The digital SAT gives you an on-screen reference sheet, but it's a shorter list than most students expect. This guide covers what's actually provided, and just as importantly, the formulas you're on your own for — including the quadratic formula and basic algebra identities.
What's on the official reference sheet
The reference sheet available during the Math section focuses almost entirely on geometry. You can expect it to include things like:
- Area and circumference formulas for a circle.
- Area formulas for a rectangle and a triangle.
- Volume formulas for a rectangular solid, a cylinder, a sphere, a cone, and a pyramid.
- The Pythagorean theorem.
- Special right triangle relationships (the 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 triangles).
- The fact that there are 360 degrees in a circle and \(2\pi\) radians in a circle.
- The fact that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle is 180 degrees.
That's genuinely useful — but notice what's missing. There's no algebra on this sheet at all.
What's NOT on the reference sheet
This is the part that catches students off guard, often mid-test. The reference sheet does not include the quadratic formula, algebra identities, slope formulas, or anything related to Advanced Math, Algebra, or Problem-Solving and Data Analysis. If a question needs one of these, you're expected to already know it.
| Formula or fact | On reference sheet? |
|---|---|
| Circle area and circumference | Yes |
| Pythagorean theorem | Yes |
| Special right triangle ratios | Yes |
| Quadratic formula | No |
| Slope formula / slope-intercept form | No |
| Difference of squares and other identities | No |
| Exponent rules | No |
| Mean, median, and probability formulas | No |
The formulas you need to memorize
Since Algebra and Advanced Math together make up the largest share of the section, and neither gets any reference sheet support, these are non-negotiable to know cold:
- The quadratic formula: for \(ax^2 + bx + c = 0\), \(x = \dfrac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\).
- Slope-intercept form: \(y = mx + b\), where \(m\) is the slope and \(b\) is the y-intercept.
- Slope formula: given two points, \(m = \dfrac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}\).
- Difference of squares: \(a^2 - b^2 = (a+b)(a-b)\), useful for quickly factoring certain expressions.
- Exponent rules: how to multiply, divide, and raise powers of the same base.
- Basic right-triangle trig ratios: \(\sin\), \(\cos\), and \(\tan\) as ratios of triangle sides — useful even though some circle and triangle facts are on the sheet.
A common mistake is assuming the reference sheet covers "the formulas," full stop. It only covers geometry basics. Everything in Algebra and Advanced Math is on you.
It's worth adding one more item to this list that students often overlook: the relationship between a function's equation and its graph. Knowing that \(y = mx + b\) produces a straight line with slope \(m\), or that \(y = a(x-h)^2 + k\) describes a parabola with vertex \((h,k)\), isn't printed anywhere on the reference sheet, yet questions in Advanced Math regularly expect you to move fluently between an equation and what its graph looks like.
A worked example that shows why memorizing matters
Suppose a question gives you \(2x^2 + 3x - 5 = 0\) and asks for the sum of the solutions. You could factor it — \((2x + 5)(x - 1) = 0\), giving \(x = -\dfrac{5}{2}\) or \(x = 1\), for a sum of \(-\dfrac{3}{2}\) — but factoring an equation like this quickly under time pressure isn't guaranteed. If you instead know that for \(ax^2+bx+c=0\) the sum of the solutions is always \(-\dfrac{b}{a}\), a fact that falls straight out of the quadratic formula, you get \(-\dfrac{3}{2}\) immediately without factoring or computing the roots individually. That shortcut only exists in your toolkit if you've internalized the quadratic formula well enough to recognize what it implies, not just well enough to plug numbers into it slowly.
A second category students forget: unit and geometry conversions
Beyond the headline algebra formulas, there's a smaller set of practical facts that don't show up as a labeled formula anywhere but still trip students up. Converting between degrees and radians, for instance, relies on knowing that a full circle is 360 degrees or \(2\pi\) radians — both of which are technically on the reference sheet, but only useful if you also remember how to apply the conversion itself, not just the raw facts in isolation. Similarly, knowing that percent change equals the change in value divided by the original value, then multiplied by 100, isn't stated anywhere on the sheet, even though Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions lean on it constantly. These aren't dramatic formulas, but they're exactly the kind of small, assumed-known facts that cost easy points when they're shaky.
How to actually memorize these for test day
Memorizing a formula in isolation and being able to apply it under time pressure are two different skills. The second one is what actually shows up on the test. That means repetition inside real problems matters more than flashcard-style memorization alone.
- Practice applying the quadratic formula until solving something like \(x^2 - 5x + 6 = 0\) takes seconds, not minutes.
- Work slope and linear function problems until you instinctively identify \(m\) and \(b\) from a word problem, not just from an equation already in \(y = mx + b\) form.
- Use the Desmos graphing calculator built into your practice sets to double-check your manual work — our Desmos calculator guide covers exactly how to use it well.
GetSATMath's instant-scored SAT Math sets are organized by the exact subtopics where these formulas show up — Algebra sets for slope and linear equations, Advanced Math sets for quadratics and exponents — so you're applying each formula repeatedly in context rather than just reading it off a page. Every question comes with a full worked explanation, which is exactly where formula gaps get exposed and fixed.
If Algebra formulas specifically are your weak spot, our dedicated Algebra practice sets are a direct way to drill slope, systems, and linear equations until they're automatic. For a full map of what's tested across every domain before you dive into formulas, see our guide on what's on the SAT Math section.
Frequently asked questions
Is the quadratic formula given on the SAT reference sheet?
No. The reference sheet focuses on geometry — circle, triangle, and volume formulas. The quadratic formula and other algebra formulas are not included, so you need to know them from memory.
Does the reference sheet change between Module 1 and Module 2?
No, the same on-screen reference sheet is available throughout the Math section, regardless of module or difficulty level.
What's the single most important formula to memorize?
The quadratic formula is a strong candidate, since Advanced Math questions involving quadratics appear regularly and the reference sheet offers no help there — but slope-related formulas are a close second given how much of Algebra depends on them.
Are statistics formulas like mean and median given anywhere on the test?
No. Basic statistical measures used in Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions, like mean, median, and probability, aren't on the reference sheet either, so you're expected to know how to compute them directly from a data set or table.