A calculator is allowed on every question, so the SAT isn't testing arithmetic — it's testing whether you can set a problem up. Here are the four areas it draws from, and the specific traps that cost careful students points.
Math is the second section: two modules of 22 questions, 35 minutes each (44 questions, 70 minutes). About three-quarters are multiple choice; the rest are student-produced responses ("grid-ins") where you type the answer. A calculator is allowed throughout — there's a built-in Desmos graphing calculator, and you may bring an approved one. A reference sheet of common formulas (areas, volumes, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles) is on screen. Because tools handle the arithmetic, points are won and lost on translating the problem and avoiding traps.
The largest area — master it first. It covers linear equations and inequalities, systems of equations, and expressing real situations as linear models. Typical tasks: solve for a variable, find the slope or intercept, interpret what a slope means in context ("cost per month"), or solve two equations together. The Desmos calculator is a superpower here — you can graph an equation or a system and read the answer instead of solving by hand, which sidesteps algebra mistakes entirely. Get fluent switching between the algebra and the graph.
This covers quadratics and other nonlinear equations, exponents and exponential growth/decay, and functions (evaluating f(x), interpreting function notation, and transformations). Know the three forms of a quadratic (standard, factored, vertex) and what each reveals — the factored form gives the roots, the vertex form gives the maximum or minimum. Again, graphing on Desmos often finds roots and intersections faster and more reliably than algebra. Exponent rules (adding exponents when multiplying like bases, etc.) come up often and are worth memorising cold.
The most "real-world" area: ratios, rates, and proportions; percentages (increase, decrease, percent-of); units and unit conversion; and reading statistics from tables and graphs — mean, median, and interpreting scatterplots and two-way tables. Two reliable point-sources and their traps:
The smallest area, but easy points if you know a handful of facts: area and volume (on the reference sheet), angles (triangles sum to 180°, lines and parallel-line relationships), circles (area πr², circumference 2πr, and arc/sector proportions), the Pythagorean theorem and special right triangles, and basic right-triangle trig (SOH-CAH-TOA: sine = opposite/hypotenuse, and so on). Memorise the trig ratios and the common Pythagorean triples (3-4-5, 5-12-13) — recognising them saves real time.
On a calculator-allowed test, most lost points aren't from hard math — they're from these: