Digital SAT Math Practice Questions - Sample - 2024
Digital SAT Math Practice Questions - Sample - 2024
The book covers a wide variety of math topics that are seen on the SAT, including algebra,
advanced math, problem solving and analysis, geometry, and trigonometry. The overall
instructions on how to use the book and format of the questions are clear and concise.
Students will benefit from this book because it has all the topics and a plethora of questions
pertaining to each topic that needs to be mastered to succeed on the math portion of the SAT.
Libraries should stock this book and teachers should recommend it. The book will be useful
for students taking an SAT prep course. It will also serve students in a supplementary fashion
in any of the math courses covered on the SAT.
This was a great extensive overview of algebra, geometry, and advanced mathematics for a
student to review and heighten their skills. Both students and professionals will benefit from
the exposure brought via this practice. Any courses toward the end of Algebra II or after
could utilize these materials to aid in content extension and retention as well as standardized
test preparation.
Digital SAT® Math Practice Questions prep book is laid out well with each content domain
as it’s own chapter. Within each chapter are practice questions with detailed explanations in
the answer keys. This is a great resource for students and tutors to help prepare for the digital
transition for the SAT. The first chapter includes a section that outlines the changes that will
happen as SAT transitions to digital testing.
Digital SAT
®
MATH PRACTICE
QUESTIONS
2024 | SECOND EDITION
Questions of varying
difficulty levels
Second Edition
© 2024, By Vibrant Publishers, USA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in
any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered.
The Author has made every effort in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information. However,
information in this book is sold without warranty either expressed or implied. The Author or the Publisher will not be
liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this book.
Vibrant Publishers books are available at special quantity discount for sales promotions, or for use in corporate training
programs. For more information please write to [email protected]
SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.
Table of Contents
Chapter 3 Algebra 37
Linear equations in one variable 38
Linear functions 53
Nonlinear functions 98
Percentages 127
Circles 186
Chapter 7 Math Test 193
Module 1 194
Module 2 202
Answers 211
Dear Student,
Thank you for purchasing Digital SAT® Math Practice Questions. We are committed to publishing books that are
content–rich, concise and approachable enabling more students to read and make the fullest use of them. We hope
this book provides the most enriching learning experience as you prepare for your SAT exam. Should you have any
questions or suggestions, feel free to email us at [email protected]. Thanks again for your purchase.
Good luck for your Digital SAT!
ACT/SAT
Books in Test Prep Series
www.vibrantpublishers.com
How to use this book
One of the main reasons students often record a low score in the Math section of the SAT is that they don’t receive
enough advice or guidance while preparing for it.
This practice book contains all the necessary hints and tips you’ll need to successfully achieve a high score on the
Math section, irrespective of your level of math skills and knowledge/understanding.
First, read the About the Digital SAT chapter to get acquainted with the various features of the digital test. From
this chapter, you will learn in detail the differences between the paper-based SAT and the digital one. Then read
about the structure of Math section in the next chapter, which is equally divided into four main domains: Algebra,
Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry.
To simplify the above-mentioned domains, efforts are made to describe, in detail, the techniques or methods you
can use to solve any questions relating to each domain’s content. More importantly, 300 practice questions and their
elaborate answers are provided to show you exactly how it should be done.
You should first try your hands at the examples given in this practice book. You may want to do the calculations
yourself and then compare your answers with those provided in the book.
Recognize a pattern for the same types of questions; this will make it easier for you to classify them on the actual test
day and answer them quickly. Learn to analyze the question stems as they will give you a better idea of the question
type and what is required to be done.
After thoroughly practicing the different types of questions, you will also find a full-length Math test at the end. This
test, with a mix of questions like the actual SAT, will give you an authentic testing experience and help you evaluate
your test readiness. Appear for this test with the mindset of giving the actual test.
To get a complete practice of the Reading and Writing section, you can also pick up the book Digital SAT Reading
and Writing Practice Questions which also has ample practice questions for the Reading and Writing section. After
becoming well-versed with the two sections, you can give 5 full-length practice tests from the book Practice Tests
For The Digital SAT.
