SAT Desmos guides
How to use Desmos on the digital SAT
The digital SAT gives you a Desmos graphing calculator on every question in the Math section, and almost nobody is taught to use it. These are the 19 official College Board skills, one guide each: what the question is really asking, the exact line to type into Desmos, and which number to read off the graph.
19 of 19 guides published · One free guide and two skill previews, the rest inside DesPrep
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3 guides to the section as a wholeHow to Use Desmos on the Digital SAT
Full guideThe calculator is already on your test, on every single math question. Most students touch it twice. Here is the whole method, from your first expression to the questions where graphing is the wrong move.
12 min read
Desmos Tricks for the Digital SAT — One for Every Math Skill
Not a list of clever tricks nobody uses. One shortcut per official SAT math skill, in the form you will actually use it: what the question looks like, what to type, what to read.
In DesPrep
Digital SAT Calculator: What's Allowed and How to Use It
Short version: a Desmos graphing calculator is built into the test, on every math question, and you do not have to bring anything. Here is the longer version, and the decision worth making before test day.
In DesPrep
Algebra
5 skillsLinear Equations in One Variable
PreviewSolve a linear equation by graphing each side as its own function and reading the x-coordinate where they meet — no algebra, no sign errors.
12 min preview·65 practice problems
Linear Functions
PreviewEvaluate and interpret linear functions on the graph — function values, slope and intercepts read straight off the curve.
12 min preview·65 practice problems
Linear Equations in Two Variables
Read intercepts and paired values straight off the line, including equations given in standard form.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Systems of Linear Equations
Graph both equations and click where they cross — the fastest route to a solution, and it never makes an elimination error.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Linear Inequalities
Graph the boundary line and let the picture tell you which values satisfy the inequality.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Advanced Math
3 skillsNonlinear Functions
Find maximums, minimums and function values on a curve by clicking the point instead of completing the square.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Nonlinear Equations
Solve quadratic, absolute-value and exponential equations by graphing both sides and clicking where they cross.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Equivalent Expressions
Read a hidden coefficient off the curve — vertex-form constants, zeros and expanded terms, without doing the algebra.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Problem Solving & Data Analysis
7 skillsScatterplots and Models
Graph a line of best fit and read predictions straight off it, instead of substituting by hand.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Ratios, Rates, Proportions and Units
Turn a rate into a line and read any proportional value off it in seconds.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Percentages
Percent change and growth, set up so Desmos does the arithmetic and the graph shows the trend.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Distributions, Center and Spread
Means, medians and ranges computed in the Desmos list bar rather than on paper.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Probability
Turn counts into a probability, reduced correctly every time, and keep track of which total the question restricts you to.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Statistical Inference
Scale a sample up to a population and read a confidence interval off its endpoints.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Claims, Studies and Experiments
Judge what a study actually supports, and put numbers to the claims it makes.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Geometry & Trigonometry
4 skillsArea and Volume
Area and volume formulas evaluated in Desmos, including the maximum-area problems that are really parabolas in disguise.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Lines, Angles and Triangles
Angle relationships and triangle facts, with Desmos handling the arithmetic.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Circles
Center, radius and extreme points of a circle — graphed as a semicircle when the answer is a point you can click.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Right Triangles and Trigonometry
Pythagorean triples and the three ratios, kept exact as fractions.
In DesPrep·65 practice problems
Reading about it is the easy half.
Every guide here has 65 problems behind it, solved inside a real Desmos calculator with step feedback and an expert replay. The first two skills are free forever — no credit card.
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