SAT Problem-Solving and Data Analysis Practice

What the test measures

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis skills

Ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units
Percentages
One-variable data: distributions and measures of center and spread
Two-variable data: models and scatterplots
Probability and conditional probability
Inference from sample statistics and margin of error
Evaluating statistical claims: observational studies and experiments

Standards basis

Common Core State Standards (CCSS-M)-aligned college- and career-ready math content — national

How the SAT reports it

The SAT Math section uses College Board’s SAT Suite content-domains framework, with a single fixed set of four math domains used across SAT suite tests. It is aligned to college- and career-ready math content rather than a state-specific framework and is commonly presented as Common Core–aligned in the underlying skills coverage.

Blueprint & weighting

College Board publishes the question distribution per domain for the digital SAT Math section: 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) of 44 questions total, split across 2 modules, with calculators allowed throughout.

Official sources

College Board — What Are Content Domains?
College Board — The Math Section
College Board — SAT

Practice by skill

Topics mapped to this domain

Try it now

8 free questions · 0/0 correct

Practice playeasy

A ball is tossed upward from a platform. The equation $h = -4.9t^2 + 14t + 21$ represents this situation, where $h$ is the height of the ball above the ground, in meters, $t$ seconds after it is tossed. According to the equation, what is the height, in meters, of the platform from which the ball was tossed?

At the moment of release, $t = 0$ . Substituting gives $h = -4.9(0)^2 + 14(0) + 21 = 21$ meters.

Practice playeasy

A trend line predicts that a bakery will sell $75$ bagels on Monday. The bakery actually sells $79$ bagels. What is the residual (actual value minus predicted value)?

Residual $=$ actual $-$ predicted $= 79 - 75 = 4$ .

Practice playeasy

A package of nuts weighs $112$ ounces. What is the weight in pounds? ( $1$ pound $= 16$ ounces)

Use a conversion factor with pounds in the numerator so ounces cancel: $112 \text{ oz} \times \dfrac{1 \text{ lb}}{16 \text{ oz}} = 7 \text{ lb}$ .

Practice playeasy

Write $0.36$ as a percent.

Multiply by 100: $0.36 \times 100 = 36\%$ .

Practice playeasy

$90$ is what percent of $120\textsf{?}$

$\dfrac{90}{120} = 0.75 = 75\%\textsf{.}$

Practice playeasy

There are $250$ students in sixth grade. On Friday, $20\%$ of the students went on a field trip. How many students went on the field trip?

Convert $20\%$ to a decimal and multiply: $0.20 \times 250 = 50$ students.

Practice playeasy

What is $20\%$ of $90\textsf{?}$

$20\% = 0.2\textsf{.}$ Then $0.2 \times 90 = 18\textsf{.}$

Practice playmedium

Iced tea is made with tea concentrate and water in a ratio of $3$ to $12$ . How many cups of tea concentrate should be added to $3$ quarts of water to make the tea in this ratio? ( $4$ cups $=$ $1$ quart, $4$ quarts $=$ $1$ gallon.)