Question ID 5b6af6b1

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5b6af6b1

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5b6af6b1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Applying the distributive property to the given expression yields .
Applying the distributive property once again to this expression yields
, or . This expression can be
rewritten as . Thus, is equivalent to .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 652054da
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 652054da

An oceanographer uses the equation to model the speed s, in knots, of

an ocean wave, where p represents the period of the wave, in seconds. Which of
the following represents the period of the wave in terms of the speed of the
wave?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 652054da Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that p represents the period of the ocean wave, so the equation can be
solved for p to represent the period of the wave in terms of the speed of the wave. Multiplying both sides of the

equation by the reciprocal of will isolate p. This yields , which simplifies to .

Therefore, .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rearranging the equation to solve for p.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 837e9da7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 837e9da7

The function is defined by . What is the value of when ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 837e9da7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields , or
. Therefore, when , the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a255ae72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a255ae72

If and , which of the

following is equal to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a255ae72 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Using the distributive property, the expression

can be rewritten as . Substituting and for and , respectively, in

this expression yields . Expanding this expression yields

. Combining like terms, this expression can be

rewritten as .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from an error in using the distributive property, substituting, or
combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3de7a7d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3de7a7d7

Which of the following is a solution to the

equation ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

ID: 3de7a7d7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

2 2
Choice B is correct. Subtracting x from both sides of the given equation yields x – 4 = 0. Adding 4 to both sides
2
of the equation gives x = 4. Taking the square root of both sides of the equation gives x = 2 or x = –2. Therefore, x
= 2 is one solution to the original equation.

2 2
Alternative approach: Subtracting x from both sides of the given equation yields x – 4 = 0. Factoring this
2
equation gives x – 4 = (x + 2)(x – 2) = 0, such that x = 2 or x = –2. Therefore, x = 2 is one solution to the original
equation.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of computation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 70f98ab4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 70f98ab4

The given equation relates the positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70f98ab4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . Therefore, the equation
correctly expresses in terms of and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID beca03de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: beca03de

A rectangle has a length that is times its width. The function represents this situation, where is the
area, in square feet, of the rectangle and . Which of the following is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The length of the rectangle, in feet

B. The area of the rectangle, in square feet

C. The difference between the length and the width of the rectangle, in feet

D. The width of the rectangle, in feet

ID: beca03de Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that a rectangle has a length that is times its width. It's also given that the
function represents this situation, where is the area, in square feet, of the rectangle and .
The area of a rectangle can be calculated by multiplying the rectangle's length by its width. Since the rectangle
has a length that is times its width, it follows that represents the width of the rectangle, in feet, and
represents the length of the rectangle, in feet. Therefore, the best interpretation of in this context is that it's
the length of the rectangle, in feet.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the best interpretation of , not , in the given function.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the best interpretation of , not , in the given function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f5c3e3b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f5c3e3b8

Which expression is equivalent to , where , , and are positive?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f5c3e3b8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Applying the commutative property of multiplication, the expression

can be rewritten as . For positive values of , . Therefore, the expression
can be rewritten as , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from multiplying, not adding, the exponents.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a5663025
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a5663025

A system of equations consists of a quadratic equation and a linear equation.

The equations in this system are graphed in the xy-plane above. How many
solutions does this system have?

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. 3

ID: a5663025 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The solutions to a system of two equations correspond to points where the graphs of the
equations intersect. The given graphs intersect at 2 points; therefore, the system has 2 solutions.

Choice A is incorrect because the graphs intersect. Choice B is incorrect because the graphs intersect more than
once. Choice D is incorrect. It’s not possible for the graph of a quadratic equation and the graph of a linear
equation to intersect more than twice.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3c95093c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3c95093c

Which of the following inequalities is equivalent

to the inequality above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3c95093c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Both sides of the given inequality can be divided by 3 to yield .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they are not equivalent to (do not have the same solution set as) the
given inequality. For example, the ordered pair is a solution to the given inequality, but it is not a

solution to any of the inequalities in choices A, C, or D.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d0a7871e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: d0a7871e

If is a solution to the system of equations above, which of the

following could be the value of x ?

A. –1

B. 0

C. 2

D. 3

ID: d0a7871e Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

2
Choice A is correct. It is given that y = x + 1 and y = x + x. Setting the values for y equal to each other yields x + 1
2 2
= x + x. Subtracting x from each side of this equation yields x = 1. Therefore, x can equal 1 or –1. Of these, only
–1 is given as a choice.

2 2
Choice B is incorrect. If x = 0, then x + 1 = 1, but x + x = 0 + 0 = 0 ≠︀1. Choice C is incorrect. If x = 2, then x + 1 = 3,
2 2 2 2
but x + x = 2 + 2 = 6 ≠︀3. Choice D is incorrect. If x = 3, then x + 1 = 4, but x + x = 3 + 3 = 12 ≠︀4.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dd4ab4c4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: dd4ab4c4

Which of the following is a factor of

the polynomial above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dd4ab4c4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The first and last terms of the polynomial are both squares such that and

. The second term is twice the product of the square root of the first and last terms:

. Therefore, the polynomial is the square of a binomial such that

, and is a factor.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly factoring the polynomial. Choice C is incorrect and
may be the result of dividing the second and third terms of the polynomial by their greatest common factor.
Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of not factoring the coefficients.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b8caaf84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b8caaf84

If and , which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b8caaf84 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting the values for p and v into the

expression yields . Multiplying the terms yields

. Using the distributive property to rewrite yields . Therefore, the entire

expression can be represented as . Combining like terms yields

Choice A is incorrect and may result from subtracting, instead of adding, the term . Choice C is incorrect.

This is the result of multiplying the terms . Choice D is incorrect and may result from distributing

2, instead of , to the term .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7f81d0c3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7f81d0c3

What values satisfy the

equation above?

A. and

B. and

C. and

D. and

ID: 7f81d0c3 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Using the quadratic formula to solve the given expression yields

. Therefore, and satisfy the given

equation.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from incorrectly factoring or incorrectly applying the quadratic
formula. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a sign error.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e312081b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e312081b

Which of the following is equivalent to

the given expression?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e312081b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Using the associative and commutative properties of addition, the given expression
can be rewritten as . Adding these like terms results in .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from adding . Choice C is incorrect and may result from

adding . Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 52931bfa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 52931bfa

Which expression is equivalent to , where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 52931bfa Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression has a common factor of in the denominator, so the expression can be
rewritten as . The three terms in this expression have a common factor of . Since it's given
that , can't be equal to , which means can't be equal to . Therefore, each term in the expression,
, can be divided by , which gives .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1e003284
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1e003284

The graphs of the given equations intersect at the point in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e003284 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the given equations intersect at the point in the xy-plane.
It follows that represents a solution to the system consisting of the given equations. The first equation
given is . Substituting for in the second equation given, , yields , which is
equivalent to , or . It follows that the graphs of the given equations intersect at the point
. Therefore, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 91e7ea5e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 91e7ea5e

The quadratic function h is defined as shown. In the xy-plane, the graph of

intersects the x-axis at the points and , where t is a constant.

What is the value of t ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 8

ID: 91e7ea5e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the graph of intersects the x-axis at and , where t is a

constant. Since this graph intersects the x-axis when or when , it follows that and

. If , then . Adding 32 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing

both sides of this equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields

. Adding 4 to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of t is 8.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3a9d60b2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3a9d60b2

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

ID: 3a9d60b2 Answer

Correct Answer: 9

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten as . Dividing each side of this
equation by yields . By the definition of absolute value, if , then or
. Subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this
equation by yields . Similarly, subtracting from each side of the equation yields
. Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Therefore, since the two solutions to the given
equation are and , the positive solution to the given equation is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8490cc45
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 8490cc45

The function is defined by . What is the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8490cc45 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane occurs at the point on the graph
where . In other words, when , the corresponding value of is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept.
Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Thus, when , the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This could be the y-intercept for , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4fbffc0a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4fbffc0a

The graph shows the height above ground, in meters, of a ball seconds after the ball was launched upward from a
platform. Which statement is the best interpretation of the marked point in this context?

A. second after being launched, the ball's height above ground is meters.

B. seconds after being launched, the ball's height above ground is meter.

C. The ball was launched from an initial height of meter with an initial velocity of meters per second.

D. The ball was launched from an initial height of meters with an initial velocity of meter per second.

ID: 4fbffc0a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graph shows the height above ground, in meters, of a ball seconds after
the ball was launched upward from a platform. In the graph shown, the x-axis represents time, in seconds, and
the y-axis represents the height of the ball above ground, in meters. It follows that for the marked point
, represents the time, in seconds, after the ball was launched upward from a platform and represents
the height of the ball above ground, in meters. Therefore, the best interpretation of the marked point is
second after being launched, the ball's height above ground is meters.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ba0edc30
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ba0edc30

One solution to the given equation can be written as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ba0edc30 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . To complete the square,
adding to each side of this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of
each side of this equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields .
Since it's given that one of the solutions to the equation can be written as , the value of must be .

Alternate approach: It's given that is a solution to the given equation. It follows that .
Substituting for in the given equation yields , or

. Expanding the products on the left-hand side of this equation

yields , or . Adding to each side of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fc3d783a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3d783a

In the -plane, a line with equation intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola has equation
, where is a positive constant, what is the value of ?

ID: fc3d783a Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that a line with equation intersects a parabola with equation
, where is a positive constant, at exactly one point in the xy-plane. It follows that the system of
equations consisting of and has exactly one solution. Dividing both sides of the
equation of the line by yields . Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields
. Adding and subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. A quadratic equation in the form of , where , , and are constants, has
exactly one solution when the discriminant, , is equal to zero. Substituting for and for in the
expression and setting this expression equal to yields , or . Adding
to each side of this equation yields . Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields
. It’s given that is positive, so the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a9084ca4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a9084ca4

The given function models the number of advertisements a company sent to its clients each year, where represents
the number of years since , and . If is graphed in the xy-plane, which of the following is the best
interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

C. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

D. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

ID: a9084ca4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where . For the given function ,
the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore,
the y-intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of
advertisements a company sent to its clients each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of
advertisements the company sent to its clients each year. It's also given that represents the number of years
since . Therefore, represents years since , or . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-
intercept of the graph of is that the estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its
clients in was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c6f214f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2c6f214f

The first term of a sequence is . Each term after the first is times the preceding term. If represents the th term of
the sequence, which equation gives in terms of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c6f214f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since represents the th term of the sequence and is the first term of the sequence, the
value of is when the value of is . Since each term after the first is times the preceding term, the value of
is when the value of is . Therefore, the value of is , or , when the value of is . More
generally, the value of is for a given value of . Therefore, the equation gives in terms
of .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each
term after the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each
term after the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4661e2a9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4661e2a9

Which ordered pair is a solution to the

system of equations above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4661e2a9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The solution to the given system of equations can be found by solving the first equation for x,
which gives , and substituting that value of x into the second equation which gives

. Rewriting this equation by adding like terms and expanding gives

. Subtracting from both sides of this equation gives . Adding to 2 to both sides of

this equation gives . Therefore, it follows that . Substituting for y in the first equation yields

. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the ordered pair

is a solution to the given system of equations.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the first equation yields , or

, which isn’t a true statement. Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the

second equation yields , or , which isn’t a true statement.

Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the second equation yields

, or , which isn’t a true statement.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6abec9a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6abec9a8

What is the -intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6abec9a8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . At
, the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at , not
.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at , not
.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ad2ec615
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ad2ec615

Which of the following is equivalent to the

expression ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad2ec615 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

4
Choice B is correct. The term x can be factored as . Factoring –6 as yields values that add to –1,
2
the coefficient of x in the expression.

2
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from finding factors of –6 that don’t add to the coefficient of x
in the original expression.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 42c71eb5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 42c71eb5

Which of the following is equivalent to

the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 42c71eb5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given expression can be rewritten as . Applying the

distributive property, the expression can be rewritten as ,

or . Adding like terms yields . Substituting for in the given

expression yields . By the rules of exponents, the expression is equivalent to

. Applying the distributive property, this expression can be rewritten as

, or . Adding like terms gives . Substituting

for in the rewritten expression yields , and adding like terms

yields .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Choices C and D may result from rewriting the expression as ,

instead of as . Choices B and C may result from rewriting the expression as ,

instead of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 52b1700c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 52b1700c

Time (years) Total amount (dollars)

Rosa opened a savings account at a bank. The table shows the exponential relationship between the time , in years, since
Rosa opened the account and the total amount , in dollars, in the account. If Rosa made no additional deposits or
withdrawals, which of the following equations best represents the relationship between and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 52b1700c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the relationship between and is exponential. The table shows that the value
of increases as the value of increases. Therefore, the relationship between and can be represented by an
increasing exponential equation of the form , where and are positive constants. The table
shows that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Substituting for in the equation
yields . The table also shows that when , . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields , or .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields approximately . Subtracting from both sides of
this equation yields that the value of is approximately . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Therefore, of the choices, choice C best represents the
relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 371cbf6b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 371cbf6b

The equation above is true for all x, where a and b are

constants. What is the value of ab ?

A. 18

B. 20

C. 24

D. 40

ID: 371cbf6b Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. If the equation is true for all x, then the expressions on both sides of the equation will be
equivalent. Multiplying the polynomials on the left-hand side of the equation gives
. On the right-hand side of the equation, the only -term is . Since

the expressions on both sides of the equation are equivalent, it follows that , which can be

rewritten as . Therefore, , which gives .

Choice A is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be

, which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice B is incorrect. If

, then the coefficient of on the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t

equal the coefficient of , , on the right-hand side. Choice D is incorrect. If , then the coefficient of

on the left-hand side of the equation would be , which doesn’t equal the coefficient of , , on

the right-hand side.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a05bd3a4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a05bd3a4

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a05bd3a4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

2 2
Choice C is correct. The expression can be written as a difference of squares x – y , which can be factored as
2
(x + y)(x – y). Here, y = 5, so , and the expression therefore factors as .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how to factor a difference of squares.
2
Choice D is incorrect; (x + 5)(x – 1) can be rewritten as x + 4x – 5, which is not equivalent to the original
expression.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c3b116d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c3b116d7

Which of the following expressions is(are) a factor of ?

I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: c3b116d7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression can be factored by first finding two values whose sum is and whose
product is , or . Those two values are and . It follows that the given expression can be
rewritten as . Since the first two terms of this expression have a common factor of and
the last two terms of this expression have a common factor of , this expression can be rewritten as
. Since the two terms of this expression have a common factor of , it can be
rewritten as . Therefore, expression II, , is a factor of , but expression I,
, is not a factor of .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40c09d66
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 40c09d66

If for all positive values of x,

what is the value of ?

ID: 40c09d66 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The value of can be found by first rewriting the left-hand side of the given equation

as . Using the properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as . This expression can

be rewritten by subtracting the fractions in the exponent, which yields . Thus, is . Note that 7/6, 1.166,

and 1.167 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8f13a3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b8f13a3a

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of has
a y-intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: b8f13a3a Answer

Correct Answer: 20

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
which is equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. It’s given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ee962ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1ee962ec

Scientists recorded data about the ocean water levels at a certain location over a period of hours. The graph shown
models the data, where represents sea level. Which table gives values of and their corresponding values of
based on the model?