To take advantage of the essential information provided in this practice book, read it carefully and attempt the
available practice questions with an open mind. Good luck!
Chapter 1
About the
Digital SAT
Introduction
Now that you have made the important decision to head to college/university, there is one last thing you need
to do to achieve your goal—taking the SAT. Most universities or colleges, including the IVY league schools such as
Yale, Harvard, and others expect you to have a good SAT score to secure admission in any course of your choice.
But, there is a major change in how students will give the SAT. The College Board has decided to transition the
famous pencil–and–paper test into a fully digital one. The College Board’s decision to go digital is based on giving
a fair testing experience to students. The digital test will be easier to take, easier to administer, will be more secure,
and more relevant.
For giving the new test, you need to be aware of the format of the test, the time that will be given to you to
answer each question, the possible complexity of the questions, and the scoring method employed to assess your
performance in the test. In this chapter, you will discover important information all that including the SAT policy of
inclusive accessibility, the newly introduced Multistage Adaptive Testing feature, the modular format of the test, and
much more.
The College Board has also streamlined the method of delivery of the digital SAT. With the latest test delivery
platform for the digital SAT Suite assessments, students can have access to all their tests and their content, as
well as enjoy the chance of practicing with the full–length, adaptive practice test offered for free on the platform
so that students can be aware of their knowledge levels before taking the real tests. More so, every question on
the digital SAT Suite is in a discrete (standalone) format. This indicates that test takers can answer each question
independently. They don’t necessarily need to refer to a common stimulus such as an extended passage.
If you are attempting the SAT for the first time, it could be scary not knowing exactly what to expect in the
test. This is why this book is specifically designed to expose you to everything you need to know about successfully
taking the Digital SAT Suite test.
The main difference between the linear and adaptive testing modes is that for the linear testing mode, students
are given a test form that contains some questions that have already been set before the test day and do not change
during testing, irrespective of the student’s performance.
On the other hand, the adaptive testing model makes it possible for the test delivery platform to adjust the
questions’ difficulty level based on the performance of the individual test takers. Therefore, each student will be
given test questions that match their level of understanding.
The set of an administered first–stage module and its second–stage module are referred to as a panel.
Module 1 Module 2
A mix of easy, Mix of questions
medium, and varying in difficulty
hard questions based on the
performance in the
first module
Embedded Pretesting
The digital SAT Suite also includes embedded pretesting in its design. What this means is that a small number
of pretest (unscored) questions are incorporated among the operational (scored) questions. Even though they are
not administered for a score, students may not be able to distinguish these pretest questions from the operational
questions on which their scores are based. It is advisable that students pay maximum attention and effort to these
questions, which can be used in estimating their understanding levels to the difficulty of the questions. The number
of pretest questions is few so you will not be asked to focus mainly on questions that won’t be used to estimate your
final SAT score. It is important to note that answers to pretest questions won’t contribute to your final score. The
pretest questions are mainly used to gather students’ performance information so that it can be utilized later to
assess if these questions are appropriate for operational use later.
Discrete Questions
One interesting aspect of the Digital SAT is that all their questions are in discreet format; that is they are
standalone. You can answer each question on its own, which doesn't necessarily require any reference to a common
stimulus such as an extended passage. This is one of the striking differences between the paper–and–pencil SAT
and the Digital SAT in the sense that the former uses both discrete and question sets. In practice, the question sets
expect you to reference a common stimulus.
Scoring
Students will obtain a section score based on their final performance on the Reading and Writing and Math
section. For the SAT, students can get a score between 400–1,600. Hence, for each of the tests of the Digital SAT,
there will be 3 scores reported: (1) A Reading and Writing section score; (2) A Math section score; (3) A total score,
which is the sum of the two section scores. It is important to note that the scales for these scores have the same
ranges as for the paper–based SAT Suite. This indicates that the digital SAT total score is on the familiar 400–1,600
scale.
