SAT Math Prep: How to Raise Your Score 100+ Points

SAT Math rewards a strange skill: doing moderately hard algebra fast and without careless errors. There are no surprises on this test — the College Board recycles the same question families every administration. Your prep should exploit that ruthlessly.

Know the four families

• Algebra — linear equations and systems, inequalities, interpreting slope and intercepts. The biggest slice of the test.
• Advanced math — quadratics in every costume: factoring, the discriminant, vertex form, plus radical and rational equations.
• Problem-solving & data — percentages, ratios, unit conversion, reading scatterplots and tables.
• Geometry & trig — a handful of questions: circles, triangles, SOHCAHTOA.

Start by drilling the first two families until they're automatic — they're where the points live. BrainDrill's SAT Math practice bank has exam-style questions for each family with full worked solutions, free.

The error log is the whole secret

Everyone does practice questions. Score-raisers do something extra: every single miss goes into an error log with one line — what family, what trap, what I'll do differently. "Distributed the negative wrong in a linear equation." "Forgot to check for extraneous solutions in a radical equation." After two weeks the log IS your syllabus: it tells you exactly which ten question types cost you points, and you drill those, not everything.

Speed comes from method, not rushing

The digital SAT gives you roughly 95 seconds per question. The students who finish comfortably aren't faster thinkers — they recognise the setup instantly because they've seen it fifty times. That recognition only comes from volume of practice. When a question stumps you, don't stare: get a step-by-step explanation immediately (an AI tutor that shows its working is perfect for this), then redo the question cold the next day.

A weekly rhythm that works

• Mon–Thu: 30–40 minutes of targeted drilling on your two weakest families.
• Fri: review the week's error log; redo every logged question from scratch.
• Sat: one timed module under real conditions — no pausing, Desmos allowed.
• Sun: off. Consistency beats heroics.

Two traps that cost real points

Trap one: solving for the wrong thing. The SAT loves asking for "the value of 3x" after you've solved for x. Underline what's asked before you start. Trap two: answer-choice tunnel vision. On hard questions, plugging the answer choices back in is often faster than solving forward — the test doesn't award style points.