameter, halfway between P and Q. Therefore, the following

relationships hold: and . Solving the equations for and , respectively, yields
and . Therefore, the coordinates of point Q are .

Alternate approach: Since point P on the circle and the center of the circle have the same y-

coordinate, it follows that the radius of the circle is . In addition, the opposite end of the diameter

must have the same y-coordinate as P and be 4 units away from the center. Hence, the coordinates of point Q must
be .

Choices B and D are incorrect because the points given in these choices lie on a diameter that is perpendicular to
the diameter . If either of these points were point Q, then would not be the diameter of the circle. Choice C is
incorrect because is the center of the circle and does not lie on the circle.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9d159400
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9d159400

Which of the following equations represents a circle in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at exactly one point?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 9d159400 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The graph of the equation in the xy-plane is a circle with center
and a radius of length . The radius of a circle is the distance from the center of the circle to any point on the
circle. If a circle in the xy-plane intersects the y-axis at exactly one point, then the perpendicular distance from the
center of the circle to this point on the y-axis must be equal to the length of the circle's radius. It follows that the x-
coordinate of the circle's center must be equivalent to the length of the circle's radius. In other words, if the graph of
is a circle that intersects the y-axis at exactly one point, then must be true. The
equation in choice C is , or . This equation is in the form
, where , , and , and represents a circle in the xy-plane with center
and radius of length . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or , which is true.
Therefore, the equation in choice C represents a circle in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at exactly one
point.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the equation of a circle that does not intersect the y-axis at any point.

Choice B is incorrect. This is an equation of a circle that intersects the x-axis, not the y-axis, at exactly one point.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the equation of a circle with the center located on the y-axis and thus intersects the y-
axis at exactly two points, not exactly one point.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ca2235f6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ca2235f6

A circle has center , and points and lie on the circle. The measure of arc is and the length of arc is
inches. What is the circumference, in inches, of the circle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ca2235f6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the measure of arc is and the length of arc is . The arc
measure of the full circle is . If represents the circumference, in inches, of the circle, it follows that
. This equation is equivalent to , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields , or . Therefore, the circumference of the circle is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of arc .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the length of arc by .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from squaring the length of arc .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5b4757df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 5b4757df

In triangle , angle is a right angle, point lies on , point lies on , and is parallel to . If the length of
is units, the length of is units, and the area of triangle is square units, what is the length of , in
units?

ID: 5b4757df Answer

Correct Answer: 14.66, 14.67, 44/3

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that in triangle , angle is a right angle. The area of a right triangle can be
found using the formula 𝓁 𝓁 , where represents the area of the right triangle, 𝓁 represents the length of
one leg of the triangle, and 𝓁 represents the length of the other leg of the triangle. In triangle , the two legs are
and . Therefore, if the length of is and the area of triangle is , then , or
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the length of is . It's
also given that point lies on , point lies on , and is parallel to . It follows that angle is a
right angle. Since triangles and share angle and have right angles and , respectively, triangles
and are similar triangles. Therefore, the ratio of the length of to the length of is equal to the
ratio of the length of to the length of . If the length of is and the length of is , it follows that the
ratio of the length of to the length of is , or , so the ratio of the length of to the length of is .
Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Since the length of , , is the sum of the length of , , and the length of ,
it follows that the length of is , or . Note that 44/3, 14.66, and 14.67 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9acd101f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9acd101f

The equation represents circle A. Circle B is obtained by shifting circle A down units in the xy-plane.
Which of the following equations represents circle B?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 9acd101f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The graph in the xy-plane of an equation of the form is a circle with
center and a radius of length . It's given that circle A is represented by , which can be
rewritten as . Therefore, circle A has center and a radius of length . Shifting circle A
down two units is a rigid vertical translation of circle A that does not change its size or shape. Since circle B is
obtained by shifting circle A down two units, it follows that circle B has the same radius as circle A, and for each
point on circle A, the point lies on circle B. Moreover, if is the center of circle A, then
is the center of circle B. Therefore, circle B has a radius of and the center of circle B is , or
. Thus, circle B can be represented by the equation , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the equation of a circle obtained by shifting circle A right units.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the equation of a circle obtained by shifting circle A up units.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the equation of a circle obtained by shifting circle A left units.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6ab30ce3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6ab30ce3

Triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and corresponds to . Angles and are right
angles. If and , what is the length of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ab30ce3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Corresponding angles in similar triangles have equal measures. It's given that triangle is
similar to triangle , where corresponds to , so the measure of angle is equal to the measure of angle .
Therefore, if , then . It's given that angles and are right angles, so triangles
and are right triangles. The adjacent side of an acute angle in a right triangle is the side closest to the angle
that is not the hypotenuse. It follows that the adjacent side of angle is side . The opposite side of an acute
angle in a right triangle is the side across from the acute angle. It follows that the opposite side of angle is side
. The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of
the adjacent side. Therefore, . If , the length of side can be found by substituting
for and for in the equation , which yields . Multiplying both sides of this
equation by yields . Since the length of side is times the length of side , it follows
that triangle is a special right triangle with angle measures , , and . Therefore, the length of the
hypotenuse, , is times the length of side , or . Substituting for in this equation
yields , or . Thus, if and , the length of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the length of , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6933b3d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 6933b3d9

In triangle RST above, point W (not shown) lies on . What is the

value of ?

ID: 6933b3d9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 0. Note that no matter where point W is on , the sum of the measures of and
is equal to the measure of , which is . Thus, and are complementary angles.
Since the cosine of an angle is equal to the sine of its complementary angle, . Therefore,
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c9931030
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: c9931030

The side lengths of right triangle are given. Triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and
corresponds to . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c9931030 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that right triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and
corresponds to . It's given that the side lengths of the right triangle are , , and .
Corresponding angles in similar triangles are equal. It follows that the measure of angle is equal to the measure of
angle . The hypotenuse of a right triangle is the longest side. It follows that the hypotenuse of triangle is
side . The hypotenuse of a right triangle is the side opposite the right angle. Therefore, angle is a right angle.
The adjacent side of an acute angle in a right triangle is the side closest to the angle that is not the hypotenuse. It
follows that the adjacent side of angle is side . The opposite side of an acute angle in a right triangle is the side
across from the acute angle. It follows that the opposite side of angle is side . The tangent of an acute angle in
a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side. Therefore,
. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or . The
tangents of two acute angles with equal measures are equal. Since the measure of angle is equal to the measure of
angle , it follows that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f811d345
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: f811d345

A right triangle has legs with lengths of centimeters and centimeters. If the length of this triangle's hypotenuse, in
centimeters, can be written in the form , where is an integer, what is the value of ?

ID: f811d345 Answer

Correct Answer: 113

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the legs of a right triangle have lengths centimeters and centimeters.
In a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the
two legs. It follows that if represents the length, in centimeters, of the hypotenuse of the right triangle,
. This equation is equivalent to . Taking the square root of each side of this equation
yields . This equation can be rewritten as , or . This equation is equivalent
to . It's given that the length of the triangle's hypotenuse, in centimeters, can be written in the form
. It follows that the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dc71597b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: dc71597b

A right circular cone has a volume of cubic feet and a height of 9 feet. What
is the radius, in feet, of the base of the cone?

A.
one third

B.
the fraction 1 over the square root of 3, end fraction

C.
the square root of 3

D.
3

ID: dc71597b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The equation for the volume of a right circular cone is . It’s given that the volume of

the right circular cone is cubic feet and the height is 9 feet. Substituting these values for V and h, respectively,

gives . Dividing both sides of the equation by gives . Dividing both sides of the

equation by 9 gives . Taking the square root of both sides results in two possible values for the radius,

or . Since the radius can’t have a negative value, that leaves as the only possibility. Applying the

quotient property of square roots, , results in , or .

Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly evaluating . Choice D is incorrect and may

result from solving instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9f934297
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 9f934297

A right rectangular prism has a length of , a width of , and a height of . What is the surface
area, , of the right rectangular prism?

ID: 9f934297 Answer

Correct Answer: 2216

Rationale

The correct answer is . The surface area of a prism is the sum of the areas of all its faces. A right rectangular
prism consists of six rectangular faces, where opposite faces are congruent. It's given that this prism has a length of
, a width of , and a height of . Thus, for this prism, there are two faces with area ,
two faces with area , and two faces with area . Therefore, the surface area, , of the
right rectangular prism is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5b2b8866
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 5b2b8866

A rectangular poster has an area of square inches. A copy of the poster is made in which the length and width of the
original poster are each increased by . What is the area of the copy, in square inches?

ID: 5b2b8866 Answer

Correct Answer: 2592/5, 518.4

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the area of the original poster is square inches. Let 𝓁 represent the
length, in inches, of the original poster, and let represent the width, in inches, of the original poster. Since the area
of a rectangle is equal to its length times its width, it follows that 𝓁 . It's also given that a copy of the poster
is made in which the length and width of the original poster are each increased by . It follows that the length of
the copy is the length of the original poster plus of the length of the original poster, which is equivalent to
𝓁 𝓁 inches. This length can be rewritten as 𝓁 𝓁 inches, or 𝓁 inches. Similarly, the width of the copy is
the width of the original poster plus of the width of the original poster, which is equivalent to
inches. This width can be rewritten as inches, or inches. Since the area of a rectangle is equal to its
length times its width, it follows that the area, in square inches, of the copy is equal to 𝓁 , which can be
rewritten as 𝓁 . Since 𝓁 , the area, in square inches, of the copy can be found by substituting
for 𝓁 in the expression 𝓁 , which yields , or . Therefore, the area of the copy,
in square inches, is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID eeb4143c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: eeb4143c

The area of triangle ABC above is at least 48 but no more than 60. If y is an
integer, what is one possible value of x ?

ID: eeb4143c Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either , , or . The area of triangle ABC can be expressed as or . It’s
given that the area of triangle ABC is at least 48 but no more than 60. It follows that . Dividing by 6 to
isolate y in this compound inequality yields . Since y is an integer, . In the given figure, the

two right triangles shown are similar because they have two pairs of congruent angles: their respective right angles

and angle A. Therefore, the following proportion is true: . Substituting 8 for y in the proportion results in

. Cross multiplying and solving for x yields . Substituting 9 for y in the proportion results in .

Cross multiplying and solving for x yields . Substituting 10 for y in the proportion results in . Cross

multiplying and solving for x yields . Note that 10/3, 15/4, 25/6, 3.333, 3.75, 4.166, and 4.167 are examples of ways

to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0e709a29
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 0e709a29

The side lengths of right triangle are given. Triangle is similar to triangle , where corresponds to and
corresponds to . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0e709a29 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The hypotenuse of triangle is the longest side and is across from the right angle. The
longest side length given is , which is the length of side . Therefore, the hypotenuse of triangle is side
, so the right angle is angle . The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the length of the
opposite side, which is the side across from the angle, to the length of the adjacent side, which is the side closest to
the angle that is not the hypotenuse. It follows that the opposite side of angle is side and the adjacent side of
angle is side . Therefore, . Substituting for and for in this equation yields
. This is equivalent to . It’s given that triangle is similar to triangle , where
corresponds to and corresponds to . It follows that corresponds to . Therefore, the hypotenuse of triangle
is side , which means . Since the lengths of corresponding sides of similar triangles are
proportional, . Therefore, is equivalent to , or . Thus,
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 568d66a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 568d66a7

An isosceles right triangle has a perimeter of inches. What is the length, in inches, of one leg of this triangle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 568d66a7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that the right triangle is isosceles. In an isosceles right triangle, the two legs have
equal lengths, and the length of the hypotenuse is times the length of one of the legs. Let 𝓁 represent the length,
in inches, of each leg of the isosceles right triangle. It follows that the length of the hypotenuse is 𝓁 inches. The
perimeter of a figure is the sum of the lengths of the sides of the figure. Therefore, the perimeter of the isosceles
right triangle is 𝓁 𝓁 𝓁 inches. It's given that the perimeter of the triangle is inches. It follows
that 𝓁 𝓁 𝓁 . Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields 𝓁

, or 𝓁 . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields 𝓁 . Rationalizing

the denominator of the right-hand side of this equation by multiplying the right-hand side of the equation by

yields 𝓁 . Applying the distributive property to the numerator and to the denominator of the

right-hand side of this equation yields 𝓁 . This is equivalent to 𝓁 , or 𝓁 .

Therefore, the length, in inches, of one leg of the isosceles right triangle is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the length, in inches, of the hypotenuse.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9e44284b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 9e44284b

In the xy-plane, the graph of is a

circle. What is the radius of the circle?

A. 5

B. 6.5

C.
square root of 40

D.
square root of 50

ID: 9e44284b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. One way to find the radius of the circle is to rewrite the given equation in standard form,
, where is the center of the circle and the radius of the circle is r. To do this, divide the

original equation, , by 2 to make the leading coefficients of and each equal to 1:

. Then complete the square to put the equation in standard form. To do so, first rewrite

as . Second, add 2.25 and 0.25 to both

sides of the equation: . Since ,

, and , it follows that . Therefore, the radius of the circle

is 5.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of errors in manipulating the equation or of a misconception
about the standard form of the equation of a circle in the xy-plane.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 24cec8d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 24cec8d1

A circle has center , and points and lie on the circle. In triangle , the measure of is . What is the
measure of , in degrees? (Disregard the degree symbol when entering your answer.)

ID: 24cec8d1 Answer

Correct Answer: 46

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that is the center of a circle and that points and lie on the circle.
Therefore, and are radii of the circle. It follows that . If two sides of a triangle are congruent, then
the angles opposite them are congruent. It follows that the angles and , which are across from the
sides of equal length, are congruent. Let represent the measure of . It follows that the measure of
is also . It's given that the measure of is . Because the sum of the measures of the interior angles of a
triangle is , the equation , or , can be used to find the measure of .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Therefore, the measure of , in degrees, is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ffe862a3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: ffe862a3

An isosceles right triangle has a hypotenuse of length inches. What is the perimeter, in inches, of this triangle?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ffe862a3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the triangle is an isosceles right triangle, the two sides that form the right angle must be
the same length. Let be the length, in inches, of each of those sides. The Pythagorean theorem states that in a
right triangle, , where is the length of the hypotenuse and and are the lengths of the other two
sides. Substituting for , for , and for in this equation yields , or . Dividing each
side of this equation by yields , or . Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields
two solutions: and . The value of must be positive because it represents a side length.
Therefore, , or . The perimeter, in inches, of the triangle is , or . Substituting
for in this expression gives a perimeter, in inches, of , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length, in inches, of each of the congruent sides of the triangle, not the perimeter,
in inches, of the triangle.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the sum of the lengths, in inches, of the congruent sides of the triangle, not the
perimeter, in inches, of the triangle.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bd7f6e30
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: bd7f6e30

In the figure above, .

What is the value of x ?

A. 72

B. 66

C. 64

D. 58

ID: bd7f6e30 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since , it follows that is an isosceles triangle with base RU. Therefore,
and are the base angles of an isosceles triangle and are congruent. Let the measures of both and
be . According to the triangle sum theorem, the sum of the measures of the three angles of a triangle is

. Therefore, , so .

Note that is the same angle as . Thus, the measure of is . According to the triangle
exterior angle theorem, an external angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the opposite interior angles. Therefore,
is equal to the sum of the measures of and ; that is, . Thus, the value of x is 64.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the measure of , but is not congruent to . Choices A and D are
incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 55bb437a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 55bb437a

In the figure above, . If and

, what is the length of ?

