The SAT Math Test contains two sections: Math No Calculator, and Math with Calculator. As their names suggest, students aren’t allowed to use your calculator in the former section, and are allowed to do so in the latter. Many students read the title “Math Calculator” at the top of the exam’s final section, and assume that this part of the test requires intensive calculator use. That couldn’t be further from the truth. 

The SAT is actually designed so that you never really have to use your calculator. It can certainly help-- no one wants to use their pencil to divide 535816, for example. But for the most part, that’s all you really need your calculator for. 

The SAT doesn’t simply evaluate your ability to do math. It evaluates your critical thinking skills, your ability to strategize, and your ability to recognize patterns. If you find yourself spending multiple minutes doing arithmetic to solve an SAT math problem, there is sure to be a simpler way to solve that problem. The SAT is as interested in seeing you find this simpler way as it is seeing that you know the order of operations. 

Let’s take a look at the time you have on average for each math question from the Calculator section of the exam. 

Total Time: 55 Minutes

Total Number of Questions: 38 Questions 

Time per Question: Approximately 1 minute and 27 seconds 

Of course, this isn’t NASCAR. You’re not trying to time each question. Some problems will take you fifteen seconds to solve. Others might take you two minutes. The point remains the same: you have limited time to solve these problems. You can’t go down rabbit holes of arithmetic on every question and finish on time.

To find these simpler methods of solving problems, avoid developing an over-reliance on your calculator while studying. If you’re doing untimed practice, challenge yourself to solve every problem without using your calculator. While you should feel free to use your calculator when doing timed practice tests, as you would on exam day, practicing without it will allow you to more quickly identify the tricks and techniques key to getting the score you’re shooting for. 

Once you’ve done your homework, go back over the questions, and make note of alternative methods of solving the problems. 

Time management is one of the hardest parts of the exam for many students. Though the calculator is an invaluable tool on exam day, you don’t want it to be a crutch. To increase the  speed at which you solve problems on the exam, invest the time now to learn the shortcuts and strategies necessary to solve problems using your calculator as infrequently as possible. It takes time and effort to build these habits, but you’ll thank yourself for putting in the work when it comes time to see your score reports.