SAT Formula Sheet: the test gives you 12 geometry formulas. Here are all 40.
The complete SAT math formula sheet for the digital SAT: what the official reference sheet gives you (geometry only, zero algebra), every formula you must memorize, and the Desmos shortcuts that solve questions without algebra. Looking for a formula sheet for the SAT you can print? Grab the free PDF. No email wall.
Quick answers
The questions every test-taker asks before test day.
Does the SAT give you a formula sheet?
Yes. The digital SAT's Bluebook app includes a reference sheet that stays open for the whole Math section, and the paper accommodation version prints the same page. But it lists only 12 items, all geometry: circle area and circumference, triangle and rectangle area, the Pythagorean theorem, five volume formulas, the two special right triangles, and three angle facts. There is not a single algebra formula on it, which is why students who never prepared beyond the built-in sheet get surprised by slope, quadratic, and exponent questions. See the exact official sheet, item by item →
What formulas are NOT on the SAT formula sheet?
Every algebra, functions, and statistics formula: slope and all three line forms, the quadratic formula, vertex form, the discriminant, sum and product of roots, exponent rules, the equation of a circle, exponential growth and decay, weighted averages, percent change, probability, SOHCAHTOA, and the cofunction identity. Counted together that is 40 formulas the test expects you to know cold, and the four content domains weight them differently: Algebra and Advanced Math together carry 26 to 30 of the 44 math questions. Get the full memorize list, organized by domain →
Where do I get a printable SAT formula sheet?
Right here. Our PDF has all 40 formulas on black-and-white-friendly pages, organized by the SAT's four math domains and marked given versus memorize so you never waste memory on something the test hands you. No email required, no signup, nothing to unlock. Download it, print it, tape it above your desk, and cross off each formula as it becomes automatic. Download the free PDF →
Is the reference sheet the same on the digital SAT?
Yes. The digital SAT (Bluebook, since March 2024 in the US) kept the exact reference information the paper test used: 10 formulas, 2 triangle diagrams, 3 geometry facts. What changed is where it lives: an always-available panel inside the testing app instead of a printed page, and a full Desmos graphing calculator available on every math question. The calculator matters more than the sheet, because a third of the "missing" formulas can be skipped entirely when you know the 12 Desmos techniques.
What's on the official SAT formula sheet?
The exact reference information from the digital SAT, verified against College Board materials.
- A circle has 360 degrees of arc, which is 2π radians.
- The angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees.
- All figures lie in a plane and are drawn to scale on the digital test.
That is the entire sheet. Notice what is missing: no slope, no quadratics, no exponent laws, no circle equation, no trigonometry, no statistics. The full formula sheet below closes that gap.
The 40 formulas you must memorize
Organized the way the test scores you: four content domains on the 44-question math section.
Algebra · 13–15 questions
The most-tested domain, and the reference sheet ignores all of it. Start with the slope formula, slope-intercept and point-slope forms, and the slope relationships for parallel (equal) and perpendicular (negative reciprocal, m₁·m₂ = −1) lines, then the distance and midpoint formulas for coordinate geometry.
Advanced Math · 13–15 questions
The quadratic formula is the single most valuable line to memorize for the whole test. Add the vertex x-coordinate −b/(2a), vertex form, the discriminant for counting solutions, sum and product of roots, the exponent rules, the circle equation (x−h)² + (y−k)² = r², and exponential growth and decay models.
Problem-Solving & Data Analysis · 5–7 questions
Small domain, cheap points: mean with the Total = Average × Number trick, weighted averages, median and range, the concept of standard deviation (never the computation), percent change divided by the original, and desired-over-total probability.
Geometry & Trigonometry · 5–7 questions
Beyond the official sheet you need SOHCAHTOA, the cofunction identity sin x = cos(90° − x), degree-radian conversion, arc length and sector area as fractions of the circle, and the interior angle sum (n − 2) × 180° for polygons.
Every formula above opens as a full card with a worked example and, where it exists, a Desmos shortcut that makes the algebra optional.
How to actually learn a formula sheet
1. Sort before you memorize
Split the 40 formulas into "given" and "memorize" first. Students who blindly drill everything waste hours re-learning volume formulas the test provides. Our SAT math formula sheet marks every card, and the 3-minute gap check does the sorting for you: it quizzes only what the reference sheet will not show you.
2. Learn formulas inside a question
A formula memorized in isolation fades in a week; a formula attached to a question you missed survives till test day. Each card here carries a worked example for exactly that reason. When you review, cover the answer, re-solve, then read the "when it shows up" line so the trigger gets trained, not just the symbols. Keep the printed sheet next to your practice sets and check it after every missed question.
3. Let the calculator carry the rest
The digital SAT hands you a full Desmos graphing calculator on every question. Systems of equations become "type two lines, click the intersection". Roots become "graph it and look". Best-fit lines become a one-line regression. Half the formulas on any traditional cheat sheet exist to do by hand what Desmos does in five seconds, so learn the 12 calculator moves before you grind more algebra.
Test yourself right now
One question from the gap check, no signup. This is the kind of formula the SAT will not give you.
Where do you want to start?
Three tools, one goal: walk into the Math modules over-prepared.
The Formula Sheet
All 40 formulas for the digital SAT, organized by the 4 test domains and marked given vs memorize, with examples. Free printable PDF, no email required.
Browse 40 formulas → ⚡Desmos Hacks
Bluebook gives you a full Desmos graphing calculator for every math question. Learn 12 techniques: solve systems, find roots, run regressions, all by typing two lines.
Open the calculator panel → 🩺3-Minute Gap Check
Quiz yourself on only the formulas the SAT won't give you. Find your gaps, then jump straight to the fix.
Start the quiz →