ID: 55bb437a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6. Since , and are both similar to 3-4-5 triangles. This means that
they are both similar to the right triangle with sides of lengths 3, 4, and 5. Since , which is 3 times as long as
the hypotenuse of the 3-4-5 triangle, the similarity ratio of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 3:1. Therefore, the length

of (the side opposite to ) is , and the length of (the side adjacent to ) is . It is also
given that . Since and , it follows that , which means that the similarity ratio

of to the 3-4-5 triangle is 2:1 ( is the side adjacent to ). Therefore, the length of , which is the
side opposite to , is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b0dc920d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: b0dc920d

A manufacturer determined that right cylindrical containers with a height that is 4

inches longer than the radius offer the optimal number of containers to be
displayed on a shelf. Which of the following expresses the volume, V, in cubic
inches, of such containers, where r is the radius, in inches?

A.
V equals, 4 pi r cubed

B.
V equals, pi times, open parenthesis, 2 r, close parenthesis, cubed

C.
V equals, pi r squared, plus 4 pi r

D.
V equals, pi r cubed, plus 4 pi r squared

ID: b0dc920d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The volume, V, of a right cylinder is given by the formula , where r represents the

radius of the base of the cylinder and h represents the height. Since the height is 4 inches longer than the radius,
the expression represents the height of each cylindrical container. It follows that the volume of each container

is represented by the equation . Distributing the expression into each term in the parentheses

yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from representing the height as instead of . Choice B is incorrect and
may result from representing the height as instead of . Choice C is incorrect and may result from

representing the volume of a right cylinder as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3e577e4a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 3e577e4a

A circle in the xy-plane has its center at . Line is tangent to this circle at the point . What is the slope of
line ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3e577e4a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A line that's tangent to a circle is perpendicular to the radius of the circle at the point of
tangency. It's given that the circle has its center at and line is tangent to the circle at the point
. The slope of a radius defined by the points and can be calculated as . The points and
define the radius of the circle at the point of tangency. Therefore, the slope of this radius can be calculated
as , or . If a line and a radius are perpendicular, the slope of the line must be the negative reciprocal of
the slope of the radius. The negative reciprocal of is . Thus, the slope of line is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the slope of the radius of the circle at the point of tangency, not the slope of line .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ab176ad6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ab176ad6

The equation defines a circle in the

xy‑plane. What is the radius of the circle?

ID: ab176ad6 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 11. A circle with equation , where a, b, and r are constants, has center
and radius r. Therefore, the radius of the given circle is , or 11.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 249d3f80
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 249d3f80

Point is the center of a circle. The measure of arc on this circle is . What is the measure, in degrees, of its
associated angle ?

ID: 249d3f80 Answer

Correct Answer: 100

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that point is the center of a circle and the measure of arc on the circle is
. It follows that points and lie on the circle. Therefore, and are radii of the circle. A central angle is
an angle formed by two radii of a circle, with its vertex at the center of the circle. Therefore, is a central
angle. Because the degree measure of an arc is equal to the measure of its associated central angle, it follows that
the measure, in degrees, of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3b225698
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 3b225698

Triangle is similar to triangle such that , , and correspond to , , and , respectively. The measure of
is and . What is the measure of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3b225698 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that triangle is similar to triangle , such that , , and correspond to ,
, and , respectively. Since corresponding angles of similar triangles are congruent, it follows that the measure of
is congruent to the measure of . It’s given that the measure of is . Therefore, the measure of is
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from a conceptual error.

Choice B is incorrect. This is half the measure of .

Choice D is incorrect. This is twice the measure of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 740bf79f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 740bf79f

In the figure above, what is the

length of ?

A. 2.2

B. 2.3

C. 2.4

D. 2.5

ID: 740bf79f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. First, is the hypotenuse of right , whose legs have lengths 3 and 4. Therefore,

, so and . Second, because corresponds to and because

corresponds to , is similar to . The ratio of corresponding sides of similar triangles is

constant, so . Since and it’s given that and , . Solving for NQ results

in , or 2.4.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from setting up incorrect ratios.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 899c6042
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 899c6042

A right circular cone has a height of and a base with a diameter of . The volume of this cone is
. What is the value of ?

ID: 899c6042 Answer

Correct Answer: 66

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the right circular cone has a height of centimeters and a base with
a diameter of . Since the diameter of the base of the cone is , the radius of the base is . The volume ,
, of a right circular cone can be found using the formula , where is the height, , and is
the radius, , of the base of the cone. Substituting for and for in this formula yields , or
. Therefore, the volume of the cone is . It’s given that the volume of the cone is . Therefore,
the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a4bd60a3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: a4bd60a3

The perimeter of an equilateral triangle is centimeters. The height of this triangle is centimeters, where is a
constant. What is the value of ?

ID: a4bd60a3 Answer

Correct Answer: 104

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides have the same length and all
three angles have a measure of . The height of the triangle, , is the length of the altitude from one vertex.
The altitude divides the equilateral triangle into two congruent 30-60-90 right triangles, where the altitude is the
side across from the angle in each 30-60-90 right triangle. Since the altitude has a length of , it follows from
the properties of 30-60-90 right triangles that the side across from each angle has a length of and each
hypotenuse has a length of . In this case, the hypotenuse of each 30-60-90 right triangle is a side of the equilateral
triangle; therefore, each side length of the equilateral triangle is . The perimeter of a triangle is the sum of the
lengths of each side. It's given that the perimeter of the equilateral triangle is ; therefore, ,
or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ba8ca563
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: ba8ca563

A cube has a volume of cubic units. What is the surface area, in square units, of the cube?

ID: ba8ca563 Answer

Correct Answer: 36504

Rationale

The correct answer is . The volume of a cube can be found using the formula , where represents the
edge length of a cube. It’s given that this cube has a volume of cubic units. Substituting for in
yields . Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation yields . Thus, the edge length
of the cube is units. Since each face of a cube is a square, it follows that each face has an edge length of units.
The area of a square can be found using the formula . Substituting for in this formula yields , or
. Therefore, the area of one face of this cube is square units. Since a cube has faces, the surface
area, in square units, of this cube is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b0a72bdc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: b0a72bdc

What is the diameter of the circle in the xy-plane with equation ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b0a72bdc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The standard form of an equation of a circle in the xy-plane is , where
the coordinates of the center of the circle are and the length of the radius of the circle is . For the circle in
the xy-plane with equation , it follows that . Taking the square root of both sides
of this equation yields or . Because represents the length of the radius of the circle and this length
must be positive, . Therefore, the radius of the circle is . The diameter of a circle is twice the length of the
radius of the circle. Thus, yields . Therefore, the diameter of the circle is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the radius of the circle.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the square of the radius of the circle.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8a225ff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: b8a225ff

Circle A in the xy-plane has the equation . Circle B has the same center as circle A. The radius of
circle B is two times the radius of circle A. The equation defining circle B in the xy-plane is , where
is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: b8a225ff Answer

Correct Answer: 16

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equation of a circle in the xy-plane can be written as , where
the center of the circle is , the radius of the circle is , and where , , and are constants. It’s given that the
equation of circle A is , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the
center of circle A is and the radius of circle A is . It’s given that circle B has the same center as circle A and
that the radius of circle B is two times the radius of circle A. Therefore, the center of circle B is and the
radius of circle B is , or . Substituting for , for , and for into the equation
yields , which is equivalent to . It follows that the equation of
circle B in the xy-plane is . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4c95c7d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 4c95c7d4

A graphic designer is creating a logo for a company. The logo is shown in the
figure above. The logo is in the shape of a trapezoid and consists of
three congruent equilateral triangles. If the perimeter of the logo is 20 centimeters,
what is the combined area of the shaded regions, in square centimeters, of the
logo?

A.
2 times the square root of 3

B.
4 times the square root of 3

C.
8 times the square root of 3

D.
16

ID: 4c95c7d4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the logo is in the shape of a trapezoid that consists of three congruent equilateral
triangles, and that the perimeter of the trapezoid is 20 centimeters (cm). Since the perimeter of the trapezoid is the

sum of the lengths of 5 of the sides of the triangles, the length of each side of an equilateral triangle is .

Dividing up one equilateral triangle into two right triangles yields a pair of congruent 30°-60°-90° triangles. The
shorter leg of each right triangle is half the length of the side of an equilateral triangle, or 2 cm. Using the
Pythagorean Theorem, , the height of the equilateral triangle can be found. Substituting and

and solving for b yields cm. The area of one equilateral triangle is , where and

. Therefore, the area of one equilateral triangle is . The shaded area consists of two

such triangles, so its area is .

Alternate approach: The area of a trapezoid can be found by evaluating the expression , where is the
length of one base, is the length of the other base, and h is the height of the trapezoid. Substituting , ,

and yields the expression , or , which gives an area of for the

trapezoid. Since two-thirds of the trapezoid is shaded, the area of the shaded region is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the height of the trapezoid. Choice B is incorrect. This is the area of one of the
equilateral triangles, not two. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using a height of 4 for each triangle rather
than the height of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ebbf23ae
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: ebbf23ae

A circle in the xy-plane has a diameter with endpoints and . An equation of this circle is
, where is a positive constant. What is the value of ?

ID: ebbf23ae Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . The standard form of an equation of a circle in the xy-plane is ,
where , , and are constants, the coordinates of the center of the circle are , and the length of the radius of
the circle is . It′s given that an equation of the circle is . Therefore, the center of this
circle is . It’s given that the endpoints of a diameter of the circle are and . The length of the radius
is the distance from the center of the circle to an endpoint of a diameter of the circle, which can be found using the

distance formula, . Substituting the center of the circle and one endpoint of the

diameter in this formula gives a distance of , or , which is equivalent to .

Since the distance from the center of the circle to an endpoint of a diameter is , the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69b0d79d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 69b0d79d

Point O is the center of the circle above, and the measure of is . If the

length of is 18, what is the length of arc ?

A.
9 pi

B.
12 pi

C.
15 pi

D.
18 pi

ID: 69b0d79d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Because segments OA and OB are radii of the circle centered at point O, these segments have
equal lengths. Therefore, triangle AOB is an isosceles triangle, where angles OAB and OBA are congruent base
angles of the triangle. It’s given that angle OAB measures . Therefore, angle OBA also measures . Let
represent the measure of angle AOB. Since the sum of the measures of the three angles of any triangle is , it
follows that , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields

, or radians. Therefore, the measure of angle AOB, and thus the measure of arc , is radians.

Since is a radius of the given circle and its length is 18, the length of the radius of the circle is 18. Therefore, the

length of arc can be calculated as , or .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or computational errors.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 1429dcdf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: 1429dcdf

In the triangle shown, what is the value of ?

ID: 1429dcdf Answer

Correct Answer: .6956, .6957, 16/23

Rationale

The correct answer is . In a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is defined as the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the length of the side opposite the angle
with measure is units and the length of the hypotenuse is units. Therefore, the value of is . Note
that 16/23, .6956, .6957, 0.695, and 0.696 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2266984b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 2266984b

x squared, plus 20 x, plus y squared, plus 16 y, equals negative 20

The equation above defines a circle in the xy-plane. What are the
coordinates of the center of the circle?

A.
negative 20 comma negative 16

B.
negative 10 comma negative 8

C.
10 comma 8

D.
20 comma 16

ID: 2266984b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The standard equation of a circle in the xy-plane is of the form , where
are the coordinates of the center of the circle and r is the radius. The given equation can be rewritten in

standard form by completing the squares. So the sum of the first two terms, , needs a 100 to complete the

square, and the sum of the second two terms, , needs a 64 to complete the square. Adding 100 and 64 to both

sides of the given equation yields , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, the coordinates of the center of the circle are .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational errors made when attempting to complete the
squares or when identifying the coordinates of the center.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 76c73dbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: 76c73dbf

The graph of in the xy-plane is a circle. What is the length of the circle’s radius?

ID: 76c73dbf Answer

Correct Answer: 10

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a circle. The equation
of a circle in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where the coordinates of the center
of the circle are and the length of the radius of the circle is . The term in this equation can be
obtained by adding the square of half the coefficient of to both sides of the given equation to complete the square.
The coefficient of is . Half the coefficient of is . The square of half the coefficient of is . Adding to each
side of yields , or
. Similarly, the term can be obtained by adding the square of half the
coefficient of to both sides of this equation, which yields , or
. This equation is equivalent to , or
. Therefore, the length of the circle's radius is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f7dbde16
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: f7dbde16

In triangles and , angles and each have measure , , and . Which additional piece of
information is sufficient to prove that triangle is similar to triangle ?

A. and

B. and

C. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

D. The measures of angles and are and , respectively.

ID: f7dbde16 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Two triangles are similar if they have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles. It’s given
that angles and each measure , and so these corresponding angles are congruent. If angle is , then
angle must be so that the sum of the angles in triangle is . If angle is , then angle must
be so that the sum of the angles in triangle is . Therefore, if the measures of angles and are
and , respectively, then corresponding angles and are both , and corresponding angles and are
both . It follows that triangles and have three pairs of congruent corresponding angles, and so the
triangles are similar. Therefore, the additional piece of information that is sufficient to prove that triangle is
similar to triangle is that the measures of angles and are and , respectively.

Choice A is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in
another triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the two sides given
are not proportional and the angle given is not included by the given sides.

Choice B is incorrect. If the measures of two sides in one triangle are proportional to the corresponding sides in
another triangle and the included angles are congruent, then the triangles are similar. However, the angle given is
not included between the proportional sides.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bd87bc09
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Right triangles and

Trigonometry trigonometry

ID: bd87bc09

Triangle above is a right triangle, and .

What is the length of side ?

ID: bd87bc09 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 24. The sine of an acute angle in a right triangle is equal to the ratio of the length of the side
opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the sine of angle B, or , is equal to

the ratio of the length of side to the length of side . It’s given that the length of side is 26 and that

. Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 26 yields .

By the Pythagorean Theorem, the relationship between the lengths of the sides of triangle ABC is as follows:
, or . Subtracting 100 from both sides of yields .

Taking the square root of both sides of yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 901c3215
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 901c3215

In triangles and , angles and each have measure and angles and each have measure . Which
additional piece of information is sufficient to determine whether triangle is congruent to triangle ?

A. The measure of angle

B. The length of side

C. The lengths of sides and

D. No additional information is necessary.

ID: 901c3215 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since angles and each have the same measure and angles and each have the same
measure, triangles and are similar, where side corresponds to side . To determine whether two
similar triangles are congruent, it is sufficient to determine whether one pair of corresponding sides are congruent.
Therefore, to determine whether triangles and are congruent, it is sufficient to determine whether sides
and have equal length. Thus, the lengths of and are sufficient to determine whether triangle
is congruent to triangle .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect. The given information is sufficient to determine that triangles and are similar, but
not whether they are congruent.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c8345903
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Circles

Trigonometry

ID: c8345903

The circle above has center O, the length of arc is , and

. What is the length of arc ?

