SAT Calculator Policy + List of Approved Calculators

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SAT Math No Calculator Section Breakdown 

The No Calculator Math Section of the SAT covers three content categories: Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics. 

Heart of Algebra: Questions in the Heart of Algebra category cover linear equations, inequalities, functions, and graphs. 

Passport to Advanced Math: The Passport to Advanced Math category measures a test taker’s ability to work with and analyze complex equations. Students will deal with quadratic equations and other polynomials and cover topics including nonlinear expressions, exponential expressions, radicals, functions, and word problems. 

Additional Topics: Additional Topics is a catch-all that mainly includes questions about geometry, basic trigonometry, and complex numbers.

Tips for Acing the No Calculator Section of the SAT 

There are numerous strategies for scoring well on the No Calculator Math Section of the SAT. First and foremost, don’t panic! The majority of these problems focus more on reasoning than arithmetic, vastly diminishing the usefulness of a calculator. 

Memorize: You have about 1 minute and 15 seconds per question to arrive at an answer in the No Calculator Math Section of the SAT—memorizing foundational math will buy you precious seconds during the exam. A good place to start is with multiplication tables through 15, the squares of integers, and common fractions and how they’re represented as decimals and percentages. While you’re at it, memorize the information on the No Calculator instructions page to save even more time on test day. 

Read Carefully: One of the abilities the No Calculator Math Section of the SAT tests is your reading comprehension; in many cases, these questions are designed to fool you. Answer choices may contain one or two answers that would be correct if the problem were written in a slightly different way. Word problems can also be overly involved and even contain information not necessary for finding a solution. Be sure to underline the important details as you read the question so you don’t get tripped up. 

Show Your Work: Sure, the grading machine won’t see how you arrived at an answer—but on questions that require multiple steps to solve, writing out your work can help you catch mistakes and avoid errors. An added bonus of writing out your work is that if you end up with extra time at the end of the section, you can go back and review your work. 

Identify and Drill Weaknesses: It seems all of our advice on the SAT (and the ACT, for that matter) include this step. The more time you spend drilling for the SAT, the more familiar you’ll become with its categories, questions, and formats. With that said, your time is limited, so make the most of it. When taking practice exams or just going through flashcards, you should review what you got wrong, identify underlying concepts, and focus on improving in that area. 

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