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SAT Math Formula Chart

Bluebook's reference sheet covers area and volume, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles, and angle totals. It leaves out slope, the quadratic formula, circle equations, and trig ratios, so memorize those.

Updated September 2026

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Download the SAT Math formula chart (PDF)

$One-page SAT Math formula chart: Bluebook reference formulas with diagrams, then slope, quadratic, circle and trig formulas$

SAT formula chart: Bluebook gives A = πr², c² = a² + b², V = ⅓πr²h; not given: slope, quadratic formula, trig ratios

Given in Bluebook

You can open the reference sheet at any time in either Math module.

Shape or fact	Formula
Circle	$A = π r^{2}$ and $C = 2 π r$
Rectangle	$A = lw$
Triangle	$A = \frac{1}{2} bh$
Pythagorean theorem	$c^{2} = a^{2} + b^{2}$
30°-60°-90° triangle	Short leg $x$ , long leg $x 3$ , hypotenuse $2 x$
45°-45°-90° triangle	Legs $s$ , hypotenuse $s 2$
Rectangular solid	$V = lw h$
Cylinder	$V = π r^{2} h$
Sphere	$V = \frac{4}{3} π r^{3}$
Cone	$V = \frac{1}{3} π r^{2} h$
Rectangular pyramid	$V = \frac{1}{3} lw h$
Arc of a circle	360°, or $2 π$ radians
Angles of a triangle	Add to 180°

Not given: memorize these

Topic	Formula
Slope	$m = \frac{y _{2} - y _{1}}{x _{2} - x _{1}}$
Slope-intercept form	$y = m x + b$
Point-slope form	$y - y_{1} = m (x - x_{1})$
Parallel and perpendicular lines	Parallel: $m_{1} = m_{2}$ . Perpendicular: $m_{1} m_{2} = - 1$ .
Quadratic formula	$x = \frac{- b \pm b ^{2} - 4 a c}{2 a}$
Discriminant	$b^{2} - 4 a c$ : positive means 2 real solutions, zero means 1, negative means none
Vertex form	$y = a (x - h)^{2} + k$ , vertex $(h, k)$
Vertex x-coordinate	$x = - \frac{b}{2 a}$
Sum and product of solutions	$- \frac{b}{a}$ and $\frac{c}{a}$ for $a x^{2} + b x + c = 0$
Exponential growth and decay	$y = a (1 + r)^{t}$ and $y = a (1 - r)^{t}$
Percent change	$\frac{new - old}{old} \times 100%$
Circle equation	$(x - h)^{2} + (y - k)^{2} = r^{2}$ , center $(h, k)$ , radius $r$
Arc length	$\frac{θ}{360} \cdot 2 π r$ with $θ$ in degrees, or $r θ$ in radians
Sector area	$\frac{θ}{360} \cdot π r^{2}$ with $θ$ in degrees, or $\frac{1}{2} r^{2} θ$ in radians
Distance	$(x_{2} - x_{1})^{2} + (y_{2} - y_{1})^{2}$
Midpoint	$(\frac{x _{1} + x _{2}}{2}, \frac{y _{1} + y _{2}}{2})$
Sine, cosine, tangent	$sin θ = \frac{opp}{hyp}$ , $cos θ = \frac{adj}{hyp}$ , $tan θ = \frac{opp}{adj}$
Complementary angles	$sin x^{\circ} = cos (9 0^{\circ} - x^{\circ})$
Similar figures	Scale factor $k$ : lengths $\times k$ , areas $\times k^{2}$ , volumes $\times k^{3}$
Mean	Sum of the values divided by the number of values
Probability	$\frac{favorable outcomes}{total outcomes}$

How to turn this into SAT Math points

For Math resources, the useful question is always: which setup gets me to the answer fastest? Decide between mental math, paper algebra, Desmos, or answer-choice testing before you start calculating.

Use Desmos for intersections, roots, vertices, tables, and regression.
Use paper algebra when the equation is short or already factored.
Use answer choices when they are ordered and easy to substitute.
After every miss, label it as setup, algebra, calculator, or reading error.

Sources: College Board, SAT Bluebook test directions and reference sheet (PDF).

Next steps

Practice SAT Math Practice Algebra Practice Geometry Practice hard Math Take timed modules

FAQs

Does the SAT give you a formula sheet?

Yes. Bluebook has a reference sheet you can open throughout both Math modules. It covers area and volume, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles, and angle totals for circles and triangles.

Are arc length and sector area on the SAT reference sheet?

No. The sheet says a circle has 360 degrees, or 2π radians, of arc, but the arc length and sector area formulas aren't on it.

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