A.
9 pi

B.
13 pi

C.
18 pi

D.
13 halves pi

ID: c8345903 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The ratio of the lengths of two arcs of a circle is equal to the ratio of the measures of the central
angles that subtend the arcs. It’s given that arc is subtended by a central angle with measure 100°. Since the

sum of the measures of the angles about a point is 360°, it follows that arc is subtended by a central angle with

measure . If s is the length of arc , then s must satisfy the ratio . Reducing the

fraction to its simplest form gives . Therefore, . Multiplying both sides of by

yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the length of an arc consisting of exactly half of the circle, but arc is greater than
half of the circle. Choice C is incorrect. This is the total circumference of the circle. Choice D is incorrect. This is half
the length of arc , not its full length.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a07ed090
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: a07ed090

The figure shown is a right circular cylinder with a radius of and height of . A second right circular cylinder (not shown)
has a volume that is times as large as the volume of the cylinder shown. Which of the following could represent the
radius , in terms of , and the height , in terms of , of the second cylinder?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: a07ed090 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The volume of a right circular cylinder is equal to , where is the radius of a base of the
cylinder and is the height of the cylinder. It’s given that the cylinder shown has a radius of and a height of . It
follows that the volume of the cylinder shown is equal to . It’s given that the second right circular cylinder has
a radius of and a height of . It follows that the volume of the second cylinder is equal to . Choice C gives
and . Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second
cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This expression is
equal to times the volume of the cylinder shown, . Therefore, and could represent the
radius , in terms of , and the height , in terms of , of the second cylinder.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the second
cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This expression is
equal to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the
second cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or . This
expression is equal to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.
Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for and for in the expression that represents the volume of the
second cylinder yields , or , which is equivalent to , or .
This expression is equal to , not , times the volume of the cylinder shown.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a0369739
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: a0369739

In triangle , the measure of angle is and is an altitude of the triangle. The length of is and the length
of is greater than the length of . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a0369739 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that in triangle , the measure of angle is and is an altitude of the
triangle. Therefore, the measure of angle is . It follows that angle is congruent to angle and angle is
congruent to angle . By the angle-angle similarity postulate, triangle is similar to triangle . Since
triangles and are similar, it follows that . It's also given that the length of is and the
length of is greater than the length of . Therefore, the length of is , or . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9966235e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: 9966235e

A cube has an edge length of inches. A solid sphere with a radius of inches is inside the cube, such that the sphere
touches the center of each face of the cube. To the nearest cubic inch, what is the volume of the space in the cube not taken
up by the sphere?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9966235e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The volume of a cube can be found by using the formula , where is the volume and is
the edge length of the cube. Therefore, the volume of the given cube is , or cubic inches. The
volume of a sphere can be found by using the formula , where is the volume and is the radius of the
sphere. Therefore, the volume of the given sphere is , or approximately cubic inches. The
volume of the space in the cube not taken up by the sphere is the difference between the volume of the cube and
volume of the sphere. Subtracting the approximate volume of the sphere from the volume of the cube gives
cubic inches.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 947a3cde
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 947a3cde

In the figure above, and intersect at point P, , and .

What is the measure, in degrees, of ? (Disregard the degree symbol when
gridding your answer.)

ID: 947a3cde Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. It is given that the measure of is . Angle MPR and are collinear and
therefore are supplementary angles. This means that the sum of the two angle measures is , and so the
measure of is . The sum of the angles in a triangle is . Subtracting the measure of from

yields the sum of the other angles in the triangle MPR. Since , the sum of the measures of
and is . It is given that , so it follows that triangle MPR is isosceles. Therefore
and must be congruent. Since the sum of the measure of these two angles is , it follows that the
measure of each angle is .

An alternate approach would be to use the exterior angle theorem, noting that the measure of is equal to the
sum of the measures of and . Since both angles are equal, each of them has a measure of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e5c57163
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Area and volume

Trigonometry

ID: e5c57163

Square A has side lengths that are times the side lengths of square B. The area of square A is times the area of square
B. What is the value of ?

ID: e5c57163 Answer

Correct Answer: 27556

Rationale

The correct answer is . The area of a square is , where is the side length of the square. Let represent the
length of each side of square B. Substituting for in yields . It follows that the area of square B is . It’s
given that square A has side lengths that are times the side lengths of square B. Since represents the length of
each side of square B, the length of each side of square A can be represented by the expression . It follows that
the area of square A is , or . It’s given that the area of square A is times the area of square B. Since
the area of square A is equal to , and the area of square B is equal to , an equation representing the given
statement is . Since represents the length of each side of square B, the value of must be
positive. Therefore, the value of is also positive, so it does not equal . Dividing by on both sides of the
equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f88f27e5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: f88f27e5
Intersecting lines r, s, and t are shown below.

What is the value of x ?

ID: f88f27e5 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 97. The intersecting lines form a triangle, and the angle with measure of is an exterior
angle of this triangle. The measure of an exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the two
nonadjacent interior angles of the triangle. One of these angles has measure of and the other, which is
supplementary to the angle with measure , has measure of . Therefore, the value of x is
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e10d8313
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: e10d8313

In the figure shown, points , , , and lie on line segment , and line segment intersects line segment at
point . The measure of is , the measure of is , the measure of is , and the measure of
is . What is the measure, in degrees, of ?

ID: e10d8313 Answer

Correct Answer: 123

Rationale

The correct answer is . The triangle angle sum theorem states that the sum of the measures of the interior
angles of a triangle is degrees. It's given that the measure of is and the measure of is .
Since points , , and form a triangle, it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in
degrees, of is , or . It's also given that the measure of is . Since and
are supplementary angles, the sum of their measures is degrees. It follows that the measure, in degrees,
of is , or . Since points , , and form a triangle, and is the same angle as , it
follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that the measure, in degrees, of is , or . It's
given that the measure of is . Since and are supplementary angles, the sum of their
measures is degrees. It follows that the measure, in degrees, of is , or . Since points , ,
and form a triangle, and is the same angle as , it follows from the triangle angle sum theorem that
the measure, in degrees, of is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6d99b141
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Geometry and Lines, angles, and

Trigonometry triangles

ID: 6d99b141

In the figure, . The measure of angle is , and the measure of angle is . What is the value of
?

ID: 6d99b141 Answer

Correct Answer: 83

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that in the figure, . Thus, triangle is an isosceles triangle and
the measure of angle is equal to the measure of angle . The sum of the measures of the interior angles of
a triangle is . Thus, the sum of the measures of the interior angles of triangle is . It's given that the
measure of angle is . It follows that the sum of the measures of angles and is ,
or . Since the measure of angle is equal to the measure of angle , the measure of angle is half
of , or . The sum of the measures of the interior angles of triangle is . It's given that the measure of
angle is . Since the measure of angle , which is the same angle as angle , is , it follows that
the measure of angle is , or . Since angle and angle form a straight line, the
sum of the measures of these angles is . It's given in the figure that the measure of angle is . It follows
that . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ecd09c38
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: ecd09c38
Employees working for a customer service line at an electric company recorded all the calls last Monday and
noted whether the caller asked for repairs and whether the caller asked about a bill. The results are summarized
in the table below.
Asked for Did not ask
Total
repairs for repairs

Asked
48 623 671
about a bill

Did not ask

130 90 220
about a bill

Total 178 713 891

If a caller last Monday who asked about his or her bill is selected at random, which
of the following is closest to the probability that the customer also asked for
repairs?

A. 0.05

B. 0.07

C. 0.20

D. 0.27

ID: ecd09c38 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. According to the table, a total of 671 customers asked about a bill. Of these, 48 also asked for
repairs. Therefore, if a customer who asked about a bill is selected at random, the probability that the customer also

asked for repairs is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer selected at random from all customers who called on
Monday both asked for repairs and asked about a bill. Choice C is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer
selected at random from all customers who called on Monday asked for repairs, regardless of whether or not the
customer asked about a bill. Choice D is incorrect. This is the probability that a customer selected at random from
those who asked for repairs also asked about a bill.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID ad911622
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: ad911622

The value of a collectible comic book increased by from the end of to the end of and then decreased by
from the end of to the end of . What was the net percentage increase in the value of the collectible comic
book from the end of to the end of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad911622 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the value of the comic book increased by from the end of to the end of
. Therefore, if the value of the comic book at the end of was dollars, then the value, in dollars, of the
comic book at the end of was , which can be rewritten as , or . It’s also given that
the value of the comic book decreased by from the end of to the end of . Therefore, the value, in
dollars, of the comic book at the end of was , which can be rewritten as
, or . Thus, if the value of the comic book at the end of was dollars, and the
value of the comic book at the end of was dollars, then from the end of to the end of , the
value of the comic book increased by , or , dollars. Therefore, the increase in the value of the
comic book from the end of to the end of is equal to times the value of the comic book at the end
of . It follows that from the end of to the end of , the net percentage increase in the value of the comic
book was , or .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the difference between the net percentage increase in the value of the comic book from
the end of to the end of and the net percentage decrease in the value of the comic book from the end of
to the end of , not the net percentage increase in the value of the comic book from the end of to the
end of .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the net percentage increase in the value of the comic book from the end of to the
end of , if the value of the comic book increased by from the end of to the end of and then
increased, not decreased, by from the end of to the end of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 25faa756
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 25faa756

The number is greater than the positive number . The number is less than . The number is how many times
?

ID: 25faa756 Answer

Correct Answer: .88, 22/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number is greater than the positive number . Therefore,
, which is equivalent to , or . It’s also given that the number is less
than . Therefore, , which is equivalent to , or . Since ,
substituting for in the equation yields , or . Thus, the number is
times the number . Note that .88 and 22/25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d6456c7a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: d6456c7a

A certain park has an area of square yards. What is the area, in square miles, of this park?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d6456c7a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since mile is equal to yards, square mile is equal to , or , square yards.
It’s given that the park has an area of square yards. Therefore, the park has an area of
, or square miles. Thus, the area, in square miles, of the
park is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the square root of the area of the park in square yards, not the area of the park in square
miles.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from converting yards to miles, rather than converting
square yards to square miles.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9d95e7ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 9d95e7ad

The scatterplot above shows the numbers of grams of both total protein and total fat for eight sandwiches on a restaurant
menu. The line of best fit for the data is also shown. According to the line of best fit, which of the following is closest to the
predicted increase in total fat, in grams, for every increase of 1 gram in total protein?

A. 2.5

B. 2.0

C. 1.5

D. 1.0

ID: 9d95e7ad Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The predicted increase in total fat, in grams, for every increase of 1 gram in total protein is
represented by the slope of the line of best fit. Any two points on the line can be used to calculate the slope of the
line as the change in total fat over the change in total protein. For instance, it can be estimated that the points

and are on the line of best fit, and the slope of the line that passes through them is ,
or 1.4. Of the choices given, 1.5 is the closest to the slope of the line of best fit.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly finding ordered pairs that lie on the line of best
fit or of incorrectly calculating the slope.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 94237701
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 94237701
For a certain computer game, individuals receive an integer score that ranges from 2 through 10. The table below
shows the frequency distribution of the scores of the 9 players in group A and the 11 players in group B.
Score
Frequencies
Score
Group Group
A B

2 1 0

3 1 0

4 2 0

5 1 4

6 3 2

7 0 0

8 0 2

9 1 1

10 0 2

Total 9 11

The median of the scores for group B is how much greater than the median of the
scores for group A?

ID: 94237701 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1. When there are an odd number of values in a data set, the median of the data set is the
middle number when the data values are ordered from least to greatest. The scores for group A, ordered from least to
greatest, are 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, and 9. The median of the scores for group A is therefore 5. The scores for group B,
ordered from least to greatest, are 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 8, 8, 9, 10, and 10. The median of the scores for group B is therefore 6.
The median score for group B is more than the median score for group A.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20b69297
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 20b69297

Anita created a batch of green paint by mixing 2 ounces of blue paint with 3
ounces of yellow paint. She must mix a second batch using the same ratio of blue
and yellow paint as the first batch. If she uses 5 ounces of blue paint for the second
batch, how much yellow paint should Anita use?

A. Exactly 5 ounces

B. 3 ounces more than the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

C. 1.5 times the amount of yellow paint used in the first batch

D. 1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch

ID: 20b69297 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first

batch. For any batch of paint that uses the same ratio, the amount of yellow paint used will be , or 1.5, times the
amount of blue paint used in the batch. Therefore, the amount of yellow paint Anita will use in the second batch will
be 1.5 times the amount of blue paint used in the second batch.

Alternate approach: It’s given that Anita used a ratio of 2 ounces of blue paint to 3 ounces of yellow paint for the first
batch and that she will use 5 ounces of blue paint for the second batch. A proportion can be set up to solve for x, the

amount of yellow paint she will use for the second batch: . Multiplying both sides of this equation by 3

yields , and multiplying both sides of this equation by x yields . Dividing both sides of this equation

by 2 yields . Since Anita will use 7.5 ounces of yellow paint for the second batch, this is times the

amount of blue paint (5 ounces) used in the second batch.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from incorrectly interpreting the ratio of blue paint to yellow paint
used.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 34f8cd89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 34f8cd89

of the items in a box are green. Of those, are also rectangular. Of the green rectangular items, are also metal.
Which of the following is closest to the percentage of the items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 34f8cd89 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that of the items in a box are green. Let represent the total number of items in
the box. It follows that , or , items in the box are green. It's also given that of those, are also
rectangular. Therefore, , or , items in the box are green rectangular items. It's also given that of
the green rectangular items, are also metal. Therefore, , or , items in the box are
rectangular green metal items. The number of the items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items is the
total number of items in the box minus the number of rectangular green metal items in the box. Therefore, the
number of items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items is , or . The
percentage of items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items is the percentage that is of . If
represents this percentage, the value of is , or . Of the given choices, is closest
to the percentage of items in the box that are not rectangular green metal items.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8213b1b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 8213b1b3

According to a set of standards, a certain type of substance can contain a maximum of phosphorus by mass. If a
sample of this substance has a mass of grams, what is the maximum mass, in grams, of phosphorus the sample can
contain to meet these standards?

ID: 8213b1b3 Answer

Correct Answer: .0014

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that a certain type of substance can contain a maximum of
phosphorus by mass to meet a set of standards. If a sample of the substance has a mass of grams, it follows that
the maximum mass, in grams, of phosphorus the sample can contain to meet the standards is of , or
, which is equivalent to , or . Note that .0014 and 0.001 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 040f2a84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 040f2a84

The regular price of a shirt at a store is . The sale price of the shirt is less than the regular price, and the sale
price is greater than the store's cost for the shirt. What was the store’s cost, in dollars, for the shirt? (Disregard the
sign when entering your answer. For example, if your answer is , enter )

ID: 040f2a84 Answer

Correct Answer: 1.8, 9/5

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the regular price of a shirt at a store is , and the sale price of the shirt
is less than the regular price. It follows that the sale price of the shirt is , or ,
which is equivalent to . It’s also given that the sale price of the shirt is greater than the store’s cost for the
shirt. Let represent the store’s cost for the shirt. It follows that , or . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the store’s cost, in dollars, for the shirt is . Note that 1.8
and 9/5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID af142f8d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: af142f8d

Amount invested Balance increase

Account A $500 6% annual interest

Account B $1,000 $25 per year

Two investments were made as shown in the table above. The interest in Account A
is compounded once per year. Which of the following is true about the
investments?

A. Account A always earns more money per year than Account B.

B. Account A always earns less money per year than Account B.

C. Account A earns more money per year than Account B at first but eventually earns less money per year.

D. Account A earns less money per year than Account B at first but eventually earns more money per year.

ID: af142f8d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Account A starts with $500 and earns interest at 6% per year, so in the first year Account A earns
(500)(0.06) = $30, which is greater than the $25 that Account B earns that year. Compounding interest can be
modeled by an increasing exponential function, so each year Account A will earn more money than it did the
previous year. Therefore, each year Account A earns at least $30 in interest. Since Account B always earns $25 each
year, Account A always earns more money per year than Account B.

Choices B and D are incorrect. Account A earns $30 in the first year, which is greater than the $25 Account B earns
in the first year. Therefore, neither the statement that Account A always earns less money per year than Account B
nor the statement that Account A earns less money than Account B at first can be true. Choice C is incorrect. Since
compounding interest can be modeled by an increasing exponential function, each year Account A will earn more
money than it did the previous year. Therefore, Account A always earns at least $30 per year, which is more than the
$25 per year that Account B earns.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 916ffe9b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 916ffe9b

Poll Results

Angel Cruz

Terry Smith
The table shows the results of a poll. A total of voters selected at random were asked which candidate they would vote
for in the upcoming election. According to the poll, if people vote in the election, by how many votes would Angel
Cruz be expected to win?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 916ffe9b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that out of voters responded that they would vote for Angel Cruz. Therefore,
the proportion of voters from the poll who responded they would vote for Angel Cruz is . It’s also given that there
are a total of voters in the election. Therefore, the total number of people who would be expected to vote for
Angel Cruz is , or . Since of the total voters would be expected to vote for Angel Cruz, it
follows that , or voters would be expected not to vote for Angel Cruz. The difference in the
number of votes for and against Angel Cruz is , or votes. Therefore, if people vote in the
election, Angel Cruz would be expected to win by votes.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the difference in the number of voters from the poll who responded that they would
vote for and against Angel Cruz.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the total number of people who would be expected to vote for Angel Cruz.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the difference between the total number of people who vote in the election and the
number of voters from the poll.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9b5b23fc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 9b5b23fc

For , the function is defined as follows:

equals of
Which of the following could describe this function?

A. Decreasing exponential

B. Decreasing linear

C. Increasing exponential

D. Increasing linear

ID: 9b5b23fc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that for , is equal to of . This is equivalent to , or

, for . This function indicates that as increases, also increases, which means is an
increasing function. Furthermore, increases at a constant rate of for each increase of by . A function
with a constant rate of change is linear. Thus, the function can be described as an increasing linear function.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This could describe the function , where is equal to of ,

not , for .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20291f47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 20291f47

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 20291f47 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Factoring the denominator in the second term of the given expression gives .
This expression can be rewritten with common denominators by multiplying the first term by , giving
. Adding these two terms yields . Using the distributive property to rewrite this
expression gives . Combining the like terms in the numerator of this expression gives .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 42f8e4b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 42f8e4b4

One of the factors of is , where is a positive constant. What is the smallest possible value of ?

ID: 42f8e4b4 Answer

Correct Answer: 8

Rationale

The correct answer is . Since each term of the given expression, , has a factor of , the
expression can be rewritten as , or . Since the values and
have a sum of and a product of , the expression can be factored as .
Therefore, the given expression can be factored as . It follows that the factors of the given
expression are , , , and . Of these factors, only and are of the form , where is a
positive constant. Therefore, the possible values of are and . Thus, the smallest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID de39858a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de39858a

The function is defined by , where and are positive constants. The graph of in the -plane
passes through the points ( , ) and ( , ). What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de39858a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function is defined by and that the graph of in the
xy-plane passes through the points and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Subtracting from
both sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of both sides
of this equation yields and , but because it’s given that is a positive constant, must equal .
Because the value of is and the value of is , the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of rather than the value of .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly finding the value of as , but multiplying it by the y-value in
the first ordered pair rather than by the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1178f2df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1178f2df

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where and is a quadratic function.
What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 1178f2df Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an
equation of the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows
three values of and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting for in
this equation yields . This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and ,
where is either the maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic
relationships between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between any
two values of that have the same corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and correspond
to the same y-value, . Since is halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at an
x-value of . The table shows that when , . It follows that and . Subtracting from
both sides of the equation yields . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . The value of can be found by
substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and , respectively, in this equation. Substituting for
and for in this equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields .
The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . Substituting for
in the equation yields , or . This is
equivalent to , so the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84e8cc72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84e8cc72

A quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after the
object is launched off an elevated surface. The model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the ground
and reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched. Based on the model, what
is the height, in feet, of the object above the ground seconds after being launched?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 84e8cc72 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be
defined by an equation of the form , where is the height of the object seconds after it
was launched, and , , and are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, , when .
Since the model indicates the object reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after
being launched, reaches its maximum value, , when . Therefore, and . Substituting
for and for in the function yields . Since the model
indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the ground, the value of is when .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Therefore, the model can be represented by the equation
. Substituting for in this equation yields , or
. Therefore, based on the model, seconds after being launched, the height of the object above the
ground is feet.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 89fc23af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 89fc23af

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to

A.
x minus 5, minus the fraction with numerator 20, and denominator x minus 3

B.
x minus 5, minus the fraction with numerator 10, and denominator x minus 3

C.
x plus 1, minus the fraction with numerator 8, and denominator x minus 3

D.
x plus 1, minus the fraction with numerator 2, and denominator x minus 3

ID: 89fc23af Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The numerator of the given expression can be rewritten in terms of the denominator, , as

follows: , which is equivalent to . So the given expression is

equivalent to . Since the given expression is defined for ,

the expression can be rewritten as .

Long division can also be used as an alternate approach. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from
errors made when dividing the two polynomials or making use of structure.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 12e7faf8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 12e7faf8

The equation is true for all , where a and d

are integers. What is the value of ?

A.
negative 6

B.
negative 1

C.
0

D.
1

ID: 12e7faf8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the expression can be factored as , the given equation can be

rewritten as . Since , is also not equal to 0, so both the numerator and

denominator of can be divided by . This gives . Equating the coefficient of x on

each side of the equation gives . Equating the constant terms gives . The sum is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly simplifying the equation. Choices B and D are incorrect. They
are the values of d and a, respectively, not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 911c415b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 911c415b
open parenthesis, 7,532, plus 100 y squared, close parenthesis, plus, 10 times open parenthesis, 10 y squared minus
110, close parenthesis

The expression above can be written in the form , where a and b are
constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 911c415b Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6632. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Then adding together and and collecting like terms

results in . This is written in the form , where and . Therefore

.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b74f2feb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b74f2feb

The expression is equivalent to , where and are positive constants and . What is the value of
?

ID: b74f2feb Answer

Correct Answer: 361/8, 45.12, 45.13

Rationale

The correct answer is . The rational exponent property is , where , and are integers, and
. This property can be applied to rewrite the given expression as ,

or . This expression can be rewritten by multiplying the constants, which gives .

The multiplication exponent property is , where . This property can be applied to rewrite the
expression as , or . Therefore, . It's given that
is equivalent to ; therefore, and . It follows that . Finding a common denominator
on the right-hand side of this equation gives , or . Note that 361/8, 45.12, and 45.13 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5edc8c98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5edc8c98

In the given equation, and are positive constants. The sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is
a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5edc8c98 Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale

The correct answer is . Let and represent the solutions to the given equation. Then, the given equation can be
rewritten as , or . Since this equation is equivalent to the given
equation, it follows that . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, the sum of the solutions to the given equation, , is equal to
. Since it's given that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a constant, it
follows that . Note that 1/16, .0625, 0.062, and 0.063 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: The given equation can be rewritten as , where and are
positive constants. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The solutions for a
quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, can be calculated using the
quadratic formula, and . It follows that the sum of the solutions to a quadratic
equation in the form is , which can be rewritten as
, which is equivalent to , or . In the equation ,
, , and . Substituting for and for in yields , which
can be rewritten as . Thus, the sum of the solutions to the given equation is . Since it's given
that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a constant, it follows that .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cd358b89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cd358b89

Function is defined by . Function is defined by . The graph of

in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at , , and , where , , and are distinct constants. What is the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: cd358b89 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that

. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where . The x-
coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by solving the equation
. Applying the zero product property to this equation yields three equations: , ,
and . Solving each of these equations for yields , , and , respectively. Therefore, the
x-intercepts of the graph of are , , and . It follows that the values of , , and are ,
, and . Thus, the value of is , which is equal to .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f89e1d6f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f89e1d6f

If , which of the following is equivalent to the

expression ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f89e1d6f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

2 2 2 2 2
Choice C is correct. Factoring –1 from the second, third, and fourth terms gives x– c – 2cd – d = x – (c + 2cd
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
+ d ). The expression c + 2cd + d is the expanded form of a perfect square: c + 2cd + d = (c + d) . Therefore, x
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
– (c + 2cd + d ) = x – (c + d) . Since a = c + d, x – (c + d) = x – a . Finally, because x – a is the difference
2 2
of squares, it can be expanded as x –a = (x + a)(x – a).

2
Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of making an error in factoring the difference of squares x –
2
a . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly combining terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ff2e5c76
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ff2e5c76

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ff2e5c76 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . To complete the square,
adding , or , to each side of this equation yields , or . Taking
the square root of each side of this equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields
. Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and . The sum
of these solutions is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4b642eef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4b642eef

The total distance d, in meters, traveled by an object moving in a straight line can
be modeled by a quadratic function that is defined in terms of t, where t is the time
in seconds. At a time of 10.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by the object is
50.0 meters, and at a time of 20.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by the object
is 200.0 meters. If the object was at a distance of 0 meters when , then what is
the total distance traveled, in meters, by the object after 30.0 seconds?

ID: 4b642eef Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 450. The quadratic equation that models this situation can be written in the form
, where a, b, and c are constants. It’s given that the distance, d, the object traveled was 0 meters when

seconds. These values can be substituted into the equation to solve for a, b, and c: .

Therefore, , and it follows that . Since it’s also given that d is 50 when t is 10 and d is 200 when t is

20, these values for d and t can be substituted to create a system of two linear equations: and

, or and . Subtracting the first equation from the second equation

yields , or . Substituting for a in the first equation and solving for b yields . Therefore, the

equation that represents this situation is . Evaluating this function when seconds yields

, or meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c5c22d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c5c22d0

y equals, x squared, plus 3 x, minus 7, and, y minus 5 x, plus 8, equals 0

How many solutions are there to the system of

equations above?

A. There are exactly 4 solutions.

B. There are exactly 2 solutions.

C. There is exactly 1 solution.

D. There are no solutions.

ID: 2c5c22d0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The second equation of the system can be rewritten as . Substituting for y in

the first equation gives . This equation can be solved as shown below:

x squared, plus 3 x, minus 7, minus 5 x, plus 8, equals 0

x squared, minus 2 x, plus 1, equals 0

open parenthesis, x minus 1, close parenthesis, squared, equals 0

x equals 1

Substituting 1 for x in the equation gives . Therefore, is the only solution to the system of
equations.

Choice A is incorrect. In the xy-plane, a parabola and a line can intersect at no more than two points. Since the
graph of the first equation is a parabola and the graph of the second equation is a line, the system cannot have more
than 2 solutions. Choice B is incorrect. There is a single ordered pair that satisfies both equations of the

system. Choice D is incorrect because the ordered pair satisfies both equations of the system.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fc3dfa26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3dfa26
the fraction with numerator 4 x squared, and denominator x squared minus 9, end fraction, minus the fraction with
numerator 2 x, and denominator x plus 3, end fraction, equals the fraction with numerator 1, and denominator x minus 3,
end fraction

What value of x satisfies the equation above?

A.
negative 3

B.
negative one half

C.
one half

D.
3

ID: fc3dfa26 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each fraction in the given equation can be expressed with the common denominator .

Multiplying by yields , and multiplying by yields . Therefore, the given

equation can be written as . Multiplying each fraction by the denominator results in

the equation , or . This equation can be solved by setting a quadratic

expression equal to 0, then solving for x. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .

The expression can be factored, resulting in the equation . By the zero product
property, or . To solve for x in , 1 can be added to both sides of the equation, resulting in

. Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 results in . Solving for x in yields . However,

this value of x would result in the second fraction of the original equation having a denominator of 0. Therefore,

is an extraneous solution. Thus, the only value of x that satisfies the given equation is .
Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving but not realizing that this solution is extraneous
because it would result in a denominator of 0 in the second fraction. Choice B is incorrect and may result from a
sign error when solving for x. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6d9e01a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6d9e01a2

The given equation defines the function . For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 6d9e01a2 Answer

Correct Answer: 25/4, 6.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten in the form , where , , and
are constants. When , is the value of for which reaches its minimum. The given equation can be
rewritten as , which is equivalent to .

This equation can be rewritten as , or ,

which is equivalent to . Therefore, , so the value of for which reaches its

minimum is . Note that 25/4 and 6.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9f2ecade
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9f2ecade

h of x equals, x cubed plus, a, x squared, plus b x, plus c

The function h is defined above, where a, b, and c are integer constants. If the zeros
of the function are 6, and 7, what is the value of c ?

ID: 9f2ecade Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 210. Since , 6, and 7 are zeros of the function, the function can be rewritten as

. Expanding the function yields . Thus, , , and

. Therefore, the value of c is 210.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6011a3f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6011a3f8

In the given equation, is a constant. For which of the following values of will the equation have more than one real
solution?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6011a3f8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has either
no real solutions, exactly one real solution, or exactly two real solutions. That is, for the given equation to have more
than one real solution, it must have exactly two real solutions. When the value of the discriminant, or , is
greater than 0, the given equation has exactly two real solutions. In the given equation, ,
and . Therefore, the given equation has exactly two real solutions when , or
. Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Taking the square root of both sides
of yields two possible inequalities: or . Of the choices, only choice A satisfies
or .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0e61101e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0e61101e

The function is defined by the given equation. If , which of the following equations defines the function
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0e61101e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting for in

gives . Rewriting this equation using properties of exponents gives ,
which is equivalent to . Multiplying and in this equation gives .
Since , .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e117d3b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e117d3b8

If a and c are positive numbers, which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e117d3b8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

3
Choice C is correct. Using the property that for positive numbers x and y, with x = (a + c) and y = a +
4 22
c, it follows that . By rewriting (a + c) as ((a + c) ) , it is possible to simplify the

square root expression as follows: .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of . Choice B is incorrect and may be the result of
2 2 2
incorrectly rewriting (a + c) as a + c . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly applying
properties of exponents.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 04bbce67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 04bbce67

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 04bbce67 Answer

Correct Answer: -7

Rationale

The correct answer is . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form ,
where , , and are constants and , the function reaches its minimum when . In the given function,
, , and . Therefore, the value of for which reaches its minimum is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6f5540a5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6f5540a5

Kao measured the temperature of a cup of hot chocolate placed in a room with a
constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The temperature of the hot
chocolate was 185°F at 6:00 p.m. when it started cooling. The temperature of the
hot chocolate was 156°F at 6:05 p.m. and 135°F at 6:10 p.m. The hot chocolate’s
temperature continued to decrease. Of the following functions, which best models
the temperature , in degrees Fahrenheit, of Kao’s hot chocolate m minutes
after it started cooling?

A.
T of m equals, 185 times, 1 point 2 5 to the m power

B.
T of m equals, 185 times, 0 point 8 5 to the m power

C.
T of m equals, open parenthesis, 185 minus 70, close parenthesis, times, 0 point 7 5 raised to the m over 5 power

D.
T of m equals, 70 plus, 115 times, 0 point 7 5 raised to the m over 5 power

ID: 6f5540a5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The hot chocolate cools from 185°F over time, never going lower than the room temperature,
70°F. Since the base of the exponent in this function, 0.75, is less than 1, decreases as time increases. Using the

function, the temperature, in °F, at 6:00 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to . The

temperature, in °F, at 6:05 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is approximately

156°F. Finally, the temperature, in °F, at 6:10 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which
is approximately 135°F. Since these three given values of m and their corresponding values for can be verified

using the function , this is the best function out of the given choices to model the

temperature of Kao’s hot chocolate after m minutes.

Choice A is incorrect because the base of the exponent, , results in the value of increasing over time rather
than decreasing. Choice B is incorrect because when m is large enough, becomes less than 70. Choice C is
incorrect because the maximum value of at 6:00 p.m. is 115°F, not 185°F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9cb9beec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 9cb9beec

In the given system of equations, is a positive constant. The system has exactly one distinct real solution. What is the value
of ?