A.

B.

C.
D.

ID: 1ee962ec Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each point on the graph represents an elapsed time , in hours, and the corresponding
ocean water level , in feet, at a certain location based on the model. The graph shown passes through the points
, , and . Thus, the table in choice C gives the values of and their corresponding values of
based on the model.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ad03127d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ad03127d

The given equation relates the variables , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad03127d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Therefore, the equation correctly expresses in terms of and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f65288e8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f65288e8

If x is a solution to the given equation, which of the

following is a possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f65288e8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given equation can be rewritten as . Multiplying both sides of this equation

by yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields . Taking the square

root of both sides of this equation yields or . Therefore, a possible value of is .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from computational or conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 788bfd56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 788bfd56

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 788bfd56 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The value of is the value of when . It's given that the function is
defined by . Substituting for in this equation yields . Since the
positive square root of is , it follows that this equation can be rewritten as , or
. Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f89af023
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f89af023

A rectangular volleyball court has an area of 162 square meters. If the length of
the court is twice the width, what is the width of the court, in meters?

A. 9

B. 18

C. 27

D. 54

ID: f89af023 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the volleyball court is rectangular and has an area of 162 square meters. The
formula for the area of a rectangle is , where A is the area, is the length, and w is the width of the

rectangle. It’s also given that the length of the volleyball court is twice the width, thus . Substituting the

given value into the formula for the area of a rectangle and using the relationship between length and width for
this rectangle yields . This equation can be rewritten as . Dividing both sides of this

equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Since the

width of a rectangle is a positive number, the width of the volleyball court is 9 meters.

Choice B is incorrect because this is the length of the rectangle. Choice C is incorrect because this is the result of
using 162 as the perimeter rather than the area. Choice D is incorrect because this is the result of calculating w
in the equation instead of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7902bed0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7902bed0

A machine launches a softball from ground level. The softball reaches a maximum height of meters above the
ground at seconds and hits the ground at seconds. Which equation represents the height above ground , in
meters, of the softball seconds after it is launched?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 7902bed0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. An equation representing the height above ground , in meters, of a softball seconds after it
is launched by a machine from ground level can be written in the form , where , , and are
positive constants. In this equation, represents the time, in seconds, at which the softball reaches its maximum
height of meters above the ground. It's given that this softball reaches a maximum height of meters
above the ground at seconds; therefore, and . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields . It's also given that this softball hits the ground
at seconds; therefore, when . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to ,
or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
. Therefore, represents the height above ground , in
meters, of this softball seconds after it is launched.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the
ground at seconds, not meters above the ground at seconds.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the
ground at seconds, not seconds.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4a0d0399
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4a0d0399

The function is defined by , where and are constants. In the -plane, the graph of has an
-intercept at and a -intercept at . What is the value of ?

ID: 4a0d0399 Answer

Correct Answer: -324

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the function is defined by , where and are
constants. It's also given that the graph of has a y-intercept at . It follows that .
Substituting for and for in yields , or . Subtracting
from each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e53add44
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e53add44

The function S above models the annual salary, in dollars, of an employee n

years after starting a job, where a is a constant. If the employee’s salary increases
by 4% each year, what is the value of a ?

A. 0.04

B. 0.4

C. 1.04

D. 1.4

ID: e53add44 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. A model for a quantity S that increases by a certain percentage per time period n is an

exponential function in the form , where I is the initial value at time for r% annual

increase. It’s given that the annual increase in an employee’s salary is 4%, so . The initial value can be found

by substituting 0 for n in the given function, which yields . Therefore, . Substituting

these values for r and I into the form of the exponential function yields

, or . Therefore, the value of a in the given function is 1.04.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly representing the annual increase in the
exponential function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f2f3fa00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f2f3fa00

During a 5-second time interval, the average acceleration a, in meters per

second squared, of an object with an initial velocity of 12 meters per second is

defined by the equation , where vf is the final velocity of the

object in meters per second. If the equation is rewritten in the form vf = xa + y,

where x and y are constants, what is the value of x ?

ID: f2f3fa00 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The given equation can be rewritten in the form , like so:

It follows that the value of x is 5 and the value of y is 12.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b4a6ed81
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b4a6ed81

The expression is equivalent to , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: b4a6ed81 Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale

The correct answer is . Applying the distributive property to the expression yields .
Since is equivalent to , it follows that is also equivalent to .
Since these expressions are equivalent, it follows that corresponding coefficients are equivalent. Therefore,
and . Solving either of these equations for will yield the value of . Dividing both sides of
by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9654add7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9654add7

The revenue , in dollars, that a company receives from sales of a product is

given by the function f above, where x is the unit price, in dollars, of the product.
The graph of in the xy-plane intersects the x-axis at 0 and a. What does

a represent?

A. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0

B. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

C. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0

D. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make

ID: 9654add7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. By definition, the y-value when a function intersects the x-axis is 0. It’s given that the graph
of the function intersects the x-axis at 0 and a, that x is the unit price, in dollars, of a product, and that ,

where , is the revenue, in dollars, that a company receives from the sales of the product. Since the value

of a occurs when , a is the unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0.

Choice A is incorrect. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0 is represented by ,

when . Choice B is incorrect. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

is represented by the x-coordinate of the maximum of f. Choice D is incorrect. The maximum revenue, in dollars,
that the company can make is represented by the y-coordinate of the maximum of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 34847f8a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 34847f8a

The equation above is true for all , where r and t are positive
constants. What is the value of rt ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 34847f8a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. To express the sum of the two rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation as
the single rational expression on the right-hand side of the equation, the expressions on the left-hand side must

have the same denominator. Multiplying the first expression by results in , and multiplying

the second expression by results in , so the given equation can be rewritten as

, or . Since the

two rational expressions on the left-hand side of the equation have the same denominator as the rational
expression on the right-hand side of the equation, it follows that . Combining like

terms on the left-hand side yields , so it follows that and . Therefore, the value of is

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error when determining the sign of either r or t. Choice B is
incorrect and may result from not distributing the 2 and 3 to their respective terms in

. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc776a04
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: cc776a04

Which of the following is an equivalent form of

?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: cc776a04 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The first expression can be rewritten as . Applying the

distributive property to this product yields . This difference can be

rewritten as . Distributing the factor of through the

second expression yields . Regrouping like terms, the expression

becomes . Combining like terms yields

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and likely result from errors made when applying the distributive property or
combining the resulting like terms.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 263f9937
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 263f9937
Growth of a Culture of Bacteria
Number of bacteria per
Day
milliliter at end of day

A culture of bacteria is growing at an exponential rate, as shown in the table

above. At this rate, on which day would the number of bacteria per milliliter
reach ?

A. Day 5

B. Day 9

C. Day 11

D. Day 12

ID: 263f9937 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The number of bacteria per milliliter is doubling each day. For example, from day 1 to day 2,
5 5 6
the number of bacteria increased from 2.5 × 10 to 5.0 × 10 . At the end of day 3 there are 10 bacteria per
6 6
milliliter. At the end of day 4, there will be 10 × 2 bacteria per milliliter. At the end of day 5, there will be (10 × 2)
6 2 6 d–
× 2, or 10 × (2 ) bacteria per milliliter, and so on. At the end of day d, the number of bacteria will be 10 × (2
3 8
). If the number of bacteria per milliliter will reach 5.12 × 10 at the end of day d, then the equation
8 6
must hold. Since 5.12 × 10 can be rewritten as 512 × 10 , the equation is equivalent to
9
. Rewriting 512 as 2 gives d – 3 = 9, so d = 12. The number of bacteria per milliliter would reach 5.12 ×
8
10 at the end of day 12.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Given the growth rate of the bacteria, the number of bacteria will not reach
8
5.12 × 10 per milliliter by the end of any of these days.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 926c246b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 926c246b

The equation above estimates the global data traffic D, in terabytes, for the year
that is t years after 2010. What is the best interpretation of the number 5,640 in
this context?

A. The estimated amount of increase of data traffic, in terabytes, each year

B. The estimated percent increase in the data traffic, in terabytes, each year

C. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, for the year that is t years after 2010

D. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in 2010

ID: 926c246b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since t represents the number of years after 2010, the estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in
2010 can be calculated using the given equation when . Substituting 0 for t in the given equation yields

, or . Thus, 5,640 represents the estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in 2010.

Choice A is incorrect. Since the equation is exponential, the amount of increase of data traffic each year isn’t
constant. Choice B is incorrect. According to the equation, the percent increase in data traffic each year is 90%.
Choice C is incorrect. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, for the year that is t years after 2010 is represented
by D, not the number 5,640.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 84e5e36c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 84e5e36c

The graphs of the given equations in the xy-plane intersect at the point . What is a possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 84e5e36c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the point is an intersection point of the graphs of the given equations in the xy-
plane, the pair should satisfy both equations, and thus is a solution of the given system. According to the
first equation, . Substituting in place of in the second equation yields . Adding to both
sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields two solutions:
and . Of these two solutions, only is given as a choice.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of coordinate , rather than , of the intersection point .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ff2c1431
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ff2c1431

The given equation relates the positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly gives in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ff2c1431 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that the equation relates the positive numbers , , and .
Dividing both sides of the given equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation
yields , or . It follows that the equation correctly gives in terms of and
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 137cc6fd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 137cc6fd

For what value of is the given expression equivalent to , where ?

ID: 137cc6fd Answer

Correct Answer: .0177, .0178, 4/225

Rationale

The correct answer is . An expression of the form , where is an integer greater than and , is

equivalent to . Therefore, the given expression, where , is equivalent to . Applying

properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as , or , which can be

rewritten as , or . It's given that the expression is equivalent to ,

where . It follows that is equivalent to . Therefore, . Dividing both sides of this

equation by yields , or . Thus, the value of for which the given expression is equivalent to
, where , is . Note that 4/225, .0177, .0178, 0.017, and 0.018 are examples of ways to enter a
correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6ce95fc8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6ce95fc8

Which of the following is a solution to

the equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ce95fc8 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. A quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c are constants, can be

solved using the quadratic formula: . Subtracting from both sides of the given

equation yields . Applying the quadratic formula, where , , and , yields

. This can be rewritten as . Since , or , the

equation can be rewritten as . Dividing 2 from both the numerator and denominator yields

or . Of these two solutions, only is present among the choices. Thus, the correct

choice is D.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from a computational or conceptual error. Choice B is incorrect and may

result from using instead of as the quadratic formula. Choice C is

incorrect and may result from rewriting as instead of .

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 4dd4efcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4dd4efcf

In the given quadratic function, and are constants. The graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola that opens
upward and has a vertex at the point , where and are constants. If and , which of the
following must be true?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 4dd4efcf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola with vertex . If
, then for the graph of , the point with an x-coordinate of and the point with an x-
coordinate of have the same y-coordinate. In the xy-plane, a parabola is a symmetric graph such that when two
points have the same y-coordinate, these points are equidistant from the vertex, and the x-coordinate of the
vertex is halfway between the x-coordinates of these two points. Therefore, for the graph of , the points
with x-coordinates and are equidistant from the vertex, , and is halfway between and . The
value that is halfway between and is , or . Therefore, . The equation defining can also be
written in vertex form, . Substituting for in this equation yields
, or . This equation is equivalent to
, or . Since , it follows that and . Dividing
both sides of the equation by yields , or . Since , it's not true that . Therefore,
statement II isn't true. Substituting for in the equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . If , then , or . Since could
be any value less than , it's not necessarily true that . Therefore, statement I isn't necessarily true. Thus,
neither I nor II must be true.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc2601cb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cc2601cb

The x-intercept of the graph shown is . What is the value of ?

ID: cc2601cb Answer

Correct Answer: 7

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the x-intercept of the graph shown is . The graph passes through the
point . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f5aa5040
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f5aa5040

In the xy-plane, a line with equation for some constant intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola
has equation , what is the value of ?

ID: f5aa5040 Answer

Correct Answer: 20.25, 81/4

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given linear equation is . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Substituting for in the equation of the parabola yields . Adding and to both
sides of this equation yields . Since it’s given that the line and the parabola intersect at
exactly one point, the equation must have exactly one solution. An equation of the form
, where , , and are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant,
, is equal to . In the equation , where , , and , the
discriminant is . Setting the discriminant equal to yields , or
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields . Note that 81/4 and 20.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 252a3b3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 252a3b3a

Which of the following could be the equation of the graph shown in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D. msup

ID: 252a3b3a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Each of the given choices is an equation of the form , where , ,
, and are positive constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of an equation of this form has x-intercepts at ,
, and . The graph shown has x-intercepts at , , and . Therefore, and .
Of the given choices, only choices A and B have and . For an equation in the form
, if all values of that are less than or greater than correspond to negative y-
values, then the sum of all the exponents of the factors on the right-hand side of the equation is even. In the
graph shown, all values of less than or greater than correspond to negative y-values. Therefore, the sum
of all the exponents of the factors on the right-hand side of the equation must be
even. For choice A, the sum of these exponents is , or , which is odd. For choice B, the sum of these
exponents is , or , which is even. Therefore, could be the equation of the
graph shown.
Choice A is incorrect. For the graph of this equation, all values of less than correspond to positive, not
negative, y-values.

Choice C is incorrect. The graph of this equation has x-intercepts at , , and , rather than x-
intercepts at , , and .

Choice D is incorrect. The graph of this equation has x-intercepts at , , and , rather than x-
intercepts at , , and .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 841ef26c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 841ef26c

The function is defined by . For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 841ef26c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that

. Expanding the quantity in this equation yields
. Distributing the and the yields
. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form
, where , , and are constants and is positive, reaches its minimum, , when the
value of is . The equation can be rewritten in this form by completing the square.
This equation is equivalent to , or . This
equation can be rewritten as , or , which
is equivalent to . This equation is in the form , where ,
, and . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc6ccd71
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cc6ccd71

The graph of is shown, where the function is defined by and , , , and are
constants. For how many values of does ?

A. One

B. Two

C. Three

D. Four

ID: cc6ccd71 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. If a value of satisfies , the graph of will contain a point and thus
touch the x-axis. Since there are points at which this graph touches the x-axis, there are values of for
which .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70482e20
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 70482e20

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70482e20 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression can be rewritten as . Since the two terms of this
expression are both constant multiples of , they are like terms and can, therefore, be combined through
addition. Adding like terms in the expression yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is equivalent to , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is equivalent to , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 8452c42b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 8452c42b

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8452c42b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given expression shows addition of two like terms. Therefore, the given expression is
equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID b39d74a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b39d74a0

x y

0 0

1 1

2 8

3 27

The table shown includes some values of x and their corresponding values of y.
Which of the following graphs in the xy-plane could represent the relationship
between x and y ?

A.

B.

C.

D.
 ID: b39d74a0 Answer
Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Each pair of values shown in the table gives the ordered pair of coordinates for a point that
lies on the graph that represents the relationship between x and y in the xy-plane: , , , and .

Only the graph in choice B passes through the points listed in the table that are visible in the given choices.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. None of these graphs passes through the point .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ea6d05bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ea6d05bb

The expression is equivalent to the expression , where , , and are constants. What
is the value of ?

ID: ea6d05bb Answer

Correct Answer: -419

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the expression is equivalent to the expression
, where , , and are constants. Applying the distributive property to the given expression,
, yields , which can be rewritten as
. Combining like terms yields . Since this expression is
equivalent to , it follows that the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0536ad4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 0536ad4f

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0536ad4f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Combining like terms inside the parentheses of the given expression, ,
yields . Combining like terms in this resulting expression yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 433184f1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 433184f1

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 433184f1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . To add the two terms of this
expression, the terms can be rewritten with a common denominator. Since , the expression can be
rewritten as . Since , the expression can be rewritten as . Therefore, the
expression can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
. Applying the distributive property to each term of the numerator yields , or
. Adding like terms in the numerator yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d135f4bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d135f4bf

The function is defined by . In the xy-plane, the graph of is the result of

translating the graph of up units. What is the value of ?

ID: d135f4bf Answer

Correct Answer: 76

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the graph of is the result of translating the graph of
up units in the xy-plane. It follows that the graph of is the same as the graph of .
Substituting for in the equation yields . It's given that
. Substituting for in the equation
yields . Substituting for in this equation yields
, or . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1d3fee25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 1d3fee25

Which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1d3fee25 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Using the distributive property to multiply 3 and gives , which can be

rewritten as .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from rewriting the given expression as . Choice B is incorrect

and may result from incorrectly rewriting the expression as . Choice D is incorrect and may result

from incorrectly rewriting the expression as .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4ca30186
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4ca30186

The graph of a system of a linear equation and a nonlinear equation is shown. What is the solution to this system?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4ca30186 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The solution to the system of two equations corresponds to the point where the graphs of the
equations intersect. The graphs of the linear equation and the nonlinear equation shown intersect at the point
. Thus, the solution to the system is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy
Question ID 911383f2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 911383f2

What is the product of the solutions to

the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 911383f2 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. By the zero-product property, if , then , , or .

Solving each of these equations for yields , , or . The product of these solutions is

Choice A is incorrect and may result from sign errors made when solving the given equation. Choice B is
incorrect and may result from finding the sum, not the product, of the solutions. Choice C is incorrect and may
result from finding the sum, not the product, of the solutions in addition to making sign errors when solving the
given equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d8789a4c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: d8789a4c

In the expression above, b and c are positive integers. If the expression is

equivalent to and , which of the following could be the value of c ?

A. 4

B. 6

C. 8

D. 10

ID: d8789a4c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. If the given expression is equivalent to , then , where x isn’t equal to b.

Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields . Since the right-hand side of this

equation is in factored form for the difference of squares, the value of c must be a perfect square. Only choice A
gives a perfect square for the value of c.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. None of these values of c produces a difference of squares. For example, when 6

is substituted for c in the given expression, the result is . The expression can’t be factored with

integer values, and therefore isn’t equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b80d10d7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b80d10d7

What is the solution to the

equation above?

A. 0

B. 2

C. 3

D. 5

ID: b80d10d7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since is equivalent to 1, the right-hand side of the given equation can be rewritten as

, or . Since the left- and right-hand sides of the equation have the same

denominator, it follows that . Applying the distributive property of multiplication to the

expression yields , or . Therefore, . Subtracting x and 2 from both sides of

this equation yields .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. If , then . This can be rewritten as , which is

a false statement. Therefore, 0 isn’t a solution to the given equation. Substituting 3 and 5 into the given equation
yields similarly false statements.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d4950429
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d4950429

A rectangle has a length of units and a width of units. If the rectangle has an area of square units, what is
the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d4950429 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The area of a rectangle is equal to its length multiplied by its width. Multiplying the given
length, units, by the given width, units, yields square units. If the rectangle has an area of
square units, it follows that , or . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields .
Applying the zero product property to this equation yields two solutions: and . Since is the
rectangle’s length, in units, which must be positive, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the width, in units, of the rectangle, not the value of .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the area, in square units, of the rectangle, not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 752055d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 752055d1

A scientist initially measures bacteria in a growth medium. hours later, the scientist measures bacteria.
Assuming exponential growth, the formula gives the number of bacteria in the growth medium, where and
are constants and is the number of bacteria hours after the initial measurement. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 752055d1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the formula gives the number of bacteria in a growth medium,
where and are constants and is the number of bacteria hours after the initial measurement. It’s also
given that a scientist initially measures bacteria in the growth medium. Since the initial measurement is
hours after the initial measurement, it follows that when , . Substituting for and for
in the given equation yields , or , which is equivalent to . It’s
given that hours later, the scientist measures bacteria, or when , . Substituting for ,
for , and for in the given equation yields . Dividing each side of this
equation by yields , or , which is equivalent to . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of the reciprocal of .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of the reciprocal of .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d0a53ef5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: d0a53ef5

What is the smallest solution to the given equation?

ID: d0a53ef5 Answer

Correct Answer: -3

Rationale

The correct answer is . Squaring both sides of the given equation yields , which can be
rewritten as . Subtracting and from both sides of this equation yields
. This quadratic equation can be rewritten as . According to the zero
product property, equals zero when either or . Solving each of these
equations for yields or . Therefore, the given equation has two solutions, and . Of these
two solutions, is the smallest solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fcdf87b7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fcdf87b7

If the ordered pair satisfies the system of equations above,

what is one possible value of x ?

ID: fcdf87b7 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 0 or 3. For an ordered pair to satisfy a system of equations, both the x- and y-values
of the ordered pair must satisfy each equation in the system. Both expressions on the right-hand side of the
given equations are equal to y, therefore it follows that both expressions on the right-hand side of the equations
are equal to each other: . This equation can be rewritten as , and then through
factoring, the equation becomes . Because the product of the two factors is equal to 0, it can be

concluded that either or , or rather, or . Note that 0 and 3 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 271ffad7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 271ffad7

A quadratic function models a projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after it
was launched. The model estimates that the projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the ground
and reached a maximum height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. How many seconds after
the launch does the model estimate that the projectile will return to a height of meters?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 271ffad7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground
in terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It follows that an equation representing the model can be
written in the form , where is the projectile's estimated height above the ground, in
meters, seconds after the launch, is a constant, and is the maximum height above the ground, in meters,
the model estimates the projectile reached seconds after the launch. It's given that the model estimates the
projectile reached a maximum height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. Therefore,
and . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
. It's also given that the model estimates that the projectile was launched from an
initial height of meters above the ground. Therefore, when , . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Substituting for in the equation yields .
Therefore, the equation models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground
seconds after it was launched. The number of seconds after the launch that the model estimates that the
projectile will return to a height of meters is the value of when . Substituting for in
yields . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields two equations: and . Adding
to both sides of the equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Since seconds after the launch represents the time at which the projectile was launched, must be the
number of seconds the model estimates that the projectile will return to a height of meters.

Alternate approach: It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the
ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It's also given that the model estimates that the
projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the ground and reached a maximum height of
meters above the ground seconds after the launch. Since the model is quadratic, and quadratic functions
are symmetric, the model estimates that for any given height less than the maximum height, the time the
projectile takes to travel from the given height to the maximum height is the same as the time the projectile
takes to travel from the maximum height back to the given height. Thus, since the model estimates the projectile
took seconds to travel from meters above the ground to its maximum height of meters above the ground,
the model also estimates the projectile will take more seconds to travel from its maximum height of
meters above the ground back to meters above the ground. Thus, the model estimates that the projectile will
return to a height of meters seconds after it reaches its maximum height, which is seconds after the
launch.

Choice A is incorrect. The model estimates that seconds after the launch, the projectile reached a height of
meters, not meters.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee857afb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ee857afb

The given equation relates the variables and . For what value of does the value of reach its minimum?

ID: ee857afb Answer

Correct Answer: 7

Rationale

The correct answer is . When an equation is of the form , where , , and are constants, the
value of reaches its minimum when . Since the given equation is of the form , it
follows that , , and . Therefore, the value of reaches its minimum when , or
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a520ba07
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a520ba07

Which of the following expressions is equivalent

to the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a520ba07 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. One of the properties of radicals is . Thus, the given expression can be
1 2 2
rewritten as . Simplifying by taking the cube root of each part gives x ⋅ y , or xy .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrect application of the properties of exponents
and radicals.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d4d513ff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: d4d513ff

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d4d513ff Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each term in the given expression, , has a common factor of . Therefore, the
expression can be rewritten as , or . Thus, the expression is equivalent to the
given expression.

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 58b109d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 58b109d4

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: 58b109d4 Answer

Correct Answer: -10

Rationale

The correct answer is . Adding to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields
. Substituting for in the first equation in the given system yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Factoring
the left-hand side of this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of both
sides of this equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 974d33dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 974d33dc

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to the sum of

and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 974d33dc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Grouping like terms, the given expressions can be rewritten as .

This can be rewritten as .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from adding the two sets of unlike terms, and as well as and ,

and then adding the respective exponents. Choice B is incorrect and may result from adding the unlike terms

and as if they were and and adding the unlike terms and as if they were and . Choice C is

incorrect and may result from errors when combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5c00c2c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5c00c2c1

There were no jackrabbits in Australia before 1788 when 24 jackrabbits were

introduced. By 1920 the population of jackrabbits had reached 10 billion. If the
population had grown exponentially, this would correspond to a 16.2% increase,
on average, in the population each year. Which of the following functions best
models the population of jackrabbits t years after 1788?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5c00c2c1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. This exponential growth model can be written in the form , where is the

population t years after 1788, A is the initial population, and r is the yearly growth rate, expressed as a decimal.
Since there were 24 jackrabbits in Australia in 1788, . Since the number of jackrabbits increased by an

average of 16.2% each year, . Therefore, the equation that best models this situation is .

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from misinterpreting the form of an exponential growth model.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5d93c782
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5d93c782

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5d93c782 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression may be rewritten as . Since the first two terms of
this expression have a common factor of and the last two terms of this expression have a common factor of
, this expression may be rewritten as , or . Since each term of
this expression has a common factor of , it may be rewritten as .

Alternate approach: An expression of the form , where and are constants, can be factored if there
are two values that add to give and multiply to give . In the given expression, and . The values
of and add to give and multiply to give , so the expression can be factored as .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ee05c84e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ee05c84e

The function f is defined above. What is

the value of ?

A. 250

B. 500

C. 750

D. 2,000

ID: ee05c84e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Adding the like terms x and yields the equation . Substituting
20 for x yields . The product is equal to 25, and the difference is
equal to 30. Substituting these values in the given equation gives , and multiplying 25 by 30

results in .

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or computational errors when finding the value
of .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1a722d7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1a722d7d

Let the function p be defined as , where c is a constant.

If , what is the value of ?

A. 10.00

B. 10.25

C. 10.75

D. 11.00

ID: 1a722d7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The value of p(12) depends on the value of the constant c, so the value of c must first be
determined. It is given that p(c) = 10. Based on the definition of p, it follows that:

This means that for all values of x. Therefore:

Choice A is incorrect. It is the value of p(8), not p(12). Choices B and C are incorrect. If one of these values were
correct, then x = 12 and the selected value of p(12) could be substituted into the equation to solve for c. However,
the values of c that result from choices B and C each result in p(c) < 10.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f11ffa93
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f11ffa93

What value of x satisfies the

equation above?

ID: f11ffa93 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 117. Squaring both sides of the given equation gives , or .

Subtracting 4 from both sides of this equation gives .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f5247e52
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f5247e52

In the equation above, a and c are positive constants. How many times does the
graph of the equation above intersect the graph of the equation in

the xy-plane?

A. Zero

B. One

C. Two

D. More than two

ID: f5247e52 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It is given that the constants a and c are both positive; therefore, the graph of the given
quadratic equation is a parabola that opens up with a vertex on the y-axis at a point below the x-axis. The graph
of the second equation provided is a horizontal line that lies above the x-axis. A horizontal line above the x-axis
will intersect a parabola that opens up and has a vertex below the x-axis in exactly two points.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and are the result of not understanding the relationships of the graphs of the
two equations given. Choice A is incorrect because the two graphs intersect. Choice B is incorrect because in
order for there to be only one intersection point, the horizontal line would have to intersect the parabola at the
vertex, but the vertex is below the x-axis and the line is above the x-axis. Choice D is incorrect because a line
cannot intersect a parabola in more than two points.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3b4b8831
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3b4b8831

What is the negative solution to the given equation?

ID: 3b4b8831 Answer

Correct Answer: -3

Rationale

The correct answer is . Dividing both sides of the given equation by yields . Taking the square root
of both sides of this equation yields the solutions and . Therefore, the negative solution to the
given equation is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a7711fe8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a7711fe8

What is the minimum value of the function f

defined by ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a7711fe8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given quadratic function f is in vertex form, , where is the vertex
of the graph of in the xy-plane. Therefore, the vertex of the graph of is . In addition, the

y-coordinate of the vertex represents either the minimum or maximum value of a quadratic function, depending
on whether the graph of the function opens upward or downward. Since the leading coefficient of f (the
coefficient of the term ) is 1, which is positive, the graph of opens upward. It follows that at
, the minimum value of the function f is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from making a sign error and from using the x-coordinate of the vertex.
Choice C is incorrect and may result from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice D is incorrect and may
result from making a sign error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4236c5a3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4236c5a3

If , which of the following is

a possible value of x ?

A. 1

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4236c5a3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. If , then taking the square root of each side of the equation gives or

. Solving these equations for x gives or . Of these, is the only solution given as a
choice.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving the equation and making a sign error. Choice B is

incorrect and may result from solving the equation . Choice C is incorrect and may result from finding a
possible value of .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 981aca65
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 981aca65

In the given function , is a constant. The graph of function in the xy-plane, where , is translated units
down and units to the right to produce the graph of . Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 981aca65 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that the graph of is produced by translating the graph of units
down and units to the right in the xy-plane. Therefore, function can be defined by an equation in the form
. Function is defined by the equation , where is a constant.
Substituting for in the equation yields . Substituting
for in the equation yields , or . Therefore,
the equation that defines function is .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units down and units to the left, not units down and units to the right.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units to the left, not units down and units to the right.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units to the right, not units down and units to the right.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID fd4b2aa0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: fd4b2aa0

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fd4b2aa0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The given expression shows subtraction of two like terms. The two terms can be subtracted
as follows: , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the result of adding, not subtracting, the two like terms.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a8ae0d22
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a8ae0d22

Two variables, and , are related such that for each increase of in the value of , the value of increases by a factor of
. When , . Which equation represents this relationship?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: a8ae0d22 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the value of increases by a constant factor, , for each increase of in the value of ,
the relationship between and is exponential. An exponential relationship between and can be
represented by an equation of the form , where is the value of when and increases by a
factor of for each increase of in the value of . Since when , . Since increases by a
factor of for each increase of in the value of , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Thus, the equation represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a relationship where for each increase of in the value of , the
value of increases by a factor of , not , and when , is equal to , not .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fcb78856
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fcb78856

The given equation relates the positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fcb78856 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the equation relates the positive numbers , , and . Dividing each
side of the given equation by yields , or . Thus, the equation correctly expresses in
terms of and .

Choice B is incorrect. This equation can be rewritten as .

Choice C is incorrect. This equation can be rewritten as .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation can be rewritten as .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c602140f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c602140f

Which of the following is equivalent to

the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c602140f Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

2
Choice B is correct. Expanding all terms yields (x – 11y)(2x – 3y) – 12y(–2x + 3y), which is equivalent to 2x –
2 2 2 2
22xy – 3xy + 33y + 24xy – 36y . Combining like terms gives 2x – xy – 3y .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of using the sums of the coefficients of the existing x and y terms as
the coefficients of the x and y terms in the new expressions. Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of
incorrectly combining like terms. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of using the incorrect sign in front
of the 12y term.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a54753ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a54753ca

In the xy-plane, the graph of the equation intersects the line at exactly one point. What is
the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a54753ca Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the xy-plane, the graph of the line is a horizontal line that crosses the y-axis at
and the graph of the quadratic equation is a parabola. A parabola can intersect a
horizontal line at exactly one point only at its vertex. Therefore, the value of should be equal to the y-coordinate
of the vertex of the graph of the given equation. For a quadratic equation in vertex form, , the
vertex of its graph in the xy-plane is . The given quadratic equation, , can be rewritten
as , or . Thus, the value of is equal to
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1853bb35
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1853bb35

For the function , the value of decreases by for every increase in the value of by . If , which
equation defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1853bb35 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the value of decreases by a fixed percentage, , for every increase in the value
of by , the function is a decreasing exponential function. A decreasing exponential function can be written
in the form , where is the value of and the value of decreases by for every
increase in the value of by . If , then . Since the value of decreases by for every
increase in the value of by , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. For this function, the value of increases, rather than decreases, by for every
increase in the value of by .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4993b828
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4993b828

The area , in square centimeters, of a rectangular cutting board can be represented by the expression , where
is the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board. Which expression represents the length, in centimeters, of the cutting
board?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4993b828 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of a
rectangular cutting board, where is the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board. The area of a rectangle can
be calculated by multiplying its length by its width. It follows that the length, in centimeters, of the cutting board
is represented by the expression .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of the cutting board, not its
length, in centimeters.

Choice B is incorrect. This expression represents the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board, not its length.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the difference between the length, in centimeters, and the width, in centimeters, of
the cutting board, not its length, in centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4eaf0a3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 4eaf0a3a

Which expression is equivalent to , where and are positive?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 4eaf0a3a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. For positive values of and , , , and . Therefore, the

given expression, , can be rewritten as . This expression is equivalent to , which can be

rewritten as , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4d7064a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d7064a6

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d7064a6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .

Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches
its minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its
minimum. For an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of
the vertex is . For the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-
coordinate of the vertex is , or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of
the graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and .
The midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between
and is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value
of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-
plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4d037075
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d037075

The rational function is defined by an equation in the form , where and are constants. The partial graph
of is shown. If , which equation could define function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d037075 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that and that the graph shown is a partial graph of .
Substituting for in the equation yields . The graph passes through the point
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side
of this equation by yields , or . The graph also passes through the point
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side
of this equation by yields , or . Substituting for in this equation
yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Subtracting from
each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for
in the equation yields , or . Substituting for and for in the equation
 yields . It's given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to . It follows that .

Choice A is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice B is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice D is incorrect. This could define function if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0354c7de
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 0354c7de

Which of the following is equivalent to

the given expression?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0354c7de Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since 5 is a factor of both terms, and 15, the given expression can be factored and

rewritten as .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from subtracting 5 from the constant when factoring 5 from the given
expression. Choice C is incorrect and may result from factoring 5 from only the first term, not both terms, of the
given expression. Choice D is incorrect and may result from adding 5 to the constant when factoring 5 from the
given expression.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7e5a3640
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7e5a3640

Bacteria are growing in a liquid growth medium. There were cells per milliliter during an initial observation. The
number of cells per milliliter doubles every hours. How many cells per milliliter will there be hours after the initial
observation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e5a3640 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Let represent the number of cells per milliliter hours after the initial observation. Since
the number of cells per milliliter doubles every hours, the relationship between and can be represented by
an exponential equation of the form , where is the number of cells per milliliter during the initial
observation and the number of cells per milliliter increases by a factor of every hours. It’s given that there
were cells per milliliter during the initial observation. Therefore, . It’s also given that the
number of cells per milliliter doubles, or increases by a factor of , every hours. Therefore, and .
Substituting for , for , and for in the equation yields . The number of
cells per milliliter there will be hours after the initial observation is the value of in this equation when
. Substituting for in the equation yields , or .
This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, hours after the initial observation, there
will be cells per milliliter.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de362c2f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de362c2f

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de362c2f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that the function is defined by . Substituting for in
yields , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 044c1cb7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 044c1cb7

Which table gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the given function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 044c1cb7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It′s given that . Each table gives , , and as the three given values of .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Substituting for in
the equation yields , or . Finally, substituting for in the equation
yields , or . Therefore, is when is , is when is ,
and is when is . Choice B is a table with these values of and their corresponding values of .

Choice A is incorrect. This is a table of values for the function , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is a table of values for the function , not .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1e8d7183
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 1e8d7183

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1e8d7183 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given expression follows the difference of two squares pattern, , which factors as
. Therefore, the expression can be written as , or
, which factors as .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Choice B is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 43926bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 43926bd9

For the exponential function f, the table above shows several values of x and their corresponding values of ,

where a is a constant greater than 1. If k is a constant and , what is the value of k ?

ID: 43926bd9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The values of for the exponential function f shown in the table increase by a factor

of for each increase of 1 in x. This relationship can be represented by the equation , where b is a

constant. It’s given that when , . Substituting 2 for x and for into yields

. Since , it follows that . Thus, an equation that defines the function f is

. It follows that the value of k such that can be found by solving the equation
, which yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID da602115
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: da602115

If , what is the positive value of ?

ID: da602115 Answer

Correct Answer: 28

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given absolute value equation can be rewritten as two linear equations:
and , or . Adding to both sides of the equation
results in . Dividing both sides of this equation by results in . Adding to both sides of the
equation results in . Dividing both sides of this equation by results in .
Therefore, the two values of are , or , and , or . Thus, the positive value of is .

Alternate approach: The given equation can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to

. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . This equation can be rewritten as
two linear equations: and , or . Therefore, the positive value of is
.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2d2ab76b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2d2ab76b

When the equations above are graphed in the xy-plane, what are the
coordinates (x, y) of the points of intersection of the two graphs?

A.
and

B.

and

C.
and

D.

and

ID: 2d2ab76b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The two equations form a system of equations, and the solutions to the system correspond to
the points of intersection of the graphs. The solutions to the system can be found by substitution. Since the
2
second equation gives y = 3, substituting 3 for y in the first equation gives 3 = x – 1. Adding 1 to both sides of the
2
equation gives 4 = x . Solving by taking the square root of both sides of the equation gives x = ±2. Since y = 3 for
all values of x for the second equation, the solutions are (2, 3) and (–2, 3). Therefore, the points of intersection of
the two graphs are (2, 3) and (–2, 3).

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7eed640d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7eed640d

The quadratic function above models the height above the ground h, in feet, of a
projectile x seconds after it had been launched vertically. If is graphed
in the xy-plane, which of the following represents the real-life meaning of the
positive x-intercept of the graph?

A. The initial height of the projectile

B. The maximum height of the projectile

C. The time at which the projectile reaches its maximum height

D. The time at which the projectile hits the ground

ID: 7eed640d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The positive x-intercept of the graph of is a point for which . Since

models the height above the ground, in feet, of the projectile, a y-value of 0 must correspond to the
height of the projectile when it is 0 feet above ground or, in other words, when the projectile is on the ground.
Since x represents the time since the projectile was launched, it follows that the positive x-intercept, ,
represents the time at which the projectile hits the ground.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-intercept as a positive x-intercept. Choice B is
incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-
intercept. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the x-value of the vertex of the graph of the
function as an x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e597050f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e597050f

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e597050f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Combining like terms in the given expression yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1dd13816
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 1dd13816

The given expression is equivalent to , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 1dd13816 Answer

Correct Answer: 9

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given expression can be rewritten as . By applying

the distributive property, this expression can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
. Adding like terms in this expression yields . Since it's given that
is equivalent to , it follows that is equivalent to . Therefore,
the coefficients of in these two expressions must be equivalent, and the value of must be .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3918e8bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3918e8bc

An object is kicked from a platform. The equation represents this situation, where is the height of
the object above the ground, in meters, seconds after it is kicked. Which number represents the height, in meters, from
which the object was kicked?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3918e8bc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the equation represents this situation, where is the
height, in meters, of the object seconds after it is kicked. It follows that the height, in meters, from which the
object was kicked is the value of when . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Therefore, the object was kicked from a height of meters.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 08d03fe4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 08d03fe4

For the exponential function , the value of is , where is a constant. Which of the following equivalent forms of
the function shows the value of as the coefficient or the base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 08d03fe4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For the form of the function in choice C, , the value of can be found
as , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, , which is shown in
as the coefficient.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b73ee6cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b73ee6cf

The population of a town is currently 50,000, and the population is estimated to

increase each year by 3% from the previous year. Which of the following
equations can be used to estimate the number of years, t, it will take for the
population of the town to reach 60,000 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b73ee6cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Stating that the population will increase each year by 3% from the previous year is equivalent
to saying that the population each year will be 103% of the population the year before. Since the initial population
t t
is 50,000, the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03) . It follows that the equation 60,000 = 50,000(1.03)
can be used to estimate the number of years it will take for the population to reach 60,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation models how long it will take the population to decrease from 60,000 to
50,000, which is impossible given the growth factor. Choice B is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting a
3% growth as growth by a factor of 3. Additionally, this equation attempts to model how long it will take the
population to decrease from 60,000 to 50,000. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how
to model percent growth by multiplying the initial amount by a factor greater than 1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fe10d97
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1fe10d97

The given function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Which of the following functions best
models the population of Lowell months after the census?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1fe10d97 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Since
there are months in a year, months after the census is equivalent to years after the census. Substituting
for in the equation yields . Therefore, the function that
best models the population of Lowell months after the census is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fb96a5b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: fb96a5b3

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fb96a5b3 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Applying the distributive property to the given expression yields , or
. Adding the like terms and 2 results in the expression .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from multiplying by 2 without multiplying by 2 when applying the
distributive property. Choices C and D are incorrect and may result from computational or conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 127b2759
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 127b2759

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 127b2759 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given expression can be rewritten as . Adding and in this expression
yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Choice D is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f5e8ccf1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f5e8ccf1

The function f is defined above. Which of the following is NOT an x-intercept of

the graph of the function in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f5e8ccf1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The graph of the function f in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at the points , where
. Substituting 0 for in the given equation yields . By the zero product

property, if , then , , or . Solving each of these linear

equations for x, it follows that , , and , respectively. This means that the graph of the function

f in the xy-plane has three x-intercepts: , , and . Therefore, isn’t an x-intercept of the
graph of the function f.
Alternate approach: Substitution may be used. Since by definition an x-intercept of any graph is a point in the
form where k is a constant, and since all points in the options are in this form, it need only be checked

whether the points in the options lie on the graph of the function f. Substituting for x and 0 for in the

given equation yields , or . Therefore, the point doesn’t

lie on the graph of the function f and can’t be an x-intercept of the graph.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these points is an x-intercept of the graph of the function f in
the xy-plane. By definition, an x-intercept is a point on the graph of the form , where k is a constant.
Substituting for x and 0 for in the given equation yields , or . Since

this is a true statement, the point lies on the graph of the function f and is an x-intercept of the graph.
Performing similar substitution using the points and also yields the true statement ,
illustrating that these points also lie on the graph of the function f and are x-intercepts of the graph.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9cb9beec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 9cb9beec

In the given system of equations, is a positive constant. The system has exactly one distinct real solution. What is the
value of ?

ID: 9cb9beec Answer

Correct Answer: 14.5, 29/2

Rationale

The correct answer is . According to the first equation in the given system, the value of is . Substituting
for in the second equation in the given system yields . Adding to both sides of
this equation yields . If the given system has exactly one distinct real solution, it follows
that has exactly one distinct real solution. A quadratic equation in the form
, where , , and are constants, has exactly one distinct real solution if and only if the
discriminant, , is equal to . The equation is in this form, where , ,
and . Therefore, the discriminant of the equation is , or
. Setting the discriminant equal to to solve for yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , or . Therefore, if the
given system of equations has exactly one distinct real solution, the value of is . Note that 29/2 and 14.5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50418728
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 50418728

The graph of the polynomial function , where , is shown. The y-intercept of the graph is . What is the
value of ?

ID: 50418728 Answer

Correct Answer: -3

Rationale

The correct answer is . The y-intercept of the graph of a function in the xy-plane is the point where the graph
crosses the y-axis. The graph of the polynomial function shown crosses the y-axis at the point . It's given
that the y-intercept of the graph is . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6f5540a5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6f5540a5

Kao measured the temperature of a cup of hot chocolate placed in a room with a
constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The temperature of the hot
chocolate was 185°F at 6:00 p.m. when it started cooling. The temperature of the
hot chocolate was 156°F at 6:05 p.m. and 135°F at 6:10 p.m. The hot chocolate’s
temperature continued to decrease. Of the following functions, which best
models the temperature , in degrees Fahrenheit, of Kao’s hot chocolate
m minutes after it started cooling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6f5540a5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The hot chocolate cools from 185°F over time, never going lower than the room temperature,
70°F. Since the base of the exponent in this function, 0.75, is less than 1, decreases as time increases. Using

the function, the temperature, in °F, at 6:00 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to .

The temperature, in °F, at 6:05 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is

approximately 156°F. Finally, the temperature, in °F, at 6:10 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to

, which is approximately 135°F. Since these three given values of m and their corresponding

values for can be verified using the function , this is the best function out of the
given choices to model the temperature of Kao’s hot chocolate after m minutes.

Choice A is incorrect because the base of the exponent, , results in the value of increasing over time

rather than decreasing. Choice B is incorrect because when m is large enough, becomes less than 70.
Choice C is incorrect because the maximum value of at 6:00 p.m. is 115°F, not 185°F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 79ba511a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 79ba511a

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 79ba511a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given function
yields , or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of when , rather than .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 98f735f2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 98f735f2

The total revenue from sales of a product can be calculated using the formula
, where T is the total revenue, P is the price of the product, and Q is the

quantity of the product sold. Which of the following equations gives the quantity
of product sold in terms of P and T ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 98f735f2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Solving the given equation for Q gives the quantity of the product sold in terms of P and T.

Dividing both sides of the given equation by P yields , or . Therefore, gives the quantity of
product sold in terms of P and T.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from an error when dividing both sides of the given equation by P. Choice C
is incorrect and may result from multiplying, rather than dividing, both sides of the given equation by P. Choice D
is incorrect and may result from subtracting P from both sides of the equation rather than dividing both sides by
P.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e8779461
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: e8779461

The solution to the given system of equations is . What is the value of ?