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Overall Test Specifications
The Digital SAT is made up of two sections: A Reading and Writing (RW) section and a Math section. In the
linear model, the test has separate sections for Reading and Writing. However, in the Digital SAT, both the Reading
and Writing tests are combined in one section. The questions in these two sections concentrate primarily on the
skills and knowledge that students need to use in college and/or for getting ready for their careers. The main parts
of the digital SAT tests are similar to those of the paper–and–pencil SAT test assessments. More so, all the testing
programs within the digital SAT Suite, whether it is the SAT, PSAT 10, PSAT 8/9, or PSAT/NMSQT have similar
designs. Although, these tests allow for differences in test takers’ ages and levels of understanding.
Content domains Information and Ideas, Craft and Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem–
Structure, Expression of Ideas, Solving and Data Analysis,
Standard English Conventions Geometry and Trigonometry
Test Length
There are a total of 54 questions for the Reading and Writing section. These 54 questions are divided into two
equal–length modules; that is, one for each of the section’s two stages. Out of the 27 questions for each module, 25
questions are operational—which means that test takers’ performance on them is used to calculate their section
score, and 2 questions are pretests.
For the Math section, the first module has 20 operational questions and 2 pretest questions. Then the second
module consists of 20 operational questions and 2 pretest questions. In total, the Math section will comprise 44
questions.
Mode of administering the test The Math section is designed according to the multi-stage
adaptive model and administered through two modules that are
timed differently.
Average time per question Each question will take 1.59 minutes to be completed.
Question format used The question format is discreet, with four multiple-choice
options.
Informational graphics Informational graphs can include line graphs, tables, and bar
graphs.
Informational graphics
Some of the Math questions contain informational graphics such as bar graphs, graphs of functions in the xy-
plane, histograms, dot plots, scatter plots, line graphs, and representations of geometric figures. The informational
graphics are included in the test questions for two main purposes: first, to indicate the importance of such graphics
in Math to convey relevant information/data; second, to test your ability to solve mathematical problems by
locating, interpreting, and utilizing the information displayed in the informational graphics.
Text complexity
About 70 percent of Math questions don’t have context (words). So, it is not possible to measure text complexity
for those questions. However, for the remaining 30 percent of the Math questions with context drawn from social
studies, science, and other real-world scenarios, efforts have been made to modify the text. In other words, the
linguistic difficulty has been removed from such context so as to make them clear, direct, and simple for students to
understand.
Domain structure
The Math Section’s questions fall under one of the four content domains described below:
• Algebra: You are expected to carefully analyze, properly solve, and create both linear equations and
inequalities. More so, you will have to correctly analyze and solve different types of equations utilizing
different methods.
• Advanced Math: You are required to show that you have the necessary knowledge and skills indicative
of your progress toward advanced Math courses. As a matter of fact, you would need to demonstrate
your ability to properly analyze, solve, interpret, and create appropriate equations that include but are not
restricted to quadratic, polynomial, absolute value, rational, nonlinear, and radical equations. More so, you
must analyze and solve both linear and nonlinear equations in two variables.
• Problem-solving and Data Analysis: You are expected to make use of your understanding and
quantitative reasoning concerning rates, proportional relationships, and ratios to analyze, interpret, and
solve mathematical problems involving one-and-two-variable data.
• Geometry and Trigonometry: You are expected to utilize your problem-solving skills in solving questions
relating to angles, perimeter, triangles, area, volume, circles, and trigonometry.
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NOTE: Each question belongs to a single content domain, and the questions for each module are drawn from
all four content domains. Therefore, in each domain, questions are designed to test some skills/knowledge
points.
• Always read the SAT Math questions understandably before you start answering them. You don’t want to
waste your limited time providing answers to questions you vaguely understand.
• Pay attention to the choices for each question. Based on your prior knowledge of similar math questions
in high school, you may be able to quickly eliminate some incorrect answers while looking for the most
correct answer in the choices. This practice will also help you to save time that you can use for solving
other difficult questions.
• If a math question seems very difficult for you on the first try, do not waste your time thinking about how
you could solve it; move straight to the next question.
• Skip over questions that appear to be too wordy. You could come back later to attempt them after you have
successfully completed the ones with shorter context.
• As calculators are now allowed in the Math section, it will help you arrive at the answers more quickly.
However, you will still need to depend on your knowledge of arithmetic to successfully use it. Do not be
overconfident about the benefits of using a calculator during your test because it may give you a wrong
answer and a false hope. So, it is advisable that you use it responsibly and creatively in order to make sure
that the answers you are getting are all correct.
• Getting a high score on the SAT math test depends on your preparations before the test. This is why it is
very important that you try your hand at several practice math questions before taking the real Digital SAT
test. You will be able to identify the most probable answers to some of the related questions you will be
seeing while taking the real SAT test itself.
• Pay serious attention to numbers, mathematical signs, and expressions. If you make any mistake
calculating with a wrong mathematical sign, for example, you can expect that your final answer will be
wrong.
• In a situation in which you obtained two answers for the same question, you can quickly redo your
calculations and eventually discover which is more correct. Enter ONLY one of the most appropriate
answer for each question.
Pay attention to the following skill/knowledge testing points for Algebra questions:
Sample Question
Key: C
Level: Medium | Domain: ALGEBRA
Skill/Knowledge: Linear equations in one variable | Testing Point: Solving for x and using the value to solve for
an exponential term
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of x. Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of
32. Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of 34.
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Linear equations in two variables
For example, 10x + 4y = 30 is an example of a linear equation with two variables x and y.
Hence, if y = 3,
12
x = 30 –
10
x = 1.8
Sample Question
Line l, given by the equation ax – 3y + 3 = 0, is perpendicular to line k, given by the equation –14x + by + 5 = 0.
a
What is the value of ?
b
−14
A)
3
−3
B)
14
3
C)
14
14
D)
3
Key: B
Level: Hard | Domain: ALGEBRA
Skill/Knowledge: Linear equations in two variables | Testing Point: Slope of perpendicular lines
Key Explanation: Choice B is correct. Lines that are perpendicular to each other have slopes that are negative
a
reciprocals of the other. This can be represented as m1 × m2 = –1. The slope of the first line can be given by .
3
14 a 14
The slope of the second line can be given by . Therefore, 1.
b 3 b
3 a 3
Multiplying both sides of the equation by yields .
14 b 14
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect and may result due to calculation or conceptual error. Choice
C is incorrect and may result due to calculation or conceptual error. Choice D is incorrect and may result due
to calculation or conceptual error.
Linear functions
A linear function forms a straight line on the graph.
For the function of x, f(x) = 3x – 2
If x = 4
Then, f(x) = 12 – 2.
Therefore, f(x) = 10.
If plotted on a graph, f(x) will appear like a straight line shown above.
Sample Question
If g(x) = f(x + 2) + 2 and f(x) = 4x + 2, what is the value of the y-intercept of g(x)?
A) 2
B) 8
C) 10
D) 12
Key: D
Level: Medium | Domain: ALGEBRA
Skill/Knowledge: Linear Functions | Testing Point: Function Translation
Key Explanation: Choice D is correct. To determine the y-intercept of g(x), evaluate g(x) = f(x + 2) + 2.
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of the function f(x). Choice B is
incorrect and may be due to miscalculation or conceptual error. Choice C is incorrect and may be due to
miscalculation or conceptual error.
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Systems of two linear equations in two variables
If you are given two linear equations 2x + y = 8 and 3x + 2y = 12, you should solve the first equation for y,
which will give you y = –2x + 8. Then, substitute for y in the second equation.
You will have, 3x + 2(–2x + 8) = 12
3x – 4x + 16 = 12
–x = –4
Multiply both sides of the equation by –1
x=4
Sample Question
2y = px + 6
3y = 2x + 9
What is the value of p for the system of equation above if the system has no solution?
A) –3
4
B)
3
C) 2
D) 3
Key: B
Level: Medium | Domain: ALGEBRA
Skill/Knowledge: Systems of two linear equations in two variables | Testing Point: Solving for linear systems
that have no solutions
Key Explanation: Choice B is correct. For linear systems to have no solutions, the linear equations have to
p
be parallel to each other. Converting 2y = px + 6 to slope-intercept form yields y x 3. The slope of the
2
p
equation is therefore .
2
2 2
Converting 3y = 2x + 9 to slope-intercept form yields y x 3. The slope of the equation is therefore .
3 3
Since the lines must be parallel, their slopes must be the same.
p 2
Equating the two slopes yields = .
2 3
4
Multiplying both sides of the equation by 2 yields p = .
3
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect. This option would result in system of perpendicular linear
equations and would have one solution. Choice B is incorrect. This option would result to a system of equation
with one solution as the linear equations would have different slopes. Choice D is incorrect. This option would
result to a system of equation with one solution as the linear equations would have different slopes.
However, for a linear inequality equation in two variables, ax + by < c, where a, b, and c are real numbers, and b
is not equal to 0.
3
Hence, if a = 2, b = 3, and c = 20, y = 1, x will be x = 20 –
2
x = 18.5
Sample Question
Carly wants to buy oranges and apples. Each orange costs $0.40 and each apple costs $0.35. If she can spend no
more than $6.90, what is the maximum number of oranges she can get if she buys at least 2 apples?
A) 13
B) 14
C) 15
D) 16
Key: C
Level: Medium | Domain: ALGEBRA
Skill/Knowledge: Linear inequalities in one or two variables | Testing Point: Solving linear inequalities
Key Explanation: Choice C is correct. Since Carly buys at least 2 apples, she can buy the maximum number of
oranges by buying exactly 2 apples.
Hence, the problem can be represented by 2(0.35) + x(0.4) ≤ 6.9 where x is the maximum number of oranges
that Carly can buy.
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect and may result from a conceptual or calculation error. Choice
B is incorrect and may result from a conceptual or calculation error. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
a conceptual or calculation error.
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PEMDAS Rule: The PEMDAS Rule is a mathematical rule that helps students to know how to solve a math
question that involves different mathematical signs at the same time in a math question.
For example, when you have a math problem with different signs shown above, you will start first with the
parentheses, brackets, and groupings, followed by exponents, then you will do the multiplication/division, and
finally addition/subtraction. When solving linear equations, functions, and inequalities, it is very important to
pay attention to the mathematical signs in them.
Advanced Math
For Advanced Math, you will be expected to interpret, calculate, correctly solve, and make use of structure,
and create quadratic equations, absolute value, radical equations, exponential, rational, polynomial, and other
related nonlinear equations. More so, you will be required to make appropriate connections between different
forms of a nonlinear relationship between two variables.
For Advanced Math questions, these are the skill/knowledge testing points:
Equivalent expressions
Equivalent expressions are defined as expressions that will have the same value, even if they look different if the
same values are used to substitute the variables in the expressions.
NOTE: When solving for equivalent expressions, use the following ideas:
• Discover the coefficient in the expressions a(bx + c) = abx + ac, a, b, and c are the coefficients)
• Combine the variables, which could be x or y
• Solve for the unknown variable, this could be x or y
• Rearrange the final formula
Sample Question
3
n
If 2 2 is equivalent to 43 , what is the value of n?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Key: D
Level: Medium | Domain: ADVANCED MATH
Skill/Knowledge: Equivalent Expressions | Testing Point: Exponential expressions
3 3 3 3
n
Key Explanation: Choice D is correct. If 2 2 = n 43 and 43 is equivalent to 4 n , then 2 2 = 4 n . Making the
3 3 3 3
2 2
n
base of 4 n to 2 yields 2 n
. Hence, 2 2 2 .
3 3
Equating the exponents yields 2 .
2 n
3 6
Simplifying the equation yields = .
2 n
2n 12
Multiplying to both sides of the equation yields n = .
3 3
Therefore, n is equal to 4.
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect and may be due to conceptual or calculation error. Choice B
is incorrect and may result from a conceptual or calculation error. Choice C is incorrect and may result from a
conceptual or calculation error.
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Nonlinear equations in one variable and systems of equations in two variables
When nonlinear equations are plotted on the graphs, they give curves or nonlinear representations on the
coordinate axis, while linear equations give straight lines (see the diagram below).
y
5
x – y = –1
3
x
–4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4
–1
Nonlinear equations can have either one variable (x or y) or two variables (x and y).
