Yes, the Digital SAT hands you a formula sheet — and relying on it is one of the most common ways students cap their Math score. Here's what it actually contains, and the formulas it quietly leaves you to memorise.
Quick answer: The Digital SAT gives you a reference sheet with about 12 geometry formulas at the start of each Math module — areas and circumference, the Pythagorean theorem, the special right triangles (30-60-90 and 45-45-90), and the volumes of common solids. Everything else you must memorise: there are no formulas provided for algebra, advanced math or data analysis, which make up roughly 85% of the questions. So the sheet helps only on geometry — the real work is knowing the formulas it leaves out.
One of the most reassuring — and most misleading — facts about the Digital SAT is that it gives you a formula sheet. It does. But it covers only geometry, and geometry is a small slice of the test. The students who score highest treat the reference sheet as a backup for a handful of questions, and commit the genuinely high-value formulas to memory. Here is exactly what is provided, what is not, and what to learn first.
At the start of each Math module you get the same reference panel. It contains:
| Provided formula | What it covers |
|---|---|
| A = πr², C = 2πr | Area and circumference of a circle |
| A = lw, A = ½bh | Area of a rectangle and a triangle |
| a² + b² = c² | Pythagorean theorem |
| 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 | Special right-triangle side ratios |
| V = lwh, V = πr²h | Volume of a box and a cylinder |
| V = (4/3)πr³, (1/3)πr²h, (1/3)lwh | Volume of a sphere, cone and pyramid |
It also states three facts: a circle has 360 degrees (2π radians), and the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees. That is the entire sheet — purely geometry.
Here is the catch: algebra, advanced math and problem-solving & data analysis together make up roughly 85% of Digital SAT Math, and the reference sheet gives you nothing for them. You are expected to know, from memory:
If you memorise nothing else, prioritise these, because they appear constantly: the slope and slope-intercept forms, the quadratic formula and vertex form, percent change, the exponent rules, and SOH-CAH-TOA. These cover the high-frequency algebra and data questions where most points — and most careless errors — live. Our full topic breakdown is in the Digital SAT Math guide.
The Digital SAT has a built-in Desmos graphing calculator on every Math question. For many problems it replaces a formula entirely: graph a quadratic to read its roots and vertex, graph two lines to find where a system meets, or graph an equation to find x- and y-intercepts. Fluency with Desmos is one of the biggest score levers on the digital test — we cover the techniques in the Math guide and how to improve your SAT score.
Do not meet the sheet for the first time in the exam. Know it cold so you can glance, confirm and move on — hunting through it mid-question costs time you do not have. In practice, the goal is to need it rarely: memorise the high-value algebra formulas, lean on Desmos for graphs, and keep the sheet as a safety net for the occasional volume or special-triangle question.
If you build a memorisation list, start here — these cover the highest-frequency questions on the test: (1) slope, m = (y₂−y₁)/(x₂−x₁); (2) slope-intercept form, y = mx + b; (3) the quadratic formula; (4) vertex form, y = a(x−h)² + k; (5) the equation of a circle, (x−h)² + (y−k)² = r²; (6) percent change, (new − old) ÷ old × 100; (7) average = sum ÷ count; (8) the exponent rules (product, quotient and power); (9) SOH-CAH-TOA for right-triangle trigonometry; and (10) the distance formula. Learn these cold and you have covered the formula needs of the large majority of the test — far more than the geometry sheet ever will.
Most lost Math marks come from formulas students never memorised and Desmos moves they never learned. Our Digital SAT tutors drill exactly those. Free diagnostic trial.
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