ID: e8779461 Answer

Correct Answer: 99

Rationale

The correct answer is . In the given system of equations, the second equation is . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields . In the given system of equations, the first equation is
. Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Therefore, the
solution to the given system of equations is . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 04bbce67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 04bbce67

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 04bbce67 Answer

Correct Answer: -7

Rationale

The correct answer is . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form ,
where , , and are constants and , the function reaches its minimum when . In the given function,
, , and . Therefore, the value of for which reaches its minimum is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e117d3b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e117d3b8

If a and c are positive numbers, which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e117d3b8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

3
Choice C is correct. Using the property that for positive numbers x and y, with x = (a + c) and y =
4 22
a + c, it follows that . By rewriting (a + c) as ((a + c) ) , it is possible to simplify

the square root expression as follows: .

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of . Choice B is incorrect and may be the result
2 2 2
of incorrectly rewriting (a + c) as a + c . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly applying
properties of exponents.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0e61101e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0e61101e

The function is defined by the given equation. If , which of the following equations defines the
function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0e61101e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting for in

gives . Rewriting this equation using properties of exponents gives ,
which is equivalent to . Multiplying and in this equation gives .
Since , .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6011a3f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6011a3f8

In the given equation, is a constant. For which of the following values of will the equation have more than one real
solution?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6011a3f8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
either no real solutions, exactly one real solution, or exactly two real solutions. That is, for the given equation to
have more than one real solution, it must have exactly two real solutions. When the value of the discriminant, or
, is greater than 0, the given equation has exactly two real solutions. In the given equation,
, and . Therefore, the given equation has exactly two real solutions when
, or . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Taking
the square root of both sides of yields two possible inequalities: or . Of the choices,
only choice A satisfies or .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0b3d25c5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 0b3d25c5

Which of the following is equivalent to

, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0b3d25c5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given expression can also be written as . The trinomial can

be rewritten in factored form as . Thus, the entire expression can be rewritten as . Simplifying

the exponents yields .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors made when simplifying the exponents in the

expression .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2cf7f039
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2cf7f039

The function is defined by . For what value of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2cf7f039 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . This can be rewritten as . Squaring both sides of
this equation yields . Therefore, the value of for which is .

Choice A is incorrect. If , , not .

Choice B is incorrect. If , , not .

Choice D is incorrect. If , , which is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 9f2ecade
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9f2ecade

The function h is defined above, where a, b, and c are integer constants. If the
zeros of the function are 6, and 7, what is the value of c ?

ID: 9f2ecade Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 210. Since , 6, and 7 are zeros of the function, the function can be rewritten as

. Expanding the function yields . Thus, , ,

and . Therefore, the value of c is 210.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6d9e01a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6d9e01a2

The given equation defines the function . For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 6d9e01a2 Answer

Correct Answer: 25/4, 6.25

Rationale

The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten in the form , where , ,
and are constants. When , is the value of for which reaches its minimum. The given equation
can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
. This equation can be rewritten as

, or , which is equivalent to

. Therefore, , so the value of for which reaches its minimum is . Note

that 25/4 and 6.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID eb268057
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: eb268057

Which of the following values of x

satisfies the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: eb268057 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Solving for x by taking the square root of both sides of the given equation yields or

. Of the choices given, satisfies the given equation.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from a calculation error when solving for x. Choice C is incorrect and may
result from dividing 64 by 2 instead of taking the square root. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
multiplying 64 by 2 instead of taking the square root.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 8838a672
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 8838a672

Which of the following expressions is equivalent

to the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8838a672 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the given expression can be rewritten as
. Combining like terms, this expression can be rewritten as

, which is equivalent to .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from an error when applying the distributive property or an
error when combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID fc3dfa26
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fc3dfa26

What value of x satisfies the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fc3dfa26 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each fraction in the given equation can be expressed with the common denominator .

Multiplying by yields , and multiplying by yields . Therefore, the

given equation can be written as . Multiplying each fraction by the denominator

results in the equation , or . This equation can be solved by setting a

quadratic expression equal to 0, then solving for x. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields

. The expression can be factored, resulting in the equation . By

the zero product property, or . To solve for x in , 1 can be added to both sides of the

equation, resulting in . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 results in . Solving for x in

yields . However, this value of x would result in the second fraction of the original equation having a
denominator of 0. Therefore, is an extraneous solution. Thus, the only value of x that satisfies the given

equation is .
Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving but not realizing that this solution is extraneous

because it would result in a denominator of 0 in the second fraction. Choice B is incorrect and may result from a
sign error when solving for x. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b47419f4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b47419f4

Which of the following is equivalent to

the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b47419f4 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. By distributing the minus sign through the expression , the given expression can

be rewritten as , which is equivalent to . Combining like terms gives

, or .

Choice B is incorrect and may be the result of failing to distribute the minus sign appropriately through the

second term and simplifying the expression . Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of

multiplying the expressions and . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of

multiplying the expressions and .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b7cd6ca6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b7cd6ca6

The equation gives the estimated number of employees at a restaurant, where is the number of years
since the restaurant opened. Which of the following is the best interpretation of the number in this context?

A. The estimated number of employees when the restaurant opened

B. The increase in the estimated number of employees each year

C. The number of years the restaurant has been open

D. The percent increase in the estimated number of employees each year

ID: b7cd6ca6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. For an exponential function of the form , where and are constants, the
initial value of the function—that is, the value of the function when —is and the value of the function
increases by a factor of each time increases by . Since the function gives the estimated
number of employees at a restaurant and is the number of years since the restaurant opened, the best
interpretation of the number in this context is the estimated number of employees when , or when the
restaurant opened.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 928498f3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 928498f3

What are the solutions to the

given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 928498f3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The quadratic formula, , can be used to find the solutions to an

equation in the form . In the given equation, , , and . Substituting these values

into the quadratic formula gives , or .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from using as the quadratic formula. Choice C is

incorrect and may result from using as the quadratic formula. Choice D is incorrect and may

result from using as the quadratic formula.

Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 0aaef7aa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0aaef7aa

The function is defined by . What is the value of when is equal to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0aaef7aa Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Taking the cube root of each side of this equation yields
. Therefore, when is equal to , the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7348f046
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 7348f046

Which of the following is equivalent to

the given expression?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7348f046 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Distributing the negative sign to the terms in the second parentheses yields .

This expression can be rewritten as . Combining like terms results in .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from not distributing the negative sign to the 7. Choice B is incorrect and
may result from adding to instead of subtracting . Choice D is incorrect and may result from

adding the product of and x to the product of 3 and 7.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2c5c22d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c5c22d0

How many solutions are there to the

system of equations above?

A. There are exactly 4 solutions.

B. There are exactly 2 solutions.

C. There is exactly 1 solution.

D. There are no solutions.

ID: 2c5c22d0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The second equation of the system can be rewritten as . Substituting for y in

the first equation gives . This equation can be solved as shown below:

Substituting 1 for x in the equation gives . Therefore, is the only solution to the system
of equations.

Choice A is incorrect. In the xy-plane, a parabola and a line can intersect at no more than two points. Since the
graph of the first equation is a parabola and the graph of the second equation is a line, the system cannot have
more than 2 solutions. Choice B is incorrect. There is a single ordered pair that satisfies both equations of
the system. Choice D is incorrect because the ordered pair satisfies both equations of the system.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3e9cc0c2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 3e9cc0c2

Which of the following is equivalent to

?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3e9cc0c2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Multiplying (1 – p) by each term of the polynomial within the second pair of parentheses
2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5
gives (1 – p)1 = 1 – p; (1 – p)p = p – p ; (1 – p)p = p – p ; (1 – p)p = p – p ; (1 – p)p =p – p ; (1 – p)p = p
6 6 6 7
– p ; and (1 – p)p = p – p . Adding these seven expressions together and combining like terms gives 1 + (p –
2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7
p) + (p – p ) + (p – p ) + (p – p ) + (p – p ) + (p – p ) – p , which can be simplified to 1 – p .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly identifying the highest power of p in the
expressions or incorrectly combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4b642eef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4b642eef

The total distance d, in meters, traveled by an object moving in a straight line

can be modeled by a quadratic function that is defined in terms of t, where t is
the time in seconds. At a time of 10.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by the
object is 50.0 meters, and at a time of 20.0 seconds, the total distance traveled
by the object is 200.0 meters. If the object was at a distance of 0 meters when
, then what is the total distance traveled, in meters, by the object after 30.0
seconds?

ID: 4b642eef Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 450. The quadratic equation that models this situation can be written in the form
, where a, b, and c are constants. It’s given that the distance, d, the object traveled was 0 meters

when seconds. These values can be substituted into the equation to solve for a, b, and c:

. Therefore, , and it follows that . Since it’s also given that d is 50 when t is 10 and d is 200 when t

is 20, these values for d and t can be substituted to create a system of two linear equations:

and , or and . Subtracting the first equation from the second

equation yields , or . Substituting for a in the first equation and solving for b yields .

Therefore, the equation that represents this situation is . Evaluating this function when seconds

yields , or meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bef4b1c6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: bef4b1c6

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

ID: bef4b1c6 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . Multiplying both sides of the given equation by results in .
Applying the distributive property of multiplication to the right-hand side of this equation results in
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation results in . The right-hand side
of this equation can be rewritten by factoring. The two values that multiply to and add to are and . It
follows that the equation can be rewritten as . Setting each factor equal
to yields two equations: and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation
results in . Adding to both sides of the equation results in . Therefore, the positive
solution to the given equation is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f1c81b3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f1c81b3b

The exponential function is defined by , where is a positive constant. If , what is the value
of ?

ID: f1c81b3b Answer

Correct Answer: 11875

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the exponential function is defined by , where is a
positive constant, and . It follows that when , . Substituting for and
for in the given equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields .
Taking the cube root of both sides of this equation gives . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID df0ef054
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: df0ef054

Which of the following is equivalent to

the expression above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: df0ef054 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Using the distributive property to multiply the terms in the parentheses yields
, which is equivalent to . Combining like

terms results in .

Choices A and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors when multiplying the terms in the given
expression. Choice B is incorrect and may result from adding, instead of multiplying, and .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID c8bf5313
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c8bf5313

The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the xy-plane. What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8bf5313 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at the point , the point
represents a solution to the given system of equations. The first equation of the given system of equations
states that . Substituting for in the second equation of the given system of equations yields ,
or . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID ff2e5c76
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ff2e5c76

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ff2e5c76 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . To complete the square,
adding , or , to each side of this equation yields , or .
Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields . Adding to each side of this
equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and
. The sum of these solutions is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f89e1d6f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f89e1d6f

If , which of the following is equivalent to the

expression ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f89e1d6f Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

2 2 2 2 2
Choice C is correct. Factoring –1 from the second, third, and fourth terms gives x –c – 2cd – d
– (c + =x
2 2 2 2 2 2
2cd + d ). The expression c + 2cd + d is the expanded form of a perfect square: c + 2cd + d = (c + d) .
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Therefore, x – (c + 2cd + d ) = x – (c + d) . Since a = c + d, x – (c + d) = x – a . Finally, because x – a
2 2
is the difference of squares, it can be expanded as x –a = (x + a)(x – a).

2
Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of making an error in factoring the difference of squares x
2
– a . Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly combining terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cd358b89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cd358b89

Function is defined by . Function is defined by . The graph of

in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at , , and , where , , and are distinct constants. What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: cd358b89 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that

. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where . The
x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by solving the equation
. Applying the zero product property to this equation yields three equations: ,
, and . Solving each of these equations for yields , , and , respectively.
Therefore, the x-intercepts of the graph of are , , and . It follows that the values of ,
, and are , , and . Thus, the value of is , which is equal to .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 876a731c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 876a731c

If (x, y) is a solution of the system of equations above and

x > 0, what is the value of xy ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 9

ID: 876a731c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Substituting for y in the second equation gives . This equation can be
solved as follows:

Apply the distributive property.

Subtract 2x and 6 from both sides of the equation.

Combine like terms.

Factor both terms on the left side of the equation

by 2x.
Thus, and are the solutions to the system. Since , only needs to be considered. The value

of y when is . Therefore, the value of xy is .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and likely result from a computational or conceptual error when solving this
system of equations.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d9137a84
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: d9137a84

Which expression represents the product of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d9137a84 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The product of and can be represented by the expression

. Applying the distributive property to this expression yields
, or . This expression is equivalent to
, or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c7789423
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c7789423

What is one possible solution to the given equation?

ID: c7789423 Answer

Correct Answer: 11, -7

Rationale

The correct answer is or . By the definition of absolute value, if , then or

. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation
yields . Thus, the given equation, , has two possible solutions, and . Note
that 11 and -7 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5edc8c98
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5edc8c98

In the given equation, and are positive constants. The sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where
is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5edc8c98 Answer

Correct Answer: .0625, 1/16

Rationale

The correct answer is . Let and represent the solutions to the given equation. Then, the given equation can
be rewritten as , or . Since this equation is equivalent to the
given equation, it follows that . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
, or . Therefore, the sum of the solutions to the given equation, , is equal
to . Since it's given that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a
constant, it follows that . Note that 1/16, .0625, 0.062, and 0.063 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Alternate approach: The given equation can be rewritten as , where and are
positive constants. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . The solutions
for a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, can be calculated
using the quadratic formula, and . It follows that the sum of the solutions to
a quadratic equation in the form is , which can be rewritten
as , which is equivalent to , or . In the equation ,
, , and . Substituting for and for in yields ,
which can be rewritten as . Thus, the sum of the solutions to the given equation is . Since
it's given that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , where is a constant, it follows that
.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2f958af9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2f958af9

The formula above expresses the square of the speed v of a wave moving along
a string in terms of tension T, mass m, and length L of the string. What is T in
terms of m, v, and L ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2f958af9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. To write the formula as T in terms of m, v, and L means to isolate T on one side of the
2
equation. First, multiply both sides of the equation by m, which gives , which simplifies to mv =

LT. Next, divide both sides of the equation by L, which gives , which simplifies to .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly applying operations to each side of the
equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 16de54c7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 16de54c7

If the given expression is rewritten in the form , where k

is a constant, what is the value of k ?

ID: 16de54c7 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 4. It’s given that can be rewritten as ; it follows that

. Expanding the left-hand side of this equation yields

. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields

. Using properties of equality, and . Either equation can be
solved for k. Dividing both sides of by yields . The equation can be rewritten

as . It follows that . Solving this equation for k also yields . Therefore, the value of k
is 4.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b74f2feb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: b74f2feb

The expression is equivalent to , where and are positive constants and . What is the value
of ?

