How the section works
Two modules, 75% multiple choice, Desmos on every question.
2 min read
Two modules of 22 questions, 35 minutes each. About 75% multiple choice and 25% student-produced response (you type the answer). Questions within a module run roughly easiest to hardest.
The domain weights
| Domain | Share | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra | ~35% | 13–15 questions |
| Advanced Math | ~35% | 13–15 questions |
| Problem-Solving and Data Analysis | ~15% | 5–7 questions |
| Geometry and Trigonometry | ~15% | 5–7 questions |
Algebra and Advanced Math are 70% of the section. If you have limited time, that's where it goes. Geometry and trigonometry are worth knowing but they're five questions, and no amount of circle theorems compensates for shaky quadratics.
Two facts that change how you work
1. The calculator is available on every question. Desmos is built into Bluebook. There is no no-calculator module. See Desmos — the graphing calculator turns whole categories of algebra question into a picture.
2. The reference sheet is always one click away. Area and circumference of a circle, area of a triangle, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles (30-60-90 and 45-45-90), volumes of the common solids, 360° = 2π radians, 180° in a triangle. Don't spend memorisation effort on these. Do spend it on what isn't there — the quadratic formula, slope, exponent rules, the trig ratios.
The order of operations that actually matters
For every question, before doing any algebra:
- Read the last line of the question. What is it asking for? x? 2x? x + 3? The number of solutions? This is the single most common source of avoidable loss on this section — a perfect solve for the wrong quantity.
- Ask whether you can avoid the algebra. Can you graph it? Plug in the answers? Pick a number? Often the fastest route isn't the mathematical one.
- Then solve.
Pacing
95 seconds average. The first several questions in each module should take 40–60, banking time for the last five, which will need two minutes each. Checkpoints: after Q7, ~24 minutes left; after Q15, ~11.
If you're stuck at two minutes: guess, flag, move. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so an answered-and-flagged question is strictly better than a blank one.