ID: 9cb9beec Answer

Correct Answer: 14.5, 29/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . According to the first equation in the given system, the value of is . Substituting
for in the second equation in the given system yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . If the given system has exactly one distinct real solution, it follows that
has exactly one distinct real solution. A quadratic equation in the form ,
where , , and are constants, has exactly one distinct real solution if and only if the discriminant, , is
equal to . The equation is in this form, where , , and . Therefore, the
discriminant of the equation is , or . Setting the discriminant
equal to to solve for yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields , or . Therefore, if the given system of equations has exactly one
distinct real solution, the value of is . Note that 29/2 and 14.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fe10d97
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1fe10d97

The given function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Which of the following functions best models
the population of Lowell months after the census?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1fe10d97 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Since there
are months in a year, months after the census is equivalent to years after the census. Substituting for
in the equation yields . Therefore, the function that best models
the population of Lowell months after the census is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b73ee6cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b73ee6cf

The population of a town is currently 50,000, and the population is estimated to

increase each year by 3% from the previous year. Which of the following equations
can be used to estimate the number of years, t, it will take for the population of the
town to reach 60,000 ?

A.
50,000 equals, 60,000 times, open parenthesis, 0 point 0 3, close parenthesis, to the power t

B.
50,000 equals, 60,000 times, open parenthesis, 3, close parenthesis, to the power t

C.
60,000 equals, 50,000 times, open parenthesis, 0 point 0 3, close parenthesis, to the power t

D.
60,000 equals, 50,000 times, open parenthesis, 1 point 0 3, close parenthesis, to the power t

ID: b73ee6cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Stating that the population will increase each year by 3% from the previous year is equivalent to
saying that the population each year will be 103% of the population the year before. Since the initial population is
t t
50,000, the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03) . It follows that the equation 60,000 = 50,000(1.03) can be
used to estimate the number of years it will take for the population to reach 60,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation models how long it will take the population to decrease from 60,000 to 50,000,
which is impossible given the growth factor. Choice B is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting a 3% growth
as growth by a factor of 3. Additionally, this equation attempts to model how long it will take the population to
decrease from 60,000 to 50,000. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how to model percent
growth by multiplying the initial amount by a factor greater than 1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 08d03fe4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 08d03fe4

For the exponential function , the value of is , where is a constant. Which of the following equivalent forms of the
function shows the value of as the coefficient or the base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 08d03fe4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For the form of the function in choice C, , the value of can be found as
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, , which is shown in
as the coefficient.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7eed640d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7eed640d

h of x equals, negative 16 x squared, plus 100 x, plus 10

The quadratic function above models the height above the ground h, in feet, of a
projectile x seconds after it had been launched vertically. If is graphed in
the xy-plane, which of the following represents the real-life meaning of the positive
x-intercept of the graph?

A. The initial height of the projectile

B. The maximum height of the projectile

C. The time at which the projectile reaches its maximum height

D. The time at which the projectile hits the ground

ID: 7eed640d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The positive x-intercept of the graph of is a point for which . Since

models the height above the ground, in feet, of the projectile, a y-value of 0 must correspond to the height of the
projectile when it is 0 feet above ground or, in other words, when the projectile is on the ground. Since x represents
the time since the projectile was launched, it follows that the positive x-intercept, , represents the time at

which the projectile hits the ground.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-intercept as a positive x-intercept. Choice B is
incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept.
Choice C is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the x-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an
x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 43926bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 43926bd9

x f of x

1 a

2 a, to the fifth power.

3 a, to the ninth power

For the exponential function f, the table above shows several values of x and their corresponding values of ,

where a is a constant greater than 1. If k is a constant and , what is the value of k ?

ID: 43926bd9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The values of for the exponential function f shown in the table increase by a factor of

for each increase of 1 in x. This relationship can be represented by the equation , where b is a

constant. It’s given that when , . Substituting 2 for x and for into yields

. Since , it follows that . Thus, an equation that defines the function f is

. It follows that the value of k such that can be found by solving the equation ,
which yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4d037075
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d037075

The rational function is defined by an equation in the form , where and are constants. The partial graph of
is shown. If , which equation could define function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d037075 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that and that the graph shown is a partial graph of . Substituting
for in the equation yields . The graph passes through the point . Substituting
for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by
yields , or . The graph also passes through the point . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields
, or . Substituting for in this equation yields . Adding
to each side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields .
Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Substituting for and for in the equation yields . It's given
that . Substituting for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to . It follows that .

Choice A is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice B is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice D is incorrect. This could define function if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4d7064a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d7064a6

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d7064a6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .

Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its
minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum.
For an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is
. For the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the
vertex is , or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the
graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The
midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and
is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1853bb35
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1853bb35

For the function , the value of decreases by for every increase in the value of by . If , which equation
defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1853bb35 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the value of decreases by a fixed percentage, , for every increase in the value of
by , the function is a decreasing exponential function. A decreasing exponential function can be written in the
form , where is the value of and the value of decreases by for every increase in
the value of by . If , then . Since the value of decreases by for every increase in the
value of by , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. For this function, the value of increases, rather than decreases, by for every increase
in the value of by .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a54753ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a54753ca

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation intersects the line at exactly one point. What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a54753ca Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, the graph of the line is a horizontal line that crosses the y-axis at
and the graph of the quadratic equation is a parabola. A parabola can intersect a horizontal
line at exactly one point only at its vertex. Therefore, the value of should be equal to the y-coordinate of the vertex
of the graph of the given equation. For a quadratic equation in vertex form, , the vertex of its
graph in the xy-plane is . The given quadratic equation, , can be rewritten as
, or . Thus, the value of is equal to .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a8ae0d22
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a8ae0d22

Two variables, and , are related such that for each increase of in the value of , the value of increases by a factor of .
When , . Which equation represents this relationship?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: a8ae0d22 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the value of increases by a constant factor, , for each increase of in the value of , the
relationship between and is exponential. An exponential relationship between and can be represented by an
equation of the form , where is the value of when and increases by a factor of for each
increase of in the value of . Since when , . Since increases by a factor of for each
increase of in the value of , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
. Thus, the equation represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a relationship where for each increase of in the value of , the
value of increases by a factor of , not , and when , is equal to , not .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a7711fe8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a7711fe8

What is the minimum value of the function f

defined by ?

A.
negative 4

B.
negative 2

C.
2

D.
4

ID: a7711fe8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given quadratic function f is in vertex form, , where is the vertex of
the graph of in the xy-plane. Therefore, the vertex of the graph of is . In addition, the y-
coordinate of the vertex represents either the minimum or maximum value of a quadratic function, depending on
whether the graph of the function opens upward or downward. Since the leading coefficient of f (the coefficient of
the term ) is 1, which is positive, the graph of opens upward. It follows that at , the minimum

value of the function f is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from making a sign error and from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice
C is incorrect and may result from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
making a sign error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1a722d7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1a722d7d

Let the function p be defined as , where c is a constant. If

, what is the value of ?

A. 10.00

B. 10.25

C. 10.75

D. 11.00

ID: 1a722d7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The value of p(12) depends on the value of the constant c, so the value of c must first be
determined. It is given that p(c) = 10. Based on the definition of p, it follows that:

This means that for all values of x. Therefore:

Choice A is incorrect. It is the value of p(8), not p(12). Choices B and C are incorrect. If one of these values were
correct, then x = 12 and the selected value of p(12) could be substituted into the equation to solve for c. However, the
values of c that result from choices B and C each result in p(c) < 10.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 58b109d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 58b109d4

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 58b109d4 Answer

Correct Answer: -10

Rationale

The correct answer is . Adding to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields
. Substituting for in the first equation in the given system yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields . Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields
, or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 85939da5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 85939da5

Does not talk

Texting Talks on cell on cell phone
behavior phone daily daily Total

Light 110 146 256

Medium 139 164 303

Heavy 166 74 240

Total 415 384 799

In a study of cell phone use, 799 randomly selected US teens were asked how often
they talked on a cell phone and about their texting behavior. The data are
summarized in the table above. Based on the data from the study, an estimate of
the percent of US teens who are heavy texters is 30% and the associated margin of
error is 3%. Which of the following is a correct statement based on the given
margin of error?

A. Approximately 3% of the teens in the study who are classified as heavy texters are not really heavy texters.

B. It is not possible that the percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is less than 27%.

C. The percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is 33%.

D. It is doubtful that the percent of all US teens who are heavy texters is 35%.

ID: 85939da5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given margin of error of 3% indicates that the actual percent of all US teens who are heavy
texters is likely within 3% of the estimate of 30%, or between 27% and 33%. Therefore, it is unlikely, or doubtful, that
the percent of all US teens who are heavy texters would be 35%.

Choice A is incorrect. The margin of error doesn’t provide any information about the accuracy of reporting in the
study. Choice B is incorrect. Based on the estimate and given margin of error, it is unlikely that the percent of all US
teens who are heavy texters would be less than 27%, but it is possible. Choice C is incorrect. While the percent of all
US teens who are heavy texters is likely between 27% and 33%, any value within this interval is equally likely. We
can’t be certain that the value is exactly 33%.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID e29586d5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: e29586d5

Number of Contestants by Score and Day

5 4 3 2 1 0
out out out out out out Total
of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5 of 5

Day
2 3 4 6 2 3 20
1

Day
2 3 5 5 4 1 20
2

Day
3 3 4 5 3 2 20
3

Total 7 9 13 16 9 6 60
The same 20 contestants, on each of 3 days, answered 5 questions in order to win a prize. Each contestant received 1 point
for each correct answer. The number of contestants receiving a given score on each day is shown in the table above.
No contestant received the same score on two different days. If a contestant is
selected at random, what is the probability that the selected contestant received a
score of 5 on Day 2 or Day 3, given that the contestant received a score of 5 on
one of the three days?

ID: e29586d5 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . It is given that no contestant received the same score on two different days, so each of the

contestants who received a score of 5 is represented in the “5 out of 5” column of the table exactly once. Therefore,
the probability of selecting a contestant who received a score of 5 on Day 2 or Day 3, given that the contestant
received a score of 5 on one of the three days, is found by dividing the total number of contestants who received a
score of 5 on Day 2 or Day 3 by the total number of contestants who received a score of 5, which is given

in the table as 7. So the probability is . Note that 5/7, .7142, .7143, and 0.714 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 954943a4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 954943a4

Jennifer bought a box of Crunchy Grain cereal. The nutrition facts on the box state

that a serving size of the cereal is cup and provides 210 calories, 50 of which

are calories from fat. In addition, each serving of the cereal provides 180 milligrams
of potassium, which is 5% of the daily allowance for adults. If p percent of an
adult’s daily allowance of potassium is provided by x servings of Crunchy Grain
cereal per day, which of the following expresses p in terms of x ?

A.
p equals, 0 point 5 x

B.
p equals, 5 x

C.
p equals, open parenthesis, 0 point 0 5, close parenthesis, to the x power

D.
p equals, open parenthesis, 1 point 0 5, close parenthesis, to the x power

ID: 954943a4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that each serving of Crunchy Grain cereal provides 5% of an adult’s daily allowance of
potassium, so x servings would provide x times 5%. The percentage of an adult’s daily allowance of potassium, p, is 5
times the number of servings, x. Therefore, the percentage of an adult’s daily allowance of potassium can be
expressed as .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly converting 5% to its decimal equivalent, which
isn’t necessary since p is expressed as a percentage. Additionally, choices C and D are incorrect because the context
should be represented by a linear relationship, not by an exponential relationship.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c7e73ece
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: c7e73ece
Views on Nuclear Energy
Use
Response Frequency

Strongly
56
favor

Somewhat
214
favor

Somewhat
104
oppose

Strongly
37
oppose

A researcher interviewed 411 randomly selected US residents and asked about their views on the use of nuclear energy. The
table above summarizes the responses of the interviewees. If the population of the United States was 300 million when the
survey was given, based on the sample data for the 411 US residents, what is the best estimate, in millions, of the difference
between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of nuclear energy and the number of
those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it? (Round your answer to the nearest whole number.)

ID: c7e73ece Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 94. Of those interviewed, “strongly favor” or “somewhat favor” the
56 plus 214, equals 270
use of nuclear energy, and interviewees “somewhat oppose” or “strongly oppose” the use of
104 plus 37, equals 141
nuclear energy. The difference between the sizes of the two surveyed groups is . The
270 minus 141, equals 129
proportion of this difference among the entire group of interviewees is . Because the
the fraction 129 over 411
sample of interviewees was selected at random from US residents, it is reasonable to assume that the proportion of
this difference is the same among all US residents as in the sample. Therefore, the best estimate, in millions, of the
difference between the number of US residents who somewhat favor or strongly favor the use of nuclear energy and
the number of those who somewhat oppose or strongly oppose it is
, which to the nearest million is 94.
the fraction 129 over 411, end fraction, times 300
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID d3b9c8d8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: d3b9c8d8

The box plots summarize the masses, in kilograms, of two groups of gazelles. Based on the box plots, which of the following
statements must be true?

A. The mean mass of group 1 is greater than the mean mass of group 2.

B. The mean mass of group 1 is less than the mean mass of group 2.

C. The median mass of group 1 is greater than the median mass of group 2.

D. The median mass of group 1 is less than the median mass of group 2.

ID: d3b9c8d8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The median of a data set represented in a box plot is represented by the vertical line within the
box. It follows that the median mass of the gazelles in group is kilograms, and the median mass of the gazelles
in group is kilograms. Since kilograms is greater than kilograms, the median mass of group is greater
than the median mass of group .

Choice A is incorrect. The mean mass of each of the two groups cannot be determined from the box plots.

Choice B is incorrect. The mean mass of each of the two groups cannot be determined from the box plots.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 65c49824
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 65c49824

A school district is forming a committee to discuss plans for the construction of a

new high school. Of those invited to join the committee, 15% are parents of
students, 45% are teachers from the current high school, 25% are school and
district administrators, and the remaining 6 individuals are students. How many
more teachers were invited to join the committee than school and district
administrators?

ID: 65c49824 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The 6 students represent of those invited to join the

committee. If x people were invited to join the committee, then . Thus, there were people

invited to join the committee. It follows that there were teachers and school and
district administrators invited to join the committee. Therefore, there were 8 more teachers than school and district
administrators invited to join the committee.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ea09200
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 1ea09200

A sample of 40 fourth-grade students was selected at random from a certain

school. The 40 students completed a survey about the morning announcements,
and 32 thought the announcements were helpful. Which of the following is the
largest population to which the results of the survey can be applied?

A. The 40 students who were surveyed

B. All fourth-grade students at the school

C. All students at the school

D. All fourth-grade students in the county in which the school is located

ID: 1ea09200 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Selecting a sample of a reasonable size at random to use for a survey allows the results from that
survey to be applied to the population from which the sample was selected, but not beyond this population. In this
case, the population from which the sample was selected is all fourth-grade students at a certain school. Therefore,
the results of the survey can be applied to all fourth-grade students at the school.

Choice A is incorrect. The results of the survey can be applied to the 40 students who were surveyed. However, this
isn’t the largest group to which the results of the survey can be applied. Choices C and D are incorrect. Since the
sample was selected at random from among the fourth-grade students at a certain school, the results of the survey
can’t be applied to other students at the school or to other fourth-grade students who weren’t represented in the
survey results. Students in other grades in the school or other fourth-grade students in the country may feel
differently about announcements than the fourth-grade students at the school.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0ea56bb2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 0ea56bb2

Subscriptions
Year
sold

2012 5,600

2013 5,880

The manager of an online news service received the report above on the number of
subscriptions sold by the service. The manager estimated that the percent increase
from 2012 to 2013 would be double the percent increase from 2013 to 2014. How
many subscriptions did the manager expect would be sold in 2014?

A. 6,020

B. 6,027

C. 6,440

D. 6,468

ID: 0ea56bb2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The percent increase from 2012 to 2013 was , or 5%. Since the percent

increase from 2012 to 2013 was estimated to be double the percent increase from 2013 to 2014, the percent increase
from 2013 to 2014 was expected to be 2.5%.
Therefore, the number of subscriptions sold in 2014 is expected to be the number of subscriptions sold in 2013
multiplied by , or .

Choice A is incorrect and is the result of adding half of the value of the increase from 2012 to 2013 to the 2013 result.
Choice C is incorrect and is the result adding twice the value of the increase from 2012 to 2013 to the 2013 result.
Choice D is incorrect and is the result of interpreting the percent increase from 2013 to 2014 as double the percent
increase from 2012 to 2013.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0231050d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 0231050d

The line graph shows the total amount of snow, in inches, recorded each year in
Washington, DC, from 2003 to 2015. If is the percent decrease in the annual
snowfall from 2003 to 2007, what is the value of p ?

ID: 0231050d Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 75. The percent decrease between two values is found by dividing the difference between the
two values by the original value and multiplying by 100. The line graph shows that the annual snowfall in 2003 was
40 inches, and the annual snowfall in 2007 was 10 inches. Therefore, the percent decrease in the annual snowfall

from 2003 to 2007 is , or 75. It’s given that this is equivalent to , so the value of p is 75.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 190be2fc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 190be2fc

Data set A consists of positive integers less than . The list shown gives of the integers from data set A.
, , , , , , , ,
The mean of these integers is . If the mean of data set A is an integer that is greater than , what is the value of the
largest integer from data set A?

ID: 190be2fc Answer

Correct Answer: 52

Rationale

The correct answer is . The mean of a data set is calculated by dividing the sum of the data values by the number
of values. It’s given that data set A consists of values, of which are shown. Let represent the data value
in data set A, which isn’t shown. The mean of data set A can be found using the expression
, or . It’s given that the mean of the values shown is and that the mean of
all numbers is greater than . Consequently, the data value, , is larger than . It’s also given that the data
values in data set A are positive integers less than . Thus, . Finally, it’s given that the mean of data
set A is an integer. This means that the sum of the data values, , is divisible by . Thus, must
have a ones digit of . It follows that must have a ones digit of . Since and has a ones digit of ,
the only possible value of is . Since is larger than any of the integers shown, the largest integer from data set
A is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d4413871
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: d4413871

Blood type

Rhesus factor A B AB O

plus 33 9 3 37

minus 7 2 1 x

Human blood can be classified into four common blood types—A, B, AB, and O. It
is also characterized by the presence or absence of the rhesus factor. The

table above shows the distribution of blood type and rhesus factor for a group of
people. If one of these people who is rhesus negative is chosen at random, the

probability that the person has blood type B is . What is the value of x ?

ID: d4413871 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. In this group, of the people who are rhesus negative have blood type B. The total number
of people who are rhesus negative in the group is , and there are 2 people who are rhesus negative with

blood type B. Therefore, . Combining like terms on the left-hand side of the equation yields

. Multiplying both sides of this equation by 9 yields , and multiplying both sides of this
equation by yields . Subtracting 10 from both sides of this equation yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c178d4da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: c178d4da

Value Data set A frequency Data set B frequency

Data set A and data set B each consist of values. The table shows the frequencies of the values for each data set. Which of
the following statements best compares the means of the two data sets?

A. The mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set B.

B. The mean of data set A is less than the mean of data set B.

C. The mean of data set A is equal to the mean of data set B.

D. There is not enough information to compare the means of the data sets.

ID: c178d4da Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The mean value of a data set is the sum of the values of the data set divided by the number of
values in the data set. When a data set is represented in a frequency table, the sum of the values in the data set is
the sum of the products of each value and its frequency. For data set A, the sum of products of each value and its
frequency is , or . It's given that there are values in data set A.
Therefore, the mean of data set A is , or approximately . Similarly, the mean of data B is , or
approximately . Therefore, the mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set B.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 457d2f2c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 457d2f2c

A data set of 27 different numbers has a mean of 33 and a median of 33. A new
data set is created by adding 7 to each number in the original data set that is
greater than the median and subtracting 7 from each number in the original data
set that is less than the median. Which of the following measures does NOT have
the same value in both the original and new data sets?

A. Median

B. Mean

C. Sum of the numbers

D. Standard deviation

ID: 457d2f2c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. When a data set has an odd number of elements, the median can be found by ordering the values
from least to greatest and determining the middle value. Out of the 27 different numbers in this data set, 13 numbers
are below the median, one number is exactly 33, and 13 numbers are above the median. When 7 is subtracted from
each number below the median and added to each number above the median, the data spread out from the median.
Since the median of this data set, 33, is equivalent to the mean of the data set, the data also spread out from the
mean. Since standard deviation is a measure of how spread out the data are from the mean, a greater spread from
the mean indicates an increased standard deviation.

Choice A is incorrect. All the numbers less than the median decrease and all the numbers greater than the median
increase, but the median itself doesn’t change. Choices B and C are incorrect. The mean of a data set is found by
dividing the sum of the values by the number of values. The net change from subtracting 7 from 13 numbers and
adding 7 to 13 numbers is zero. Therefore, neither the mean nor the sum of the numbers changes.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c9fb15ad
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c9fb15ad

Species of Growth
tree factor

Red maple 4.5

River birch 3.5

Cottonwood 2.0

Black walnut 4.5

White birch 5.0

American elm 4.0

Pin oak 3.0

Shagbark
7.5
hickory

One method of calculating the approximate age, in years, of a tree of a particular

species is to multiply the diameter of the tree, in inches, by a constant called the
growth factor for that species. The table above gives the growth factors for eight
species of trees. If a white birch tree and a pin oak tree each now have a diameter
of 1 foot, which of the following will be closest to the difference, in inches, of their
diameters 10 years from now? (1 foot = 12 inches)

A. 1.0

B. 1.2

C. 1.3

D. 1.4

ID: c9fb15ad Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. According to the given information, multiplying a tree species’ growth factor by the tree’s
diameter is a method to approximate the age of the tree. A white birch with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a
given growth factor of 5 and is approximately 60 years old. A pin oak with a diameter of 12 inches (or 1 foot) has a
given growth factor of 3 and is approximately 36 years old. The diameters of the two trees 10 years from now can be
found by dividing each tree’s age in 10 years, 70 years, and 46 years, by its respective growth factor. This yields 14

inches and inches. The difference between and 14 is , or approximately 1.3 inches.

Alternate approach: Since a white birch has a growth factor of 5, the age increases at a rate of 5 years per inch or,

equivalently, the diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Likewise, the pin oak has a growth factor of 3,

so its diameter increases at a rate of of an inch per year. Thus, the pin oak grows of an inch per year more

than the white birch. In 10 years it will grow of an inch more, which is approximately 1.3 inches.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and a result of incorrectly calculating the diameters of the two trees in 10 years.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d6af3572
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: d6af3572

The scatterplot above shows the federal-mandated minimum wage every 10 years
between 1940 and 2010. A line of best fit is shown, and its equation is
. What does the line of best fit predict about the increase in the
minimum wage over the 70-year period?

A. Each year between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.096 dollars.

B. Each year between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.49 dollars.

C. Every 10 years between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.096 dollars.

D. Every 10 years between 1940 and 2010, the average increase in minimum wage was 0.488 dollars.

ID: d6af3572 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given equation is in slope-intercept form, or , where m is the value of the slope
of the line of best fit. Therefore, the slope of the line of best fit is 0.096. From the definition of slope, it follows that an
increase of 1 in the x-value corresponds to an increase of 0.096 in the y-value. Therefore, the line of best fit predicts
that for each year between 1940 and 2010, the minimum wage will increase by 0.096 dollar per hour.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from using the y-coordinate of the y-intercept as the average increase, instead
of the slope. Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the 10-year increments given on the x-axis to
incorrectly interpret the slope of the line of best fit. Choice D is incorrect and may result from using the y-coordinate
of the y-intercept as the average increase, instead of the slope, and from using the 10-year increments given on the
x-axis to incorrectly interpret the slope of the line of best fit.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 69f6717f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 69f6717f

A sample of oak has a density of kilograms per cubic meter. The sample is in the shape of a cube, where each edge has a
length of meters. To the nearest whole number, what is the mass, in kilograms, of this sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 69f6717f Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the sample is in the shape of a cube with edge lengths of meters. Therefore,
the volume of the sample is , or , cubic meters. It’s also given that the sample has a density of
kilograms per cubic meter. Therefore, the mass of this sample is , or
kilograms. Rounding this mass to the nearest whole number gives kilograms. Therefore, to the nearest whole
number, the mass, in kilograms, of this sample is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d65b9a87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: d65b9a87

The dot plots represent the distributions of values in data sets A and B.

Which of the following statements must be true?

I. The median of data set A is equal to the median of data set B.
II. The standard deviation of data set A is equal to the standard deviation of data set B.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: d65b9a87 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The median of a data set with an odd number of values that are in ascending or descending
order is the middle value of the data set. Since the distribution of the values of both data set A and data set B form
symmetric dot plots, and each data set has an odd number of values, it follows that the median is given by the
middle value in each of the dot plots. Thus, the median of data set A is , and the median of data set B is .
Therefore, statement I is true. Data set A and data set B have the same frequency for each of the values , , ,
and . Data set A has a frequency of for values and , whereas data set B has a frequency of for values
and . Standard deviation is a measure of the spread of a data set; it is larger when there are more values further
from the mean, and smaller when there are more values closer to the mean. Since both distributions are symmetric
with an odd number of values, the mean of each data set is equal to its median. Thus, each data set has a mean of .
Since more of the values in data set A are closer to than data set B, it follows that data set A has a smaller
standard deviation than data set B. Thus, statement II is false. Therefore, only statement I must be true.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f8a322d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: f8a322d9

Two data sets of integers each are summarized in the histograms shown. For each of the histograms, the first interval
represents the frequency of integers greater than or equal to , but less than . The second interval represents the
frequency of integers greater than or equal to , but less than , and so on. What is the smallest possible difference
between the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f8a322d9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The histograms shown have the same shape, but data set A contains values between and
and data set B contains values between and . Thus, the mean of data set A is greater than the mean of data set
B. Therefore, the smallest possible difference between the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B is the
difference between the smallest possible mean of data set A and the greatest possible mean of data set B. In data set
A, since there are integers in the interval greater than or equal to but less than , integers greater than or
equal to but less than , integers greater than or equal to but less than , and integers greater than or
equal to but less than , the smallest possible mean for data set A is . In data set B, since
there are integers greater than or equal to but less than , integers greater than or equal to but less than
, integers greater than or equal to but less than , and integers greater than or equal to but less than ,
the largest possible mean for data set B is . Therefore, the smallest possible difference
between the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B is ,
which is equivalent to . This expression can be rewritten as
, or , which is equal to . Therefore, the smallest possible difference between
the mean of data set A and the mean of data set B is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the smallest possible difference between the ranges, not the means, of the data sets.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the difference between the greatest possible mean, not the smallest possible mean, of
data set A and the greatest possible mean of data set B.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the smallest possible difference between the sum of the values in data set A and the
sum of the values in data set B, not the smallest possible difference between the means.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3638f413
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3638f413

Jeremy deposited x dollars in his investment account on January 1, 2001. The

amount of money in the account doubled each year until Jeremy had 480 dollars in
his investment account on January 1, 2005. What is the value of x ?

ID: 3638f413 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 30. The situation can be represented by the equation , where the 2 represents the

fact that the amount of money in the account doubled each year and the 4 represents the fact that there are 4 years
between January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2005. Simplifying gives . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1142af44
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 1142af44

Value Frequency

1 a

2 2a

3 3a

4 2a

5 a

The frequency distribution above summarizes a set of data, where a is a positive

integer. How much greater is the mean of the set of data than the median?

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. 3

ID: 1142af44 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since the frequencies of values less than the middle value, 3, are the same as the frequencies of
the values greater than 3, the set of data has a symmetric distribution. When a set of data has a symmetric
distribution, the mean and median values are equal. Therefore, the mean is 0 greater than the median.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from misinterpreting the set of data.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 651d83bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 651d83bb
Two different teams consisting of 10 members each ran in a race. Each member’s completion time of the race
was recorded. The mean of the completion times for each team was calculated and is shown below.
Team A: 3.41 minutes
Team B: 3.79 minutes

Which of the following MUST be true?

1. Every member of team A completed the race in less time than any member of team B.
2. The median time it took the members of team B to complete the race is greater than the median time it took the
members of team A to complete the race.
3. There is at least one member of team B who took more time to complete the race than some member of team A.

A. III only

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

ID: 651d83bb Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since the average time for the 10 members of team A is 3.41 minutes, the sum of the 10 times for
team A is equal to minutes. Since the average time for the 10 members of team B is 3.79 minutes,

the sum of the 10 times for team B is equal to minutes. Since the sum of the 10 times for team B is

greater than the sum of the 10 times for team A, it must be true that at least one of the times for team B must be
greater than one of the times for team A. Thus, statement III is true. However, it’s possible that at least some of the
times for team A were greater than some of the times for team B. For example, all of team A’s times could be 3.41
minutes, and team B could have 1 time of 3.34 minutes and 9 times of 3.84 minutes. Thus, statement I need not be
true. It’s also possible that the median of the times for team B is less than the median of the times for team A. For
example, all of team A’s times could be 3.41 minutes, and team B could have 6 times of 3.37 minutes and 4 times of
4.42 minutes; then the median of team B’s times would be 3.37 minutes and the median of team A’s times would be
3.41 minutes. Thus, statement II need not be true.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because neither statement I nor statement II must be true.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1e8ccffd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 1e8ccffd

The mean score of 8 players in a basketball game was 14.5 points. If the highest
individual score is removed, the mean score of the remaining 7 players becomes 12
points. What was the highest score?

A. 20

B. 24

C. 32

D. 36

ID: 1e8ccffd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. If the mean score of 8 players is 14.5, then the total of all 8 scores is . If the mean

of 7 scores is 12, then the total of all 7 scores is . Since the set of 7 scores was made by removing the
highest score of the set of 8 scores, then the difference between the total of all 8 scores and the total of all 7 scores is
equal to the removed score: .

Choice A is incorrect because if 20 is removed from the group of 8 scores, then the mean score of the remaining 7

players is is approximately 13.71, not 12. Choice B is incorrect because if 24 is removed from the

group of 8 scores, then the mean score of the remaining 7 players is is approximately 13.14, not 12.
Choice D is incorrect because if 36 is removed from the group of 8 scores, then the mean score of the remaining 7

players is or approximately 11.43, not 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1e1027a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 1e1027a7

The scatterplot above shows a company’s ice cream sales d, in dollars, and the high
temperature t, in degrees Celsius (°C), on 12 different days. A line of best fit for the
data is also shown. Which of the following could be an equation of the line of best
fit?

A.
d equals, 0 point 0 3 t plus 402

B.
d equals, 10 t plus 402

C.
d equals, 33 t plus 300

D.
d equals, 33 t plus 84

ID: 1e1027a7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. On the line of best fit, d increases from approximately 480 to 880 between and . The
slope of the line of best fit is the difference in d-values divided by the difference in t-values, which gives

, or approximately 33. Writing the equation of the line of best fit in slope-intercept form gives

, where b is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. This equation is satisfied by all points on the line, so
when . Thus, , which is equivalent to . Subtracting 396 from both sides

of this equation gives . Therefore, an equation for the line of best fit could be .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error in calculating the slope and misidentifying the y-coordinate of
the y-intercept of the graph as the value of d at rather than the value of d at . Choice B is incorrect and

may result from using the smallest value of t on the graph as the slope and misidentifying the y-coordinate of the y-
intercept of the graph as the value of d at rather than the value of d at . Choice C is incorrect and may
result from misidentifying the y-coordinate of the y-intercept as the smallest value of d on the graph.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3f775bbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 3f775bbf

Power capacity
State
Low Medium High Total

Texas 4 2 3 9

California 1 0 1 2

Oregon 1 0 1 2

Indiana 0 2 0 2

Colorado 1 1 0 2

Iowa 2 0 0 2

Oklahoma 1 0 0 1

Total 10 5 5 20

The table shows the distribution, by location and power capacity (maximum rate of
power generation) of the twenty largest wind projects in the United States in 2013.
The total power capacity of the nine wind projects located in Texas was 4,952
megawatts (MW), and the total power capacity of the twenty wind projects was
11,037 MW in 2013. The amount of energy produced in one hour at a rate of one
megawatt is one megawatt-hour. If each of the nine Texas wind projects in 2013
had operated continuously for 24 hours at the maximum rate of power generation,
approximately how many megawatt-hours of energy would the nine projects have
produced?

A. 200

B. 5,000

C. 11,000

D. 120,000

ID: 3f775bbf Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the total power capacity of the nine wind projects in Texas was 4,952 megawatts.
Therefore, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 1 hour, the amount of energy produced would be 4,952
megawatt-hours. It follows that, if all nine Texas projects operated continuously for 24 hours, the amount of energy
produced, in megawatt-hours, would be , which is closest to 120,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects divided by 24
hours. Choice B is incorrect. This is approximately the amount of energy produced for the nine projects. Choice C is
incorrect. This is approximately the given amount of energy produced for all twenty projects in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8637294f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 8637294f

If and , what is the value of ?

ID: 8637294f Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that and . The equation can be rewritten as
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The equation can be rewritten
as . Substituting for in this equation yields , or .
Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields . Therefore, the value of is . Note that .0625, 0.062, 0.063, and 1/16 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6626cac3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 6626cac3

Phone Email

Dinner
55% 80%
dance

Football
20% 10%
game

Picnic 20% 5%

Pool
5% 5%
party

Total 100% 100%

An alumni association survey asked each high school graduate to select the one activity he or she preferred
for the association’s next event. Some of the people responded by phone, and the others responded by
email. The table above shows the distribution of preferred activity, in percent, for each response type used.
For the survey, the number of email responses was twice the number of phone responses. If a person who
preferred a picnic is selected at random, what is the probability that the person responded by email?

ID: 6626cac3 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number of email responses is twice the number of phone
one third
responses. Therefore, if the number of phone responses is p, then the number of email responses is . The table
2p
shows that 20% of people who responded by phone preferred a picnic. It follows that the expression
0 point 2 0 p
represents the number of these people. The table also shows that 5% of the people who responded by email preferred
a picnic. The expression , or , represents the number of these people. Therefore, a
0 point 0 5 times 2 p 0 point 1 p
total of , or people preferred a picnic. Thus, the probability of selecting at
0 point 2 0 p plus 0 point 1 p 0 point 3 p
random a person who responded by email from the people who preferred a picnic is
, or . Note that 1/3, .3333, and 0.333 are examples of ways to enter
the fraction 0 point 1 p over 0 point 3 p one third
a correct answer.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 308084c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 308084c5

Sample Percent in favor Margin of error

A 52% 4.2%

B 48% 1.6%

The results of two random samples of votes for a proposition are shown above. The
samples were selected from the same population, and the margins of error were
calculated using the same method. Which of the following is the most appropriate
reason that the margin of error for sample A is greater than the margin of error for
sample B?

A. Sample A had a smaller number of votes that could not be recorded.

B. Sample A had a higher percent of favorable responses.

C. Sample A had a larger sample size.

D. Sample A had a smaller sample size.

ID: 308084c5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Sample size is an appropriate reason for the margin of error to change. In general, a smaller
sample size increases the margin of error because the sample may be less representative of the whole population.

Choice A is incorrect. The margin of error will depend on the size of the sample of recorded votes, not the number of
votes that could not be recorded. In any case, the smaller number of votes that could not be recorded for sample A
would tend to decrease, not increase, the comparative size of the margin of error. Choice B is incorrect. Since the
percent in favor for sample A is the same distance from 50% as the percent in favor for sample B, the percent of
favorable responses doesn’t affect the comparative size of the margin of error for the two samples. Choice C is
incorrect. If sample A had a larger margin of error than sample B, then sample A would tend to be less
representative of the population. Therefore, sample A is not likely to have a larger sample size.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d721177
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: 7d721177

The density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter. A sample of this type of wood is in the shape of a
cube and has a mass of kilograms. To the nearest hundredth of a meter, what is the length of one edge of this sample?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7d721177 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the density of a certain type of wood is kilograms per cubic meter ,
and a sample of this type of wood has a mass of . Let represent the volume, in , of the sample. It follows
that the relationship between the density, mass, and volume of this sample can be written
as , or . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the volume of this sample is . Since it’s given that
the sample of this type of wood is a cube, it follows that the length of one edge of this sample can be found using the
volume formula for a cube, , where represents the volume, in , and represents the length, in m, of one
edge of the cube. Substituting for in this formula yields . Taking the cube root of both sides of this
equation yields , or . Therefore, the length of one edge of this sample to the nearest hundredth of
a meter is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 67c0200a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 67c0200a

The number is less than the positive number . The number is greater than . The number is how many times
?

ID: 67c0200a Answer

Correct Answer: .54, 27/50

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the number is less than the positive number . Therefore,
, which is equivalent to , or . It's also given that the number is
greater than . Therefore, , which is equivalent to , or . Since ,
substituting for in the equation yields , or . Thus, is times . Note
that .54 and 27/50 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40e7a1a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 40e7a1a9

is greater than . What is the value of ?

ID: 40e7a1a9 Answer

Correct Answer: 600

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that is greater than . It follows that . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bf47ad54
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: bf47ad54

Each of the following frequency tables represents a data set. Which data set has the greatest mean?

A. Value Frequency

Value Frequency
B.

Value Frequency
C.

Value Frequency
D.
 ID: bf47ad54 Answer
Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The tables in choices B, C, and D each represent a data set where the values and have the
same frequency and the values and have the same frequency. It follows that each of these data sets is
symmetric around the value halfway between and , or . When a data set is symmetric around a value, that
value is the mean of the data set. Therefore, the data sets represented by the tables in choices B, C, and D each have
a mean of . The table in choice A represents a data set where the value has a greater frequency than the value
and the value has a greater frequency than the value . It follows that this data set has a mean greater than
. Therefore, of the given choices, choice A represents the data set with the greatest mean.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7d68096f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 7d68096f

A trivia tournament organizer wanted to study the relationship between the number of points a team scores in a trivia round
and the number of hours that a team practices each week. For the study, the organizer selected teams at random from all
trivia teams in a certain tournament. The table displays the information for the teams in the sample that practiced for at
least hours per week.

Number of points per round

Hours practiced
6 to 13 points 14 or more points Total

3 to 5 hours

More than 5 hours

Total
Which of the following is the largest population to which the results of the study can be generalized?

A. All trivia teams in the tournament that scored or more points in the round

B. The trivia teams in the sample

C. The trivia teams in the sample that practiced for at least hours per week

D. All trivia teams in the tournament

ID: 7d68096f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the organizer selected teams at random from all trivia teams in the
tournament. A table is also given displaying the information for the teams in the sample that practiced for at
least hours per week. Selecting a sample of a reasonable size at random to use for a survey allows the results from
that survey to be applied to the population from which the sample was selected, but not beyond this population.
Thus, only the sampling method information is necessary to determine the largest population to which the results
of the study can be generalized. Since the organizer selected the sample at random from all trivia teams in the
tournament, the largest population to which the results of the study can be generalized is all trivia teams in the
tournament.
Choice A is incorrect. The sample was selected at random from all trivia teams in the tournament, not just from the
teams that scored an average of or more points per round.

Choice B is incorrect. If a study uses a sample selected at random from a population, the results of the study can be
generalized to the population, not just the sample.

Choice C is incorrect. If a study uses a sample selected at random from a population, the results of the study can be
generalized to the population, not just a subset of the sample.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 585de39a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 585de39a

On May 10, 2015, there were 83 million Internet subscribers in Nigeria. The major
Internet providers were MTN, Globacom, Airtel, Etisalat, and Visafone. By
September 30, 2015, the number of Internet subscribers in Nigeria had increased to
97 million. If an Internet subscriber in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, is selected at
random, the probability that the person selected was an MTN subscriber is 0.43.
There were p million MTN subscribers in Nigeria on September 30, 2015. To the
nearest integer, what is the value of p ?

ID: 585de39a Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 42. It’s given that in Nigeria on September 30, 2015, the probability of selecting an MTN
subscriber from all Internet subscribers is 0.43, that there were p million, or , MTN subscribers, and

that there were 97 million, or 97,000,000, Internet subscribers. The probability of selecting an MTN subscriber from
all Internet subscribers can be found by dividing the number of MTN subscribers by the total number of Internet

subscribers. Therefore, the equation can be used to solve for p. Dividing 1,000,000 from the

numerator and denominator of the expression on the left-hand side yields . Multiplying both sides of
this equation by 97 yields , which, to the nearest integer, is 42.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4ff597db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 4ff597db

The mean amount of time that the 20 employees of a construction company have
worked for the company is 6.7 years. After one of the employees leaves the
company, the mean amount of time that the remaining employees have worked for
the company is reduced to 6.25 years. How many years did the employee who left
the company work for the company?

A. 0.45

B. 2.30

C. 9.00

D. 15.25

ID: 4ff597db Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The mean amount of time that the 20 employees worked for the company is 6.7 years. This
means that the total number of years all 20 employees worked for the company is (6.7)(20) = 134 years. After the
employee left, the mean amount of time that the remaining 19 employees worked for the company is 6.25 years.
Therefore, the total number of years all 19 employees worked for the company is (6.25)(19) = 118.75 years. It follows
that the number of years that the employee who left had worked for the company is 134 – 118.75 = 15.25 years.

Choice A is incorrect; this is the change in the mean, which isn’t the same as the amount of time worked by the
employee who left. Choice B is incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20
employees, rather than 19, at the company after the employee left and then subtracting the original mean of 6.7 from
that result. Choice C is incorrect and likely results from making the assumption that there were still 20 employees,
rather than 19, at the company after the employee left.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7b52985c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 7b52985c

The scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours, a certain bird spent in flight and the number of
days after January , .

What is the average rate of change, in hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to the
length of time the bird spent in flight on January ?

ID: 7b52985c Answer

Correct Answer: 4.5, 9/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the scatterplot shows the relationship between the length of time , in hours,
a certain bird spent in flight and the number of days after January , . Since January is days after January
, it follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot, when , the
corresponding value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight. Since January is
days after January , it follows that January corresponds to an x-value of in the scatterplot. In the scatterplot,
when , the corresponding value of is . In other words, on January , the bird spent hours in flight.
Therefore, the average rate of change, in hours per day, of the length of time the bird spent in flight on January to
the length of time the bird spent in flight on January is the difference in the length of time, in hours, the bird
spent in flight divided by the difference in the number of days after January , or , which is equivalent to .
Note that 9/2 and 4.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 7ce2830a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 7ce2830a

A psychologist designed and conducted a study to determine whether playing a

certain educational game increases middle school students’ accuracy in adding
fractions. For the study, the psychologist chose a random sample of 35 students
from all of the students at one of the middle schools in a large city. The
psychologist found that students who played the game showed significant
improvement in accuracy when adding fractions. What is the largest group to
which the results of the study can be generalized?

A. The 35 students in the sample

B. All students at the school

C. All middle school students in the city

D. All students in the city

ID: 7ce2830a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The largest group to which the results of a study can be generalized is the population from
which the random sample was chosen. In this case, the psychologist chose a random sample from all students at
one particular middle school. Therefore, the largest group to which the results can be generalized is all the students
at the school.

Choice A is incorrect because this isn’t the largest group the results can be generalized to. Choices C and D are
incorrect because these groups are larger than the population from which the random sample was chosen.
Therefore, the sample isn’t representative of these groups.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6a715bed
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 6a715bed

The table summarizes the distribution of age and assigned group for participants in a study.
– years – years years Total

Group A

Group B

Group C

Total
One of these participants will be selected at random. What is the probability of selecting a participant from group A, given
that the participant is at least years of age? (Express your answer as a decimal or fraction, not as a percent.)

ID: 6a715bed Answer

Correct Answer: .3833, 23/60

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that one of the participants will be selected at random. The probability of
selecting a participant from group A given that the participant is at least years of age is the number of
participants in group A who are at least years of age divided by the total number of participants who are at least
years of age. The table shows that in group A, there are participants who are – years of age and
participants who are years of age. Therefore, there are , or , participants in group A who are at least
years of age. The table also shows that there are a total of participants who are – years of age and
participants who are years of age. Therefore, there are a total of , or , participants who are at least
years of age. It follows that the probability of selecting a participant from group A given that the participant is at
least years of age is . Note that 23/60, .3833, and 0.383 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c7c6445f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Ratios, rates,

and Data Analysis proportional
relationships, and
units

ID: c7c6445f

A certain town has an area of square miles. What is the area, in square yards, of this town?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c7c6445f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the number of yards in mile is , the number of square yards in square mile is
. Therefore, if the area of the town is square miles, it is
, in square yards.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from dividing the number of yards in a mile by the square mileage of the town.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying the number of yards in a mile by the square mileage of the
town.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from dividing the number of square yards in a square mile by the square
mileage of the town.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d0430601
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: d0430601

Each dot in the scatterplot above represents the temperature and the number of
people who visited a beach in Lagos, Nigeria, on one of eleven different days. The
line of best fit for the data is also shown. The line of best fit for the data has a slope
of approximately 57. According to this estimate, how many additional people per
day are predicted to visit the beach for each 5°C increase in average temperature?

ID: d0430601 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 285. The number of people predicted to visit the beach each day is represented by the y-values
of the line of best fit, and the average temperature, in degrees Celsius ( ), is represented by the x-values. Since the

slope of the line of best fit is approximately 57, the y-value, or the number of people predicted to visit the beach each
day, increases by 57 for every x-value increase of 1, or every increase in average temperature. Therefore, an
increase of in average temperature corresponds to a y-value increase of additional people per day

predicted to visit the beach.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4626102e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 4626102e

The dot plot represents the values in data set A. Data set B is created by adding to each of the values in data set A.
Which of the following correctly compares the medians and the ranges of data sets A and B?

A. The median of data set B is equal to the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is equal to the range of data
set A.

B. The median of data set B is equal to the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is greater than the range of
data set A.

C. The median of data set B is greater than the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is equal to the range of
data set A.

D. The median of data set B is greater than the median of data set A, and the range of data set B is greater than the range of
data set A.

ID: 4626102e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The median of a data set with an odd number of values, in ascending or descending order, is the
middle value of the data set, and the range of a data set is the positive difference between the maximum and
minimum values in the data set. Since the dot plot shown gives the values in data set A in ascending order and
there are values in the data set, the eighth value in data set A, , is the median. The maximum value in data set
A is and the minimum value is , so the range of data set A is , or . It’s given that data set B is created
by adding to each of the values in data set A. Increasing each of the values in data set A by will also
increase its median value by making the median of data set B . Increasing each value of data set A by does
not change the range, since the maximum value of data set B is , or , and the minimum value is ,
or , making the range of data set B , or . Therefore, the median of data set B is greater than the median of
data set A, and the range of data set B is equal to the range of data set A.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 55818046
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 55818046
According to the 2010 Census, the adult population aged 18 years or greater of the United States in 2010 was
234,564,071. In 2010, a survey was conducted among a randomly chosen sample of adults aged 18 years or greater in
the United States about their preference to live in a warm climate or a cool climate. The table below displays a
summary of the survey results.
Climate Preferences
No
Warm Cool Total
preference

18–35 years
295 168 45 508
old

36–50 years
246 123 41 410
old

51–65 years
238 117 48 403
old

Greater than
137 78 64 279
65 years old

Total 916 486 198 1,600

Which of the following is closest to the difference between the percentage of

adults aged 18–50 years who responded “warm” and the percentage of adults aged
51 years or greater who responded “warm”?

A. 4%

B. 5%

C. 10%

D. 18%

ID: 55818046 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The percentage of adults aged 18–50 who responded “warm” is , or about

58.9%. The percentage of adults aged 51 years or greater who responded “warm” is , or about
55.0%. The difference between 58.9% and 55.0% is 3.9%. Of the answer choices, 4% is closest to this number.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20845d36
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 20845d36

The number is less than the positive number . The number is greater than . The number is how many times
?

ID: 20845d36 Answer

Correct Answer: .48, 12/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the number is less than the positive number . Therefore,
, which is equivalent to , or . It's also given that the number is
greater than . Therefore, , which is equivalent to , or . Since ,
substituting for in the equation yields , or . Thus, is times . Note
that .48 and 12/25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID aa43b41f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: aa43b41f

Near the end of a US cable news show, the host invited viewers to respond to a
poll on the show’s website that asked, “Do you support the new federal policy
discussed during the show?” At the end of the show, the host reported that 28%
responded “Yes,” and 70% responded “No.” Which of the following best explains
why the results are unlikely to represent the sentiments of the population of the
United States?

A. The percentages do not add up to 100%, so any possible conclusions from the poll are invalid.

B. Those who responded to the poll were not a random sample of the population of the United States.

C. There were not 50% “Yes” responses and 50% “No” responses.

D. The show did not allow viewers enough time to respond to the poll.

ID: aa43b41f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. In order for the poll results from a sample of a population to represent the entire population, the
sample must be representative of the population. A sample that is randomly selected from a population is more
likely than a sample of the type described to represent the population. In this case, the people who responded were
people with access to cable television and websites, which aren’t accessible to the entire population. Moreover, the
people who responded also chose to watch the show and respond to the poll. The people who made these choices
aren’t representative of the entire population of the United States because they were not a random sample of the
population of the United States.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they present reasons unrelated to whether the sample is representative of
the population of the United States.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5dc386fb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Probability and

and Data Analysis conditional
probability

ID: 5dc386fb
The table below shows the distribution of US states according to whether they have a state-level sales tax and a
state-level income tax.
2013 State-Level Taxes
State sales tax No state sales tax

State income tax 39 4

No state income tax 6 1

To the nearest tenth of a percent, what percent of states with a state-level sales tax
do not have a state-level income tax?

A. 6.0%

B. 12.0%

C. 13.3%

D. 14.0%

ID: 5dc386fb Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The sum of the number of states with a state-level sales tax is . Of these states, 6

don’t have a state-level income tax. Therefore, , or about 13.3%, of states with a state-level sales tax
don’t have a state-level income tax.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the number of states that have a state-level sales tax and no state-level income tax.
Choice B is incorrect. This is the percent of states that have a state-level sales tax and no state-level income tax.
Choice D is incorrect. This is the percent of states that have no state-level income tax.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 98958ae8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 98958ae8

Data set A consists of the heights of objects and has a mean of meters. Data set B consists of the heights of objects
and has a mean of meters. Data set C consists of the heights of the objects from data sets A and B. What is the mean,
in meters, of data set C?

ID: 98958ae8 Answer

Correct Answer: 41

Rationale

The correct answer is . The mean of a data set is computed by dividing the sum of the values in the data set by the
number of values in the data set. It’s given that data set A consists of the heights of objects and has a mean of
meters. This can be represented by the equation , where represents the sum of the heights of the objects,
in meters, in data set A. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or meters.
Therefore, the sum of the heights of the objects in data set A is meters. It’s also given that data set B consists
of the heights of objects and has a mean of meters. This can be represented by the equation , where
represents the sum of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data set B. Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields , or meters. Therefore, the sum of the heights of the objects in data set B is
meters. Since it’s given that data set C consists of the heights of the objects from data sets A and B, it follows
that the mean of data set C is the sum of the heights of the objects, in meters, in data sets A and B divided by the
number of objects represented in data sets A and B, or , which is equivalent to meters. Therefore, the
mean, in meters, of data set C is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 391ae4b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 391ae4b2

Data set F consists of integers between and . Data set G consists of all the integers in data set F as well as the
integer . Which of the following must be less for data set F than for data set G?
I. The mean
II. The median

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 391ae4b2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that data set F consists of integers between and and data set G consists of
all the integers in data set F as well as the integer . Since the integer is less than all the integers in data set F,
the mean of data set G must be less than the mean of data set F. Thus, the mean of data set F isn't less than the
mean of data set G. When a data set is in ascending order, the median is between the two middle values when there
is an even number of values and the median is the middle value when there is an odd number of values. It follows
that the median of data set F is either greater than or equal to the median of data set G. Therefore, the median of
data set F isn't less than the median of data set G. Thus, neither the mean nor the median must be less for data set F
than for data set G.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2a59eb45
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 2a59eb45

Data set A consists of the heights of buildings and has a mean of meters. Data set B consists of the heights of
buildings and has a mean of meters. Data set C consists of the heights of the buildings from data sets A and B. What
is the mean, in meters, of data set C?

ID: 2a59eb45 Answer

Correct Answer: 44

Rationale

The correct answer is . The mean of a data set is computed by dividing the sum of the values in the data set by the
number of values in the data set. It's given that data set A consists of the heights of buildings and has a mean of
meters. This can be represented by the equation , where represents the sum of the heights of the
buildings, in meters, in data set A. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields , or
meters. Therefore, the sum of the heights of the buildings in data set A is meters. It's also given that data set B
consists of the heights of buildings and has a mean of meters. This can be represented by the equation
, where represents the sum of the heights of the buildings, in meters, in data set B. Multiplying both sides
of this equation by yields , or meters. Therefore, the sum of the heights of the buildings in
data set B is meters. Since it's given that data set C consists of the heights of the buildings from data sets
A and B, it follows that the mean of data set C is the sum of the heights of the buildings, in meters, in data sets A and
B divided by the number of buildings represented in data sets A and B, or , which is equivalent to
meters. Therefore, the mean, in meters, of data set C is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4a422e3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Evaluating

and Data Analysis statistical claims:
Observational
studies and
experiments

ID: 4a422e3e

To determine the mean number of children per household in a community, Tabitha

surveyed 20 families at a playground. For the 20 families surveyed, the mean
number of children per household was 2.4. Which of the following statements must
be true?

A. The mean number of children per household in the community is 2.4.

B. A determination about the mean number of children per household in the community should not be made because the
sample size is too small.

C. The sampling method is flawed and may produce a biased estimate of the mean number of children per household in the
community.

D. The sampling method is not flawed and is likely to produce an unbiased estimate of the mean number of children per
household in the community.

ID: 4a422e3e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In order to use a sample mean to estimate the mean for a population, the sample must be
representative of the population (for example, a simple random sample). In this case, Tabitha surveyed 20 families
in a playground. Families in the playground are more likely to have children than other households in the
community. Therefore, the sample isn’t representative of the population. Hence, the sampling method is flawed and
may produce a biased estimate.

Choices A and D are incorrect because they incorrectly assume the sampling method is unbiased. Choice B is
incorrect because a sample of size 20 could be large enough to make an estimate if the sample had been
representative of all the families in the community.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2e92cc21
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 2e92cc21

The number is greater than the number . The number is less than . What is the value of ?

ID: 2e92cc21 Answer

Correct Answer: 9.87, 987/100

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number is greater than the number . It follows that
, or . It’s also given that the number is less than . It follows that
, or , which yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e821a26d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: e821a26d
The scatterplot below shows the amount of electric energy generated, in millions of megawatt-hours, by nuclear
sources over a 10‑year period.

Of the following equations, which best models the data in the scatterplot?

A.
y equals 1 point six seven four x squared, plus 19 point seven six x, minus 745 point seven three

B.
y equals negative 1 point six seven four x squared, minus 19 point seven six x, minus 745 point seven three

C.
y equals 1 point six seven four x squared, plus 19 point seven six x, plus 745 point seven three

D.
y equals negative 1 point six seven four x squared, plus 19 point seven six x, plus 745 point seven three

ID: e821a26d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The data in the scatterplot roughly fall in the shape of a downward-opening parabola; therefore,
the coefficient for the term must be negative. Based on the location of the data points, the y-intercept of the

parabola should be somewhere between 740 and 760. Therefore, of the equations given, the best model is
.

Choices A and C are incorrect. The positive coefficient of the term means that these equations each define

upward-opening parabolas, whereas a parabola that fits the data in the scatterplot must open downward. Choice B is
incorrect because it defines a parabola with a y-intercept that has a negative y-coordinate, whereas a parabola that
fits the data in the scatterplot must have a y-intercept with a positive y-coordinate.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 9d935bd8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 9d935bd8

A survey was given to residents of all 50 states asking if they had earned a
bachelor’s degree or higher. The results from 7 of the states are given in the table
above. The median percent of residents who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher
for all 50 states was 26.95%. What is the difference between the median percent of
residents who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher for these 7 states and the
median for all 50 states?

A. 0.05%

B. 0.95%

C. 1.22%

D. 7.45%

ID: 9d935bd8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The median of a set of numbers is the middle value of the set values when ordered from least to
greatest. If the percents in the table are ordered from least to greatest, the middle value is 27.9%. The difference
between 27.9% and 26.95% is 0.95%.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of calculation errors or not finding the median of the data in the table
correctly. Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of finding the mean instead of the median. Choice D is
incorrect and may be the result of using the middle value of the unordered list.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8c5dbd3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 8c5dbd3e

The number is greater than the number . The number is less than . What is the value of ?

ID: 8c5dbd3e Answer

Correct Answer: 189/4, 47.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the number is greater than the number . It follows that
, or . It’s also given that the number is less than . It follows that
, or , which yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is . Note that 47.25 and 189/4 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9ba3e283
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Inference from

and Data Analysis sample statistics
and margin of error

ID: 9ba3e283

In State X, Mr. Camp’s eighth-grade class consisting of 26 students was surveyed

and 34.6 percent of the students reported that they had at least two siblings. The
average eighth‑grade class size in the state is 26. If the students in Mr. Camp’s class
are representative of students in the state’s eighth-grade classes and there are
1,800 eighth-grade classes in the state, which of the following best estimates the
number of eighth‑grade students in the state who have fewer than two siblings?

A. 16,200

B. 23,400

C. 30,600

D. 46,800

ID: 9ba3e283 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It is given that 34.6% of 26 students in Mr. Camp’s class reported that they had at least two
siblings. Since 34.6% of 26 is 8.996, there must have been 9 students in the class who reported having at least two
siblings and 17 students who reported that they had fewer than two siblings. It is also given that the average eighth-
grade class size in the state is 26 and that Mr. Camp’s class is representative of all eighth-grade classes in the state.
This means that in each eighth-grade class in the state there are about 17 students who have fewer than two
siblings. Therefore, the best estimate of the number of eighth-grade students in the state who have fewer than two
siblings is 17 × (number of eighth-grade classes in the state), or .

Choice A is incorrect because 16,200 is the best estimate for the number of eighth-grade students in the state who
have at least, not fewer than, two siblings. Choice B is incorrect because 23,400 is half of the estimated total number
of eighth-grade students in the state; however, since the students in Mr. Camp’s class are representative of students
in the eighth-grade classes in the state and more than half of the students in Mr. Camp’s class have fewer than two
siblings, more than half of the students in each eighth-grade class in the state have fewer than two siblings, too.
Choice D is incorrect because 46,800 is the estimated total number of eighth-grade students in the state.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d73a58b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Percentages

and Data Analysis

ID: 3d73a58b

A gift shop buys souvenirs at a wholesale price of dollars each and resells them each at a retail price that is of the
wholesale price. At the end of the season, any remaining souvenirs are marked at a discounted price that is off the retail
price. What is the discounted price of each remaining souvenir, in dollars?

ID: 3d73a58b Answer

Correct Answer: 203/50, 4.06

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the retail price is of the wholesale price of . Thus, the retail
price is , which is equivalent to , or . It's also given that the discounted price is off
the retail price. Thus, the discounted price is , which is equivalent to , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 79137c1b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving Two-variable data:

and Data Analysis Models and
scatterplots

ID: 79137c1b

The scatterplot above shows the size x and the sale price y of 25 houses for sale in
Town H. Which of the following could be an equation for a line of best fit for the
data?

A.
y equals, 200 x plus 100

B.
y equals, 100 x plus 100

C.
y equals, 50 x plus 100

D.
y equals, 100 x

ID: 79137c1b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. From the shape of the cluster of points, the line of best fit should pass roughly through the
points and . Therefore, these two points can be used to find an approximate equation for the line of

best fit. The slope of this line of best fit is therefore , or 100. The equation for the line of best
fit, in slope-intercept form, is for some value of b. Using the point , 1 can be substituted for x

and 200 can be substituted for y: , or . Substituting this value into the slope-intercept form
of the equation gives .
Choice A is incorrect. The line defined by passes through the points and , both of

which are well above the cluster of points, so it cannot be a line of best fit. Choice C is incorrect. The line defined by
passes through the points and , both of which lie at the bottom of the cluster of

points, so it cannot be a line of best fit. Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly calculating the slope of a
line of best fit but incorrectly assuming the y-intercept is at .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 54d93874
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Problem-Solving One-variable data:

and Data Analysis Distributions and
measures of center
and spread

ID: 54d93874

Masses (kilograms)

Andrew 2.4 2.5 3.6 3.1 2.5 2.7

Maria x 3.1 2.7 2.9 3.3 2.8

Andrew and Maria each collected six rocks, and the masses of the rocks are shown
in the table above. The mean of the masses of the rocks Maria collected is 0.1
kilogram greater than the mean of the masses of the rocks Andrew collected. What
is the value of x ?

ID: 54d93874 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 2.6. Since the mean of a set of numbers can be found by adding the numbers together and
dividing by how many numbers there are in the set, the mean mass, in kilograms, of the rocks Andrew collected is
the fraction with numerator 2 point 4, plus 2 point 5, plus 3 point 6, plus 3 point 1, plus 2 point 5, plus 2 point 7, and
denominator 6, equals 16 point 8 over 6.
, or 2.8. Since the mean mass of the rocks Maria collected is 0.1 kilogram greater than the mean mass of rocks
Andrew collected, the mean mass of the rocks Maria collected is
2 point 8, plus 0 point 1, equals 2 point 9
kilograms. The value of x can be found by writing an equation for finding the mean:
the fraction with numerator x plus 3 point 1, plus 2 point 7, plus 2 point 9, plus 3 point 3, plus 2 point 8, and
denominator 6, equals 2 point 9
. Solving this equation gives . Note that 2.6 and 13/5 are examples of ways to enter a correct
x equals 2 point 6
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard