Content domain
Data & Statistics.
Data & Statistics (officially "Problem-Solving and Data Analysis") makes up roughly 15% of the Digital SAT Math section. It focuses on practical math: reading graphs and tables, computing statistics, working with percentages and proportions, and applying probability. These questions are often the most accessible on the test once you know the key concepts.
Subtopics
Ratios, rates, and proportional reasoning
Setting up proportions, unit conversion, scale models, and working with rates in context.
Percentages
Percent increase/decrease, percent of a total, finding the original value, and multi-step percentage problems.
Probability
Basic probability, conditional probability, and probability from two-way tables.
Statistical concepts
Mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation. Choosing appropriate measures of center and spread.
Data interpretation
Reading scatterplots, histograms, bar charts, and two-way frequency tables. Identifying trends and making inferences.
Key formulas
mean = Σx / n P(A) = favorable / total (probability) part / whole × 100 (percentage) New = Original × (1 ± r/100) (percent change) A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt) (compound interest) Test-taking tips
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For two-way tables, re-read the question to confirm whether you need a row rate, column rate, or total rate.
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Median is more useful than mean when outliers are present — the SAT tests whether you know when to use which.
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Percent of percent problems: convert each percent to a decimal and multiply.
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For scatterplots, line of best fit questions often just ask you to read a y-value at a given x.