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Stop solving SAT math by hand.

The digital SAT gives you Desmos on every math question. Most students use it to check arithmetic. We teach you to use it to find the answer.

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Module 1: Math 19:42

What is the minimum value of f(x) = x² − 6x + 13?

  1. A3
  2. B4
  3. C6
  4. D13
1234564812 (3, 4)
Typed the equation, clicked the lowest point. The y-value is the answer.
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The four techniques behind every lesson

Each lesson teaches one of these on real SAT-style questions, then gives you practice until it sticks.

Desmos as a solving tool

You get Desmos on every math question. Graph the equation, click the point that matters, and read the answer straight off the screen.

Backsolving

Try the answer choices in the question instead of solving it forwards. On many algebra questions that's quicker and harder to get wrong.

Elimination

A consistent order for crossing out wrong answers on reading questions, so you can narrow it down even when the right one isn't obvious.

Time budgeting

How long each type of question deserves, and when to skip one and come back to it instead of losing minutes.

Same question, two ways

This is exactly how each lesson is structured: the textbook method next to the Desmos method, so you can see where the time actually goes.

Quadratics: finding a minimum A parabola is given by y = 2x² − 8x + 3. What is the minimum value of y?

By formula

  1. Find the x-coordinate of the vertex: x = −b/2a = 8/4 = 2
  2. Substitute x = 2 back into the equation
  3. y = 2(2)² − 8(2) + 3 = 8 − 16 + 3
  4. Simplify: y = −5
~50–70 seconds, 2 places to slip up

With Desmos

  1. Type y = 2x² − 8x + 3 into the graph field
  2. Click the parabola's lowest point
  3. Desmos labels the vertex automatically
  4. Read the minimum y-value directly: −5
~15–20 seconds, no algebra required
Exponential growth: effective interest rate A $2,000 deposit earns interest compounded monthly: A(t) = 2000(1.005)12t. What is the actual annual interest rate?

By formula

  1. Recognize the monthly rate is 0.005 (0.5%)
  2. Actual annual rate = (1 + monthly rate)¹² − 1
  3. Compute 1.005¹² by hand or with a basic calculator
  4. 1.005¹² ≈ 1.0617, so the annual rate is about 6.17%
~45 seconds, easy to mis-key the exponent

With Desmos

  1. Type 1.005^12 directly into Desmos
  2. Desmos instantly returns 1.06168...
  3. Subtract 1 → 0.0617 → 6.17%
  4. The annual rate is about 6.17%
~10 seconds, no exponent to work out by hand
Quadratics: when there are no real solutions 2x² − bx + 18 = 0. If b is a positive integer and the equation has no real solutions, what is the maximum possible value of b?

By formula

  1. No real solutions means the discriminant is negative
  2. Discriminant: b² − 4(2)(18) < 0
  3. Simplify: b² < 144, so b < 12
  4. Largest positive integer below 12 is 11
~40 seconds, requires remembering the discriminant formula

With Desmos

  1. Graph y = 2x² − bx + 18 and add a slider for b
  2. Drag the slider up until the parabola just touches the x-axis
  3. Read the slider value at that tipping point (b = 12)
  4. Since 12 itself touches the axis (one solution), the max with no solutions is 11
~30 seconds, and you can see why the answer is 11

Every lesson breaks a real SAT-style question down exactly like this — so you can see which method is faster for you, then practise that one. Full written walkthroughs, with the exact keystrokes for Desmos, are in the lessons.

More questions, more Desmos wins

Not every trick needs a full walkthrough. Here's the one Desmos move that solves each of these in seconds.

√(3x+16) = x+2 — solve for all real x
Graph y₁=√(3x+16) and y₂=x+2, then find their intersection points. No squaring, no checking for extraneous roots by hand.
Tacos $3.50, burritos $8.00, 120 items sold, $615 revenue — how many burritos?
Graph both equations as lines and find where they cross. The intersection point is your answer, no substitution needed.
Which point satisfies y ≤ −2x+8 and y ≥ x+2?
Graph both inequalities — Desmos shades the solution region automatically. Just check which answer choice falls inside the shaded overlap.
Circle with center (3,−4) through (3,2) — find its equation
Type the distance formula between the two points directly into Desmos to get the radius, then plug into (x−h)²+(y−k)²=r².
Which expression equals (x²−9)/(x+3) for all x≠−3?
Graph the original expression, then graph each answer choice on top. The one that traces an identical line (with a hole at x=−3) is correct.
sin(θ)=12/13, π/2<θ<π — find tan(θ)+cos(θ)
Type tan(π−asin(12/13))+cos(π−asin(12/13)) straight into Desmos. It handles the correct quadrant for you and returns the decimal instantly.

When Desmos won't save you time

Part of the skill is knowing which questions are actually faster by hand. These are built around algebra rules, not numbers Desmos can compute — so recognizing the rule is the whole trick.

If 2a − 5b = 8, what is the value of 4ᵃ/32ᵇ?
Why not Desmosa and b aren't fixed numbers — there's no single value to graph or compute. Rewrite both sides with base 2: 4ᵃ = 2²ᵃ and 32ᵇ = 2⁵ᵇ, so the expression is 2^(2a−5b) = 2⁸. The given equation hands you the exponent directly.
If 3x − 2y = 6, what is the value of 27ˣ/9ʸ?
Why not DesmosSame move as above: 27ˣ = 3³ˣ and 9ʸ = 3²ʸ, so the expression equals 3^(3x−2y) = 3⁶. Spotting that both bases are powers of 3 is faster than any calculator step.
If h(x) = g(x) + 5 and h has a y-intercept at (0,2), what is g(0)?
Why not DesmosThis is one substitution: h(0) = g(0) + 5, so 2 = g(0) + 5, meaning g(0) = −3. Typing this into a calculator takes longer than just solving it in your head.
In right triangle ABC (right angle at C), sin(A) = 5/13. What is cos(B)?
Why not DesmosThe trick is knowing that A and B are complementary angles, so sin(A) = cos(B) automatically — always, for any right triangle. That identity is faster than computing any angle numerically.

How it works

Three steps between you and a higher score.

Step 1

Set your test date and goal

Tell us when you sit the SAT and the score you want. You get a weekly plan sized to the time you have left.

Step 2

Learn one technique at a time

Short written lessons, each worked through on a real SAT-style question, by hand and in Desmos.

Step 3

Practise, then fix what you miss

Timed question sets show you which topics you keep getting wrong, and point you to the lesson that fixes them.

Everything included, for as long as you need it.

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  • ✓ All trick lessons & the Desmos playbook
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  • ✓ A study plan built around your exam date
  • ✓ No auto-renewal, nothing to cancel
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Tell us your test date and we'll recommend the plan that covers it — 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months. Longer plans cost less per month.

Frequently asked

They're the same shortcuts private tutors charge $40–80/hour to teach — backsolving, elimination ladders, and timing rules. They work alongside content knowledge, not instead of it.

No. Every plan is a one-time payment for a fixed number of months. There's no recurring charge and nothing to cancel — access simply ends when the time runs out. If you buy again, the new time is added on top of whatever you have left.

Yes — every new account starts with 7 days of full access, free. You only pay if you decide to carry on afterwards, and since there's no subscription, there's nothing to cancel if you don't.

Most students join in 10th or 11th grade, but the lessons work for anyone preparing to take the SAT.

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