Math Facts to Know for the SAT
Part of the SAT For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Every SAT Math section includes a box of useful geometry formulas and rules — but to succeed on the SAT, you can’t rely only on that given information. You need to be familiar with numbers, operations, algebra, geometry, functions, and probability. Here are just a few of the important math-related facts you need to know:
Some phrases — less than, fewer than, shorter than, subtracted from — reverse the order of subtraction (for example, four less than x is x – 4).
In a triangle, the largest angle is opposite the largest side, and the smallest angle is opposite the smallest side.
The sum of two sides of any triangle must be larger than the length of the third side.
In a circle, inscribed angles are half as large as their arcs.
A tangent line and a radius always form a right angle.
To solve a linear equation, isolate the variable on one side of the equal sign.
A base to the zero power equals one (100 = 1, for example).
Anything quadratic on the SAT can usually be factored.