There are three approaches that can be used to solve nonlinear equations:
• By using a graph: After obtaining real numbers for each of the variables, you can then plot y against x.
• By substitution: You can substitute the variables with the given or calculated numbers.
x2 – y = 0
y=x–2
To solve this, this equation solves for y, y = x – 2
Then, solve for x by substituting y in the equation x2 – y = 0
x2 – x + 2 = 0 (a quadratic equation)
You can use a quadratic formula to solve for x.
b b2 4ac
x
2a
• By elimination: You can eliminate each variable from the equation using the real values (numbers)
obtained from your calculations.
Sample Question
Key: C
Level: Hard | Domain: ADVANCED MATH
Skill/Knowledge: Nonlinear equations in one variable and systems of equations in two variables | Testing
Point: Finding the number of solutions for a system of nonlinear equations
Key Explanation: Choice C is correct. To find the number of solutions to the equation above, use the
distributive property which yields 3(x2 – 3x – 6x + 18) = (x2 – 4x – 3x + 12).
Simplifying the equation yields 3x2 – 27x + 54 = x2 – 7x + 12
Subtracting x2 and 12 and adding 7x to both sides of the equation yields 2x2 – 20x + 42= 0.
To find the number of solutions in a quadratic equation, use the discriminant b2 – 4ac. The value of a = 2, b =
-20, and c = 42.
Solving the value of discriminant yields (–20)2 – 4(2)(42); 400 – 336 = 64.
Since the discriminant is greater than 0, the number of solutions for the system of equations is two.
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect and may result from a conceptual or calculation error. Choice
B is incorrect and may result from a conceptual or calculation error. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
a conceptual or calculation error.
Nonlinear functions
As its name implies, nonlinear functions are not linear, and they are not in the form of f(x) = ax + b
NOTE: If you are not fast at plotting graphs to solve linear equation problems, concentrate only on using
substitution and elimination methods because you don’t have a lot of time to waste struggling with graph-
plotting.
Sample Question
The population of bacteria in a pond is 3,030 and the population triples every 32 days. Which of the following
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functions best represents the population of the bacteria P(t) in the pond after t days?
t
A) P (t ) = 3, 030(3)32
32
B) P (t ) = 3, 030(3) t
C) P (t ) = 3, 030(3)3t
D) P (t ) = 3, 030(3)32t
Key: A
Level: Medium | Domain: ADVANCED MATH
Skill/Knowledge: Nonlinear Functions | Testing Point: Exponential growth function
Key Explanation: Choice A is correct. The exponential growth function has a formula of f(x) = a (1 + r)x where
a is the initial amount, (1 + r) is the growth rate and x is the time interval.
Since the initial number of bacteria in the pond is 3,030 then a = 3,030.
Distractor Explanations: Choice B is incorrect and may result from using a wrong time interval. Choice D is
incorrect and may result from using a wrong time interval. Choice C is incorrect and may result from using a
wrong growth rate.
You may be asked to do some calculations on the mean, median, and range of different values, including their
standard deviations. You will be expected to have a basic grasp of study design and detect any margin of error
in the data while doing your calculations.
Most of the skill/knowledge and testing points highlighted below may have been taught in your high school,
and they will be tested by SAT for your college or career requirements.
A cube has a volume of 96 cm3. A larger version of this cube is made with twice the side lengths of the original.
What is the volume of the larger cube?
A) 192
B) 288
C) 384
D) 768
Key: D
Level: Hard | Domain: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DATA ANALYSIS
Skill/Knowledge: Ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and units | Testing Point: Ratios in similar figures
Key Explanation: Choice D is correct. The two cubes are similar and therefore the ratio of their side length
is given by 1:2. The ratio of their volumes will be 13:23 which is equivalent to 1:8. Therefore, the volume of the
larger cube will be 8 × 96 = 768.
Distractor Explanations: Choice A is incorrect and may result due to calculation or conceptual error. Choice
B is incorrect and may result due to calculation or conceptual error. Choice C is incorrect and may result due to
calculation or conceptual error.
Percentages
Familiarize yourself with how to do simple calculations on unit percentages. Most importantly, memorize the
necessary steps in achieving correct answers while attempting questions on these math topics. So, diligently do
your practice by laying your hands on several examples relating to these testing points.
Sample Question
The price of a book at a bookstore is $45. Maria bought the book at a discounted price of $40. What is the value
of the discount percentage?
A) 1.11%
B) 5%
C) 11.11%
D) 12.5%
Key: C
Level: Easy | Domain: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DATA ANALYSIS
Skill/Knowledge: Percentages | Testing Point: Discounts and percentages
discount
Key Explanation: Choice C is correct. Percentage discount is found by ×100. The discount is $45
original price
5
– $40 = $5. The original price is $45. Therefore, the discount percentage is 100 11.11%.
45
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Chapter 3
Algebra
This chapter includes questions on the following topics:
• Linear equations in one variable
• Linear equations in two variables
• Linear functions
• Systems of two linear equations in two variables
• Linear inequalities in one or two variables
ALGEBRA
1 4
Irene and Tabitha go out to lunch at a local When 3 times the number m is added to 12, the
restaurant. Irene’s lunch costs $c and Tabitha’s result is 33. What number results when 15 times
lunch costs $2 more than Irene’s. If they split m is added to 9?
the bill evenly and both paid a 20% tip, which
expression below represents the amount of
money that Irene spent?
A) 1.2(c + 1)
5
B) 1.2(2c)
C) 0.2(c + 1) Three cars have traveled 336 miles in total. Car
A traveled 3 times as far as Car B, and Car C
D) 1.2(2c + 2)
traveled twice as far as Car B. How many miles
did Car C travel?
1 7
A) y = x
4
B) y = x – 4 What is the value of x in the equation below?
C) y = –4x + 7 3x + 18 = 27
D) y = –4 + 4x
1. Level: Hard | Skill/Knowledge: Linear equations y = mx + b where m is the slope and b is the y–
in one variable | Testing Point: Converting intercept. The slope is –4, so m is –4. The only
English to Algebra with percentages answer choice with a slope of –4 is Choice C.
Distractor Explanations: Choice B is incorrect Key Explanation: The correct answer is 114. An
and may result from not considering that Irene equation can be set up and solved with the first
sentence which yields 3m +12 = 33.
and Tabitha split the bill evenly. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from calculating only
Subtracting both sides of the equation by 12
the tip that each of them gave. Choice D is
yields 3m = 21.
incorrect and may result from calculating the
total amount of money they spent together. Dividing both sides of the equation by 3 yields m
= 7.
The second sentence can be converted into the
2. Level: Easy | Skill/Knowledge: Linear equations
expression 15m + 9. Substituting the value of m
in one variable | Testing Point: Interpreting word
to the expression yields 15(7) + 9 = 114.
problem to solve a linear equation
Key Explanation: The answer is 18. Calculate 5. Level: Medium | Skill/Knowledge: Linear
the brother’s age by substituting Jen’s age with the equations in one variable | Testing Point: Solving
given expression which yields 3(15) – 12 or 33 a linear equation
years old. Therefore, the difference between Jen’s
age (15 years old) and her brother’s age is 33 – 15 Key Explanation: The correct answer is 112
= 18. miles. Let the variables A, B and C be the
distance traveled by Car A, Car B, and Car C,
respectively. Since they traveled a total of 336
3. Level: Easy | Skill/Knowledge: Linear equation
miles, then A + B + C = 336. Since Car A traveled
in one variable | Testing Point: Determine the
3 times as far as Car B, then A = 3B. Since Car
slope from the slope–intercept equation of a line
C traveled twice as far as Car B, then C = 2B.
Substituting the values of A and C in terms of
Key Explanation: Choice C is correct. The slope–
B to the first equation yields 3B + B + 2B = 336.
intercept form of a linear equation is written as
Combining like terms yields 6B = 336. Dividing
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