ID: b74f2feb Answer

Correct Answer: 361/8, 45.12, 45.13

Rationale

The correct answer is . The rational exponent property is , where , and are integers,
and . This property can be applied to rewrite the given expression as
, or . This expression can be rewritten by multiplying the constants,

which gives . The multiplication exponent property is , where . This property

can be applied to rewrite the expression as , or . Therefore,

. It's given that is equivalent to ; therefore, and . It
follows that . Finding a common denominator on the right-hand side of this equation gives
, or . Note that 361/8, 45.12, and 45.13 are examples of ways to enter a correct
answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dba7432e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dba7432e

x f (x)

0 5

The table above gives the values of the function f for some values of x. Which of
the following equations could define f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dba7432e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Each choice has a function with coefficient 5 and base 2, so the exponents must be analyzed.
When the input value of x increases, the output value of f(x) decreases, so the exponent must be negative. An

exponent of –x yields the values in the table: , , , and .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from choosing equations that yield an increasing, rather than
decreasing, output value of f(x) when the input value of x increases. Choice C is incorrect and may result from
choosing an equation that doesn’t yield the values in the table.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 911c415b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 911c415b

The expression above can be written in the form , where a and b are

constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 911c415b Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 6632. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Then adding together and and collecting like

terms results in . This is written in the form , where and . Therefore

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c3a72da5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c3a72da5

Which of the following is equivalent to the sum of

and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c3a72da5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Adding the two expressions yields . Because the pair of terms and

and the pair of terms and each contain the same variable raised to the same power, they are like

terms and can be combined as and , respectively. The sum of the given expressions therefore simplifies

to .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from adding the coefficients and the exponents in the given expressions.
Choice B is incorrect and may result from adding the exponents as well as the coefficients of the like terms in
the given expressions. Choice C is incorrect and may result from multiplying, rather than adding, the coefficients
of the like terms in the given expressions.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d8ace155
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d8ace155

A company opens an account with an initial balance of . The account earns interest, and no additional
deposits or withdrawals are made. The account balance is given by an exponential function , where is the account
balance, in dollars, years after the account is opened. The account balance after years is . Which equation
could define ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d8ace155 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since it's given that the account balance, , in dollars, after years can be modeled by an
exponential function, it follows that function can be written in the form , where is the initial
value of the function and is a constant related to the growth of the function. It's given that the initial balance of
the account is , so it follows that the initial value of the function, or , must be .
Substituting for in the equation yields . It's given that the account
balance after years, or when , is . It follows that , or
. Dividing each side of the equation by yields
. Taking the th root of both sides of this equation yields , or is approximately
equal to . Substituting for in the equation yields , so the
equation could define .

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for in this function indicates an initial balance of , rather than
.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for in this function indicates an initial balance of , rather than
. Additionally, this function indicates the account balance is decreasing, rather than increasing, over
time.

Choice D is incorrect. This function indicates the account balance is decreasing, rather than increasing, over
time.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 89fc23af
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 89fc23af

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 89fc23af Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The numerator of the given expression can be rewritten in terms of the denominator, ,

as follows: , which is equivalent to . So the given expression

is equivalent to . Since the given expression is defined for

, the expression can be rewritten as .

Long division can also be used as an alternate approach. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from
errors made when dividing the two polynomials or making use of structure.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 12e7faf8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 12e7faf8

The equation is true for all , where a and d

are integers. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 12e7faf8 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since the expression can be factored as , the given equation can be

rewritten as . Since , is also not equal to 0, so both the numerator and

denominator of can be divided by . This gives . Equating the coefficient of x on

each side of the equation gives . Equating the constant terms gives . The sum is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from incorrectly simplifying the equation. Choices B and D are incorrect.
They are the values of d and a, respectively, not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84e8cc72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84e8cc72

A quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after the
object is launched off an elevated surface. The model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the
ground and reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched. Based on the
model, what is the height, in feet, of the object above the ground seconds after being launched?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 84e8cc72 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be
defined by an equation of the form , where is the height of the object seconds after
it was launched, and , , and are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, , when .
Since the model indicates the object reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after
being launched, reaches its maximum value, , when . Therefore, and .
Substituting for and for in the function yields .
Since the model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the ground, the value of is
when . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the model can be
represented by the equation . Substituting for in this equation yields
, or . Therefore, based on the model, seconds after being
launched, the height of the object above the ground is feet.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 97158b3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 97158b3a

The area A, in square centimeters, of a rectangular painting can be represented by the expression , where is
the width, in centimeters, of the painting. Which expression represents the length, in centimeters, of the painting?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 97158b3a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of a
rectangular painting, where is the width, in centimeters, of the painting. The area of a rectangle can be
calculated by multiplying its length by its width. It follows that the length, in centimeters, of the painting is
represented by the expression .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the width, in centimeters, of the painting, not its length, in
centimeters.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the difference between the length, in centimeters, and the width, in centimeters, of
the painting, not its length, in centimeters.

Choice D is incorrect. This expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of the painting, not its length,
in centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID fd65f47f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: fd65f47f

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fd65f47f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The given expression is equivalent to , which can be

rewritten as . Adding like terms in this expression yields ,
or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 67e866b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 67e866b5

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 67e866b5 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. In the given expression, the first two terms, and , are like terms. Combining these like
terms yields , or . It follows that the expression is equivalent to .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 45df91ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 45df91ee

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is the y-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 45df91ee Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The x-coordinate of any y-intercept of a graph is . Substituting for in the given equation
yields . Since any nonzero number raised to the power is , this gives , or
. The y-intercept of the graph is, therefore, the point .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ce940f80
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ce940f80

What is a solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ce940f80 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Multiplying the left- and right-hand sides of the given equation by yields .
Taking the square root of the left- and right-hand sides of this equation yields or . Of these two
solutions, only is given as a choice.

Choice A is incorrect. This is a solution to the equation .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 1178f2df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1178f2df

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where and is a quadratic function.
What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 1178f2df Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an
equation of the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows
three values of and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting for
in this equation yields . This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and
, where is either the maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic
relationships between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between
any two values of that have the same corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and
correspond to the same y-value, . Since is halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of
occurs at an x-value of . The table shows that when , . It follows that and .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . The value of can be
found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and , respectively, in this equation.
Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation
yields . The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is the point on the
graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to , so the y-intercept of
the graph of in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of
in the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2683b5db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2683b5db

In a city, the property tax T, in dollars, is calculated using the formula above,
where P is the value of the property, in dollars. Which of the following expresses
the value of the property in terms of the property tax?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2683b5db Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. To express the value of the property in terms of the property tax, the given equation must be
solved for P. Multiplying both sides of the equation by 100 gives . Adding 40,000 to both sides
of the equation gives . Therefore, .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from multiplying 40,000 by 0.01, then subtracting 400 from, instead of
adding 400 to, the left-hand side of the equation. Choice B is incorrect and may result from multiplying 40,000 by
0.01. Choice C is incorrect and may result from subtracting instead of adding 40,000 from the left-hand side of
the equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de39858a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de39858a

The function is defined by , where and are positive constants. The graph of in the -
plane passes through the points ( , ) and ( , ). What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de39858a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function is defined by and that the graph of in
the xy-plane passes through the points and . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of
both sides of this equation yields and , but because it’s given that is a positive constant, must
equal . Because the value of is and the value of is , the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of rather than the value of .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly finding the value of as , but multiplying it by the y-value in
the first ordered pair rather than by the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a67a439d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a67a439d

Which ordered pair is a solution to the given system of equations?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a67a439d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The solution to a system of equations is the ordered pair that satisfies all equations in
the system. It's given by the first equation in the system that . Substituting for into the
second equation yields , or . The x-coordinate of the solution to the system of equations can be
found by subtracting from both sides of the equation , which yields . Therefore, the ordered
pair is a solution to the given system of equations.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 42f8e4b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 42f8e4b4

One of the factors of is , where is a positive constant. What is the smallest possible value of
?

ID: 42f8e4b4 Answer

Correct Answer: 8

Rationale

The correct answer is . Since each term of the given expression, , has a factor of , the
expression can be rewritten as , or . Since the values and
have a sum of and a product of , the expression can be factored as .
Therefore, the given expression can be factored as . It follows that the factors of the given
expression are , , , and . Of these factors, only and are of the form , where is a
positive constant. Therefore, the possible values of are and . Thus, the smallest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 20291f47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 20291f47

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 20291f47 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Factoring the denominator in the second term of the given expression gives .
This expression can be rewritten with common denominators by multiplying the first term by , giving
. Adding these two terms yields . Using the distributive property to rewrite
this expression gives . Combining the like terms in the numerator of this expression gives
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 70ebd3d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70ebd3d0

The function N defined above can be used to model the number of species of
brachiopods at various ocean depths d, where d is in hundreds of meters. Which
of the following does the model predict?

A. For every increase in depth by 1 meter, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 115.

B. For every increase in depth by 1 meter, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 10%.

C. For every increase in depth by 100 meters, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 115.

D. For every increase in depth by 100 meters, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 10%.

ID: 70ebd3d0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The function N is exponential, so it follows that changes by a fixed percentage for each
increase in d by 1. Since d is measured in hundreds of meters, it also follows that the number of brachiopod
species changes by a fixed percentage for each increase in ocean depth by 100 meters. Since the base of the
exponent in the model is 0.90, which is less than 1, the number of brachiopod species decreases as the ocean
depth increases. Specifically, the number of brachiopod species at a depth of meters is 90% of the
number of brachiopod species at a depth of d meters. This means that for each increase in ocean depth by 100
meters, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 10%.

Choices A and C are incorrect. These describe situations where the number of brachiopod species are decreasing
linearly rather than exponentially. Choice B is incorrect and results from interpreting the decrease in the
number of brachiopod species as 10% for every 1-meter increase in ocean depth rather than for every 100-meter
increase in ocean depth.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c048055c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c048055c

A model predicts that the population of Springfield was in . The model also predicts that each year for the
next years, the population increased by of the previous year's population. Which equation best represents this
model, where is the number of years after , for ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: c048055c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that a model predicts the population of Springfield in was . The model
also predicts that each year for the next years, the population increased by of the previous year's
population. The predicted population in one of these years can be found by multiplying the predicted population
from the previous year by . Since the predicted population in was , the predicted population
year later is . The predicted population years later is this value times , which is
, or . The predicted population years later is this value times , or
. More generally, the predicted population, , years after is represented by the equation
.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for in this equation indicates the predicted population in was
rather than .

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for in this equation indicates the predicted population in was
rather than .

Choice C is incorrect. This equation indicates the predicted population is decreasing, rather than increasing, by
each year.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5bf0f84a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5bf0f84a

The function above models the height h, in feet, of an object above ground
t seconds after being launched straight up in the air. What does the number 72
represent in the function?

A. The initial height, in feet, of the object

B. The maximum height, in feet, of the object

C. The initial speed, in feet per second, of the object

D. The maximum speed, in feet per second, of the object

ID: 5bf0f84a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The variable t represents the seconds after the object is launched. Since , this

means that the height, in feet, at 0 seconds, or the initial height, is 72 feet.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of misinterpreting the function in context.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1697ffcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1697ffcf

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects the graph of at the

points and . What is the value of a ?

ID: 1697ffcf Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 5. The intersection points of the graphs of and can be found by solving
the system consisting of these two equations. To solve the system, substitute x for y in the first equation. This
gives . Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives . Factoring out of each
term on the left-hand side of the equation gives . Therefore, the possible values for x are 0 and 5.

Since , the two intersection points are and . Therefore, .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4209aefe
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4209aefe

The function models the value, in dollars, of a certain bank account by the end of each year from
through , where is the number of years after . Which of the following is the best interpretation of “
is approximately equal to ” in this context?

A. The value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately dollars greater in than in .

B. The value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately dollars in .

C. The value, in dollars, of the bank account is estimated to be approximately times greater in than in .

D. The value of the bank account is estimated to increase by approximately dollars every years between and
.

ID: 4209aefe Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the function models the value, in dollars, of a certain
bank account by the end of each year from through , where is the number of years after . It
follows that represents the estimated value, in dollars, of the bank account years after . Since the
value of is the value of when , it follows that “ is approximately equal to ” means that
is approximately equal to when . In the given context, this means that the value of the bank
account is estimated to be approximately dollars years after . Therefore, the best interpretation of the
statement “ is approximately equal to ” in this context is the value of the bank account is estimated to be
approximately dollars in .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d46da42c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d46da42c

The function f is defined as shown. Which of the following graphs in the xy-
plane could be the graph of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d46da42c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. For the quadratic function , the vertex of the graph is , and because the
term is positive, the vertex is the minimum of the function. Choice D is the only option that meets these
conditions.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. The vertex of each of these graphs doesn’t correspond to the minimum of the
given function.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 499cb491
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 499cb491

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 499cb491 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since each term of the given expression has a factor of , it can be rewritten as
, or .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 87a3de81
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 87a3de81

If a is a solution of the equation above and

, what is the value of a ?

ID: 87a3de81 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 3. The solution to the given equation can be found by factoring the quadratic expression.
The factors can be determined by finding two numbers with a sum of 1 and a product of . The two numbers
that meet these constraints are 4 and . Therefore, the given equation can be rewritten as . It

follows that the solutions to the equation are or . Since it is given that , a must equal 3.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3ea87153
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3ea87153

The function is defined by . For which value of is ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3ea87153 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of each side of this
equation yields . It follows that when the value of is or . Only is listed among the
choices.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 3c600337
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3c600337

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3c600337 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given function
yields , or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e1391dd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e1391dd6

According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors included on

microprocessors doubles every 2 years. In 1985, a microprocessor was
introduced that had 275,000 transistors. Based on this information, in which of
the following years does Moore’s law estimate the number of transistors to reach
1.1 million?

A. 1987

B. 1989

C. 1991

D. 1994

ID: e1391dd6 Answer

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Let x be the number of years after 1985. It follows that represents the number of 2-year

periods that will occur within an x-year period. According to Moore’s law, every 2 years, the number of
transistors included on microprocessors is estimated to double. Therefore, x years after 1985, the number of

transistors will double times. Since the number of transistors included on a microprocessor was 275,000, or
.275 million, in 1985, the estimated number of transistors, in millions, included x years after 1985 can be modeled

as . The year in which the number of transistors is estimated to be 1.1 million is represented by the

value of x when . Dividing both sides of this equation by .275 yields , which can be

rewritten as . Since the exponential equation has equal bases on each side, it follows that the exponents

must also be equal: . Multiplying both sides of the equation by 2 yields . Therefore, according

to Moore’s law, 4 years after 1985, or in 1989, the number of transistors included on microprocessors is estimated
to reach 1.1 million.

Alternate approach: According to Moore’s law, 2 years after 1985 (in 1987), the number of transistors included on a
microprocessor is estimated to be , or 550,000, and 2 years after 1987 (in 1989), the number of

transistors included on microprocessors is estimated to be , or 1,100,000. Therefore, the year that

Moore’s law estimates the number of transistors on microprocessors to reach 1.1 million is 1989.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors included on
microprocessors is estimated to reach 550,000 in 1987, 2.2 million in 1991, and about 6.2 million in 1994.
Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 0980fcdd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 0980fcdd

A solution to the given system of equations is . Which of the

following is a possible value of xy ?

A. 0

B. 6

C. 12

D. 36

ID: 0980fcdd Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Solutions to the given system of equations are ordered pairs that satisfy both equations
in the system. Adding the left-hand and right-hand sides of the equations in the system yields
, or . Subtracting y from both sides of this equation yields .
Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields and . Therefore, there are two solutions
to this system of equations, one with an x-coordinate of 6 and the other with an x-coordinate of . Substituting
6 for x in the second equation yields , or ; therefore, one solution is . Similarly,

substituting for x in the second equation yields , or ; therefore, the other solution is
. It follows then that if is a solution to the system, then possible values of are and
. Only 0 is among the given choices.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the x-coordinate of one of the solutions, . Choice C is incorrect and may result
from conceptual or computational errors. Choice D is incorrect. This is the square of the x-coordinate of one of
the solutions, .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a26c29f7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a26c29f7

The function is defined by . In the xy-plane, the graph of is the result of shifting the graph of
down units. Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a26c29f7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. If the graph of is the result of shifting the graph of down units in the
xy-plane, the function can be defined by an equation of the form . It’s given that
and the graph of is the result of shifting the graph of down units. Substituting for
and for in the equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines a function for which the graph of is the result of shifting
the graph of up, not down, units.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 635f54ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 635f54ee

The surface area of a cube is , where a is a positive constant. Which of

the following gives the perimeter of one face of the cube?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 635f54ee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A cube has 6 faces of equal area, so if the total surface area of a cube is , then the area

of one face is . Likewise, the area of one face of a cube is the square of one of its edges; therefore, if the area

of one face is , then the length of one edge of the cube is . Since the perimeter of one face of a cube is

four times the length of one edge, the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is , then the total surface area of the

cube is , which is not . Choice C is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the

cube is 4a, then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not . Choice D is incorrect
because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is 6a, then the total surface area of the cube is

, which is not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 77c0cced
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 77c0cced

In the given system of equations, is a constant. The graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one
point, , in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 77c0cced Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system intersect at exactly one point,
, in the xy-plane. Therefore, is the only solution to the given system of equations. The given system
of equations can be solved by subtracting the second equation, , from the first equation,
. This yields , or . Since the
given system has only one solution, this equation has only one solution. A quadratic equation in the form
, where , , and are constants, has one solution if and only if the discriminant, , is
equal to zero. Substituting for , for , and for in the expression yields
. Setting this expression equal to zero yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Factoring from the right-hand side of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields , which is equivalent
to , or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields .
Adding to both sides of this equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ef926848
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ef926848

Square P has a side length of inches. Square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square
P. The function gives the area of square Q, in square inches. Which of the following defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ef926848 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Let represent the side length, in inches, of square P. It follows that the perimeter of square P
is inches. It's given that square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square P.
Thus, the perimeter of square Q is inches greater than inches, or inches. Since the perimeter of
a square is times the side length of the square, each side length of Q is , or inches. Since the area
of a square is calculated by multiplying the length of two sides, the area of square Q is , or
square inches. It follows that function is defined by .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ebe4bde0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ebe4bde0

The quadratic function graphed above models a particular measure of plant

diversity as a function of the elevation in a region of Switzerland. According to
the model, which of the following is closest to the elevation, in meters, at which
plant diversity is greatest?

A. 13,500

B. 3,000

C. 1,250

D. 250

ID: ebe4bde0 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Each point on the graph represents the elevation x, in meters, and the corresponding

measure of plant diversity y in a region of Switzerland. Therefore, the point on the graph with the greatest y-
coordinate represents the location that has the greatest measure of plant diversity in the region. The greatest y-
coordinate of any point on the graph is approximately 13,500. The x-coordinate of that point is approximately
1,250. Therefore, the closest elevation at which the plant diversity is the greatest is 1,250 meters.

Choice A is incorrect. This value is closest to the greatest y-coordinate of any point on the graph and therefore
represents the greatest measure of plant diversity, not the elevation where the greatest measure of plant
diversity occurs. Choice B is incorrect. At an elevation of 3,000 meters the measure of plant diversity is
approximately 4,000. Because there are points on the graph with greater y-coordinates, 4,000 can’t be the
greatest measure of plant diversity, and 3,000 meters isn’t the elevation at which the greatest measure of plant
diversity occurs. Choice D is incorrect. At an elevation of 250 meters, the measure of plant diversity is
approximately 11,000. Because there are points on the graph with greater y-coordinates, 11,000 can’t be the
greatest measure of plant diversity and 250 meters isn’t the elevation at which the greatest measure of plant
diversity occurs.
Question Difficulty: Easy
Question ID c7a187a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c7a187a7

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is an x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c7a187a7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where
. Thus, for an x-intercept of the graph of function , . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Factoring the right-hand side of this equation yields
. By the zero product property, and . Subtracting from both
sides of the equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Therefore, the x-intercepts of the graph of are and . Of these two x-intercepts,
only is given as a choice.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ad038c19
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ad038c19

Which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad038c19 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression can be rewritten as . Using the distributive

property, the expression yields . Combining like terms gives

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from errors using the distributive property on the given
expression or combining like terms.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6e06a0a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 6e06a0a7

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6e06a0a7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Expanding the given expression using the distributive property yields .

Combining like terms yields , or , which is equivalent to .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from incorrectly combining like terms. Choice C is incorrect and
may result from distributing only to a, and not to 3, in the given expression.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID fbb96bb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fbb96bb1

Which of the following are solutions to the given equation, where is a constant and ?
I.
II.
III.

A. I and II only

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II, and III

ID: fbb96bb1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Subtracting the expression from both sides of the given equation yields
, which can be rewritten as . Since the
two terms on the right-hand side of this equation have a common factor of , it can be rewritten as
, or . Since is equivalent to , the
equation can be rewritten as . By the zero product property,
it follows that or . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the two solutions to
the given equation are and . Thus, only and , not , are solutions to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7ba694f3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7ba694f3

The number of bacteria in a liquid medium doubles every day. There are bacteria in the liquid medium at the start
of an observation. Which represents the number of bacteria, , in the liquid medium days after the start of the
observation?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 7ba694f3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since the number of bacteria doubles every day, the relationship between and can be
represented by an exponential equation of the form , where is the number of bacteria at the start of
the observation and the number of bacteria increases by a factor of every day. It’s given that there are
bacteria at the start of the observation. Therefore, . It’s also given that the number of bacteria doubles,
or increases by a factor of , every day. Therefore, . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the number of bacteria is decreasing by half,
not doubling, every day.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5910bfff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5910bfff

The formula above can be used to approximate the dew point D, in degrees
Fahrenheit, given the temperature T, in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative
humidity of H percent, where . Which of the following expresses the
relative humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5910bfff Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative
humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point. Subtracting T from both sides of this equation yields

. Multiplying both sides by yields . Subtracting 100 from

both sides yields . Multiplying both sides by results in the formula

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rewriting the given formula.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID beb86a0c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: beb86a0c

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: beb86a0c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since is a factor of each term in the given expression, the expression is equivalent to
, or .

Choice B is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 09f58996
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 09f58996

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

ID: 09f58996 Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale

The correct answer is . The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given
equation yields , which is equivalent to , or . Thus, the value of
is .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 100030d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 100030d9

A rubber ball bounces upward one-half the height that it falls each time it hits
the ground. If the ball was originally dropped from a distance of 20.0 feet above
the ground, what was its maximum height above the ground, in feet, between
the third and fourth time it hit the ground?

ID: 100030d9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 2.5. After hitting the ground once, the ball bounces to feet. After hitting the

ground a second time, the ball bounces to feet. After hitting the ground for the third time, the ball
bounces to feet. Note that 2.5 and 5/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 364a2d25
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 364a2d25

If one solution to the system of equations above is ,

what is one possible value of x ?

ID: 364a2d25 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 8 or 9. The first equation can be rewritten as . Substituting for y in
the second equation gives . By applying the distributive property, this can be rewritten as

. Subtracting 72 from both sides of the equation yields . Factoring the left-hand
side of this equation yields . Applying the Zero Product Property, it follows that and
. Solving each equation for x yields and respectively. Note that 8 and 9 are examples of ways

to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b76a2815
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b76a2815

The power P produced by a machine is represented by the equation above,

where W is the work performed during an amount of time t. Which of the
following correctly expresses W in terms of P and t ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b76a2815 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Multiplying both sides of the equation by t yields , or , which

expresses W in terms of P and t. This is equivalent to W = Pt.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Each of the expressions given in these answer choices gives W in terms of P
and t but doesn’t maintain the given relationship between W, P, and t. These expressions may result
from performing different operations with t on each side of the equation. In choice B, W has been multiplied by t,
and P has been divided by t. In choice C, W has been multiplied by t, and the quotient of P divided by t has been
reciprocated. In choice D, W has been multiplied by t, and P has been added to t. However, in order to maintain
the relationship between the variables in the given equation, the same operation must be performed with t on
each side of the equation.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5ae186b4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5ae186b4

What is the solution to the given equation?

ID: 5ae186b4 Answer

Correct Answer: -9

Rationale

The correct answer is . Since is in the denominator of a fraction in the given equation, can't be equal to .
Since isn't equal to , multiplying both sides of the given equation by yields an equivalent equation,
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, is the solution to the given
equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c77ef2fb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c77ef2fb

Blood volume, , in a human can be determined using the equation

, where is the plasma volume and H is the hematocrit (the

fraction of blood volume that is red blood cells). Which of the following correctly
expresses the hematocrit in terms of the blood volume and the plasma volume?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c77ef2fb Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The hematocrit can be expressed in terms of the blood volume and the plasma volume by

solving the given equation for H. Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields

. Dividing both sides by yields . Subtracting 1 from both sides yields

. Dividing both sides by yields .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when manipulating the equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 01668cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 01668cd6

The functions and are defined by the given equations, where . Which of the following equations displays, as a
constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it defines, where ?
I.
II.

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 01668cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Functions and are both exponential functions with a base of . Since is less than
, functions and are both decreasing exponential functions. This means that and decrease as
increases. Since and decrease as increases, the maximum value of each function occurs at the least
value of for which the function is defined. It's given that functions and are defined for . Therefore, the
maximum value of each function occurs at . Substituting for in the equation defining yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the maximum value of
is . Since the equation doesn't display the value , the equation defining doesn't
display the maximum value of . Substituting for in the equation defining yields ,
which can be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to .
Therefore, the maximum value of is . Since the equation displays the value , the
equation defining displays the maximum value of . Thus, only equation II displays, as a constant or coefficient,
the maximum value of the function it defines.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a391ed22
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a391ed22

The expression above is equivalent to , where a, b, and c

are constants. What is the value of b?

ID: a391ed22 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is . The expression can be written in the form , where
a, b, and c are constants, by multiplying out the expression using the distributive property of multiplication over

addition. The result is . This expression can be rewritten by

multiplying as indicated to give , which can be simplified to , or

. This is in the form , where the value of b is . Note that 5/2 and 2.5 are examples
of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f237ccfc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: f237ccfc

The sum of and can be written in the form

, where a, b, and c are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: f237ccfc Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 32. The sum of the given expressions is . Combining like

terms yields . Based on the form of the given equation, , , and . Therefore,

Alternate approach: Because is the value of when , it is possible to first make that
substitution into each polynomial before adding them. When , the first polynomial is equal to

and the second polynomial is equal to . The sum of 30 and 2 is 32.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 72ae8a87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 72ae8a87

The function gives a company’s predicted annual revenue, in dollars, years after the company
started selling light bulbs online, where . What is the best interpretation of the statement “ is
approximately equal to ” in this context?

A. years after the company started selling light bulbs online, its predicted annual revenue is approximately
dollars.

B. years after the company started selling light bulbs online, its predicted annual revenue will have increased by a total
of approximately dollars.

C. When the company’s predicted annual revenue is approximately dollars, it is times the predicted annual
revenue for the previous year.

D. When the company’s predicted annual revenue is approximately dollars, it is greater than the predicted
annual revenue for the previous year.

ID: 72ae8a87 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the function gives a company's predicted annual
revenue, in dollars, years after the company started selling light bulbs online. It follows that represents
the company's predicted annual revenue, in dollars, years after the company started selling light bulbs online.
Since the value of is the value of when , it follows that " is approximately equal to "
means that is approximately equal to when . Therefore, the best interpretation of the
statement " is approximately equal to " in this context is years after the company started selling
light bulbs online, its predicted annual revenue is approximately dollars.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 281a4f3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 281a4f3b

A certain college had 3,000 students enrolled in 2015. The college predicts that
after 2015, the number of students enrolled each year will be 2% less than the
number of students enrolled the year before. Which of the following functions
models the relationship between the number of students enrolled, , and the
number of years after 2015, x ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 281a4f3b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Because the change in the number of students decreases by the same percentage each year,
the relationship between the number of students and the number of years can be modeled with a decreasing
exponential function in the form , where is the number of students, a is the number of

students in 2015, r is the rate of decrease each year, and x is the number of years since 2015. It’s given that 3,000
students were enrolled in 2015 and that the rate of decrease is predicted to be 2%, or 0.02. Substituting these
values into the decreasing exponential function yields , which is equivalent to
.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors when translating the given information
into a decreasing exponential function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 59d1f4b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 59d1f4b5

The equation above models the number of members, M, of a gym t years after
the gym opens. Of the following, which equation models the number of
members of the gym q quarter years after the gym opens?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 59d1f4b5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. In 1 year, there are 4 quarter years, so the number of quarter years, q, is 4 times the number of

years, t ; that is, . This is equivalent to , and substituting this into the expression for M in terms of t

gives .

Choices B and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using instead of . (Choices B and

D are nearly the same since is equivalent to , which is approximately .) Choice C is

incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using and unnecessarily dividing 0.02 by 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84dd43f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84dd43f8

For the function , , and for each increase in by , the value of decreases by . What is the value of
?

ID: 84dd43f8 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of
decreases by . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each -unit
increase in the value of , this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form
, where represents the initial value of the function and represents the rate of decay,
expressed as a decimal. Because , the value of must be . Because the value of decreases by
for each -unit increase in , the value of must be , or . Therefore, the function can be
defined by . Substituting for in this function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Either or may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases by
. Therefore, when , the value of is , or , of , which can be expressed as
. Since , the value of is . Similarly, when , the value of is
of , which can be expressed as . Since , the value of is . Either
or may be entered as the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 294db8ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 294db8ec

Which of the following is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 294db8ec Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The expression has two terms, and 4. The greatest common factor of these two

terms is 2. Factoring 2 from each of these terms yields , or .

Choices A and B are incorrect because 4 is not a factor of the term . Choice C is incorrect and may result from

factoring 2 from but not from 4.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 42f19012
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 42f19012

Which expression is equivalent to , where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 42f19012 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since , multiplying the exponent of the given expression by yields an equivalent
expression: . Since , the expression can be rewritten as .
Applying properties of exponents, this expression can be rewritten as . An expression of the form
, where and , is equivalent to . Therefore, is equivalent to .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 30281058
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 30281058

In the xy-plane, the graph of intersects line p at and ,

where a and b are constants. What is the slope of line p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 30281058 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that the graph of and line p intersect at and . Therefore, the
value of y when is the value of a, and the value of y when is the value of b. Substituting 1 for x in the

given equation yields , or . Similarly, substituting 5 for x in the given equation yields

, or . Therefore, the intersection points are and . The slope of line p is the ratio of

the change in y to the change in x between these two points: , or 6.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors in determining the values
of a, b, or the slope of line p.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9ed9f54d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 9ed9f54d

Which of the following is equivalent to

?

A.

B.

