The SAT Math cheat sheet
Most cheat sheets are a formula list you could get from the reference panel anyway. This one is organised by what you do: the first move for each question family, the formulas worth knowing cold, and the mistakes the wrong answers are built around. Two sides, printed as one sheet.
01Why method order beats formula order
The reference panel already gives you the geometry formulas. What it does not give you is a first move. A sheet organised by method answers the question you actually have under time pressure, which is not what is the formula for a sphere, but what do I do when a question mentions two equations and asks for x plus y. Each line below is a decision, not a fact.
02The nine moves
These are the first moves that resolve most questions in the section. Learn the trigger phrase on the left, and the move stops requiring thought.
- Asks for a combination such as x + y: add or subtract the two equations rather than solving for both
- A variable is already alone: substitute into the other equation
- A quadratic asks for a maximum, minimum or vertex: use x = -b/2a, or read the vertex form directly
- A quadratic asks how many solutions: check the discriminant b² - 4ac, do not solve
- Percentages in a row: multiply the multipliers, never add the percents
- Two draws without replacement: multiply, and drop both the count and the total by one on the second draw
- Given that: the named group becomes the denominator
- A rate appears in the prompt: write the units of the answer before doing arithmetic
- A section of a circle appears: write the fraction of the circle first, then multiply
03The five values worth knowing cold
Not because the panel hides them, but because you need them before you have time to look. These are the ones that appear constantly.
- Slope is change in y over change in x, and perpendicular slopes multiply to -1
- The quadratic formula, and the discriminant that comes from under its root
- SOH CAH TOA, with the special triangles 30-60-90 and 45-45-90
- The circle equation (x - h)² + (y - k)² = r², remembering that the signs invert
- Exponent rules, including that a negative exponent is a reciprocal and a fractional one is a root
04How to use a cheat sheet honestly
Keep it beside you for the first week of practice, then put it away. A sheet you consult is a reference, and a sheet you have internalised is speed. The test gives you the formula panel, so the only thing worth carrying into the exam hall is the method order, and that has to live in your head because it is not printed anywhere.
05Questions
Is this the same as the SAT formula sheet?
No. The formula sheet lists what the test gives you. This sheet lists the first move for each question type, which the test does not give you at all.
Can I print the cheat sheet?
Yes. It is two sides of one Letter sheet, black and white friendly, and it prints without an account.
Does the cheat sheet replace practice?
No. It shortens the gap between recognising a question and starting it. The method still has to be executed correctly, which only practice builds.
What should I memorise if I only have a week?
The nine moves, the five values, and the grid-in answer rules. Those three things cover most of the avoidable lost marks.
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