C. 5x
2
D. 5x

ID: 9ed9f54d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since is a common term in the original expression, like terms can be added:

. Distributing the constant term 5 yields .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from not distributing the negative signs in the expressions within the
parentheses. Choice C is incorrect and may result from not distributing the negative signs in the expressions
within the parentheses and from incorrectly eliminating the -term. Choice D is incorrect and may result from
incorrectly eliminating the x-term.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 2d1614a1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2d1614a1

The function models the population, in thousands, of a certain city years after . According to the model, the
population is predicted to increase by every months. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2d1614a1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the function models the population of the city years after . Since there
are months in a year, months is equivalent to years. Therefore, the expression can represent the
number of years in -month periods. Substituting for in the given equation yields
, which is equivalent to . Therefore, for each -month
period, the predicted population of the city is times, or of, the previous population. This means that
the population is predicted to increase by every months.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. Each year, the predicted population of the city is times the previous year's predicted
population, which is not the same as an increase of .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 58dcc59f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 58dcc59f

A landscaper is designing a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is to be

5 feet longer than the width. If the area of the garden will be 104 square feet,
what will be the length, in feet, of the garden?

ID: 58dcc59f Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 13. Let w represent the width of the rectangular garden, in feet. Since the length of the
garden will be 5 feet longer than the width of the garden, the length of the garden will be feet. Thus the
area of the garden will be . It is also given that the area of the garden will be 104 square feet. Therefore,

, which is equivalent to . Factoring this equation results in .

Therefore, and . Because width cannot be negative, the width of the garden must be 8 feet. This

means the length of the garden must be feet.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID dd8ac009
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dd8ac009

Time (years) Total amount (dollars)

Sara opened a savings account at a bank. The table shows the exponential relationship between the time , in years, since
Sara opened the account and the total amount , in dollars, in the account. If Sara made no additional deposits or
withdrawals, which of the following equations best represents the relationship between and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: dd8ac009 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that the relationship between and is exponential. The table shows that the value
of increases as the value of increases. Therefore, the relationship between and can be represented by an
increasing exponential equation of the form , where and are positive constants. The table
shows that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Substituting for in the equation
yields . The table also shows that when , . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields , or .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation
yields . Substituting for in the equation yields .
Therefore, of the choices, choice B best represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 8f65cddc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 8f65cddc

The given equation relates the positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8f65cddc Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Multiplying each side of the given equation by yields the equivalent equation .
Dividing each side of this equation by yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation is not equivalent to the given equation.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation is not equivalent to the given equation.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation is not equivalent to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 26eb61c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 26eb61c1

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 26eb61c1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Since each term of the given expression has a common factor of , it may be rewritten
as , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 895628b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 895628b5

Which ordered pair is the solution to the given system of equations?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 895628b5 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The second equation in the given system of equations is . Substituting
for in the first equation of the given system yields . Factoring out of the left-hand
side of this equation yields . An expression with a factor of the form is equal
to zero when . Each side of this equation has a factor of , so each side of the equation is equal to
zero when . Substituting for into the equation yields
, or , which is true. Substituting for into the second equation in the given
system of equations yields , or . Therefore, the solution to the system of equations is the
ordered pair .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from switching the order of the solutions for and .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 90bcaa61
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 90bcaa61

The function gives the number of bacteria in a population minutes after an initial observation.
How much time, in minutes, does it take for the number of bacteria in the population to double?

ID: 90bcaa61 Answer

Correct Answer: 410

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that minutes after an initial observation, the number of bacteria in a
population is . This expression consists of the initial number of bacteria, , multiplied by the
expression . The time it takes for the number of bacteria to double is the increase in the value of that
causes the expression to double. Since the base of the expression is , the expression will double
when the exponent increases by . Since the exponent of the expression is , the exponent will increase
by when increases by . Therefore the time, in minutes, it takes for the number of bacteria in the
population to double is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 29ed5d39
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 29ed5d39

The given equation relates the numbers and , where is not equal to and . Which equation correctly
expresses in terms of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 29ed5d39 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. To express in terms of , the given equation must be solved for . Subtracting from both
sides of the given equation yields . Since is not equal to , multiplying both sides of this equation
by yields . It's given that , which means is not equal to . Therefore, dividing both
sides of by yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6676f055
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6676f055

An engineer wanted to identify the best angle for a cooling fan in an engine in
order to get the greatest airflow. The engineer discovered that the function
above models the airflow , in cubic feet per minute, as a function of the

angle of the fan , in degrees. According to the model, what angle, in degrees,
gives the greatest airflow?

A. –0.28

B. 0.28

C. 27

D. 880

ID: 6676f055 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The function f is quadratic, so it will have either a maximum or a minimum at the vertex of
the graph. Since the coefficient of the quadratic term (–0.28) is negative, the vertex will be at a maximum. The
2
equation f( ) = –0.28( – 27) + 880 is given in vertex form, so the vertex is at = 27. Therefore, an angle of 27

degrees gives the greatest airflow.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of misidentifying which value in a quadratic equation in
vertex form represents the vertex. Choice D is incorrect. This choice identifies the maximum value of f( ) rather
than the value of for which f( ) is maximized.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 568aaf27
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 568aaf27

If is a solution to the system of equations above, which of the

following is a possible value of x?

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. 3

ID: 568aaf27 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Substituting from the second equation for y in the first equation yields .

Subtracting 12 from both sides of this equation and rewriting the equation results in . Factoring
the left-hand side of this equation yields . Using the zero product property to solve for x, it
follows that and . Solving each equation for x yields and , respectively. Thus, two

possible values of x are 3 and . Of the choices given, 3 is the only possible value of x.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Substituting 0 for x in the first equation gives , or ; then,

substituting 12 for y and 0 for x in the second equation gives , or , which is false. Similarly,

substituting 1 or 2 for x in the first equation yields or , respectively; then, substituting 11 or 10 for y
in the second equation yields a false statement.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 70753f99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70753f99

The function f is defined by . The graph of f in the xy-plane

is a parabola. Which of the following intervals contains the x-coordinate of the

vertex of the graph of f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70753f99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The graph of a quadratic function in the xy-plane is a parabola. The axis of symmetry of the
parabola passes through the vertex of the parabola. Therefore, the vertex of the parabola and the midpoint of the
segment between the two x-intercepts of the graph have the same x-coordinate. Since , the x-

coordinate of the vertex is . Of the shown intervals, only the interval in choice B contains –2.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from either calculation errors or misidentification of the graph’s
x-intercepts.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID bba18ecb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: bba18ecb

When the quadratic function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , its vertex is . One of the x-intercepts
of this graph is . What is the other x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bba18ecb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the line of symmetry for the graph of a quadratic function contains the vertex of the
graph, the x-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the x-coordinate of the midpoint of its two x-
intercepts. The midpoint of two points with x-coordinates and has x-coordinate , where .
It′s given that the vertex is and one of the x-intercepts is . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields
. Adding to each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the other x-intercept is
.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 158591f0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 158591f0

What is the sum of the solutions to the given equation?

ID: 158591f0 Answer

Correct Answer: 29/3, 9.666, 9.667

Rationale

The correct answer is . Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of the given equation,
, yields . Applying the distributive property to the right-hand side of the given
equation, , yields . Thus, the equation becomes . Combining like
terms on the left- and right-hand sides of this equation yields , or
. For a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the

quadratic formula gives the solutions to the equation in the form . Substituting for , for
, and for from the equation into the quadratic formula yields

, or . It follows that the solutions to the given equation are and

. Adding these two solutions gives the sum of the solutions: , which is equivalent
to , or . Note that 29/3, 9.666, and 9.667 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5805e747
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5805e747

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5805e747 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Applying the distributive property, the given expression can be written as
. Grouping like terms in this expression yields . Combining like
terms in this expression yields .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 20722644
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 20722644

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 20722644 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
This is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 630897df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 630897df

The speed of sound in dry air, v, can be modeled by the formula

, where T is the temperature in degrees Celsius and v is
measured in meters per second. Which of the following correctly expresses T in
terms of v ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 630897df Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. To express T in terms of v, subtract 331.3 from both sides of the equation, which gives v –

331.3 = 0.606T. Dividing both sides of the equation by 0.606 gives .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and are the result of incorrect steps while solving for T.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d71f6dbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d71f6dbf

The height, in feet, of an object x seconds after it is thrown straight up in the air
can be modeled by the function . Based on the model,
which of the following statements best interprets the equation ?

A. The height of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.64 feet.

B. The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.4 feet.

C. The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.4 times as great as
its initial height.

D. The speed of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.64 feet per second.

ID: d71f6dbf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The value 1.4 is the value of x, which represents the number of seconds after the object was
thrown straight up in the air. When the function h is evaluated for x = 1.4, the function has a value of 1.64, which
is the height, in feet, of the object.

Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from misidentifying seconds as feet and feet as seconds.
Additionally, choice C may result from incorrectly including the initial height of the object as the input x. Choice
D is incorrect and may result from misidentifying height as speed.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7160cbb3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7160cbb3

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7160cbb3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . For
the graph shown, at , the corresponding value of y is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is
.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 9da41c80
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9da41c80

A ball is dropped from an initial height of feet and bounces off the ground repeatedly. The function estimates that
the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the
previous time the ball hit the ground. Which equation defines , where is the estimated maximum height of the ball
after it has hit the ground times and is a whole number greater than and less than ?

A.

B.

C. msup

D.

ID: 9da41c80 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It's given that for the function , is the estimated maximum height, in feet, of the ball
after it has hit the ground times. It's also given that the function estimates that the maximum height reached
after each time the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball
hit the ground. It follows that is a decreasing exponential function that can be written in the form
, where is the initial height, in feet, the ball was dropped from and the function estimates that
the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached
after the previous time the ball hit the ground. It's given that the ball is dropped from an initial height of feet.
Therefore, . Since the function estimates that the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits
the ground is of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground, .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
.

Choice A is incorrect. This function estimates that the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the
ground is , not , of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground.

Choice C is incorrect. This function estimates that the ball is dropped from an initial height of feet, not feet,
and that the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is , not , of the maximum
height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground.

Choice D is incorrect. This function estimates that the ball is dropped from an initial height of feet, not
feet.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7dbd46d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7dbd46d9

The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the -plane. What is a
possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7dbd46d9 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the
point . Therefore, this intersection point is a solution to the given system. The solution can be found by
isolating in each equation. The given equation can be rewritten to isolate by subtracting
from both sides of the equation, which gives . The given equation can be rewritten
to isolate by subtracting from both sides of the equation, which gives . With each equation
solved for , the value of from one equation can be substituted into the other, which gives
. Adding and to both sides of this equation results in .
Dividing both sides of this equation by results in . This equation can be rewritten by
factoring the left-hand side, which yields . By the zero-product property, if
, then , or . It follows that , or . Since only
is given as a choice, a possible value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 0121a235
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0121a235

x p(x)

The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p. Based on the
values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0121a235 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x-intercepts of the graph
of p are and . Since and are x-intercepts, it follows that and are factors of
the polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of
is 0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p.

Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table.

Choice B is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table.
Choice C is incorrect. The factors and correspond to x-intercepts and , respectively,
which aren’t present in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b8c4a1cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b8c4a1cd

The given equation relates the distinct positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of
and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b8c4a1cd Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. To express in terms of and , the given equation must be solved for . Dividing each side
of the given equation by yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This is equivalent to .

Choice B is incorrect. This is equivalent to .

Choice C is incorrect. This is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f547a8b1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f547a8b1

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f547a8b1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis.
The graph shown crosses the y-axis at the point . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 92f812bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 92f812bb

In the xy-plane, a parabola has vertex and intersects the x-axis at two points. If the equation of the parabola is
written in the form , where , , and are constants, which of the following could be the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92f812bb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The equation of a parabola in the xy-plane can be written in the form ,
where is a constant and is the vertex of the parabola. If is positive, the parabola will open upward, and
if is negative, the parabola will open downward. It’s given that the parabola has vertex . Substituting
for and for in the equation gives , which can be rewritten as
, or . Distributing the factor of on the right-hand side of
this equation yields . Therefore, the equation of the parabola,
, can be written in the form , where , , and
. Substituting for and for in the expression yields
, or . Since the vertex of the parabola, , is below the x-axis, and it’s
given that the parabola intersects the x-axis at two points, the parabola must open upward. Therefore, the
constant must have a positive value. Setting the expression equal to the value in choice D yields
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation
by yields , which is a positive value. Therefore, if the equation of the parabola is written in the form
, where , , and are constants, the value of could be .

Choice A is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative,
which means the parabola will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two
points.

Choice B is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative,
which means the parabola will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two
points.

Choice C is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form
, where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be , which is
inconsistent with the equation of a parabola.
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID f44a29a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f44a29a8

An object’s kinetic energy, in joules, is equal to the product of one-half the

object’s mass, in kilograms, and the square of the object’s speed, in meters per
second. What is the speed, in meters per second, of an object with a mass of 4
kilograms and kinetic energy of 18 joules?

A. 3

B. 6

C. 9

D. 36

ID: f44a29a8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. It’s given that an object’s kinetic energy, in joules, is equal to the product of one-half the
object’s mass, in kilograms, and the square of the object’s speed, in meters per second. This relationship can be

represented by the equation , where K is the kinetic energy, m is the mass, and v is the speed.
Substituting a mass of 4 kilograms for m and a kinetic energy of 18 joules for K results in the equation

, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of
both sides yields and . Since speed can’t be expressed as a negative number, the speed of the object
is 3 meters per second.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from computation errors. Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of rather

than v. Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of rather than v.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 75915e3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 75915e3c

For the function f defined above, what

is the value of ?

A. 9

B. 12

C. 18

D. 36

ID: 75915e3c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The value of is found by evaluating the expression when . Substituting 2 for

x in the given equation yields . Simplifying in the equation results in . Evaluating the
right-hand side of the equation yields . Therefore, the value of is 18.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from evaluating the expression as . Choice B is incorrect and may result
from evaluating the expression as . Choice D is incorrect and may result from evaluating the expression as

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 104bff62
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 104bff62

In the given equation, is a positive constant. Which of the following is one of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 104bff62 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. If , then neither side of the given equation is defined and there can be no
solution. Therefore, . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields

, or . Squaring both sides of this equation yields , or

. Since is positive and, therefore, nonzero, the expression is defined and

equivalent to . It follows that the equation can be rewritten as ,
or , which is equivalent to . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields two solutions: and
. Therefore, of the given choices, is one of the solutions to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ce9ffcd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1ce9ffcd

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1ce9ffcd Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. It's given that the equation has exactly one solution. A quadratic
equation of the form has exactly one solution if and only if its discriminant, , is
equal to zero. It follows that for the given equation, and . Substituting for and for into
yields , or . Since the discriminant must equal zero, .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by
yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is greater than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have two solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Choice B is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is greater than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have two solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Choice D is incorrect. If the value of is , this would yield a discriminant that is less than zero. Therefore, the
given equation would have no real solutions, rather than exactly one solution.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b03adde3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b03adde3

If , what is t
in terms of u ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b03adde3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by yields . Dividing both

sides of this equation by yields . Adding 2 to both sides of this equation yields ,

which can be rewritten as . Since the fractions on the right-hand side of this equation have

a common denominator, adding the fractions yields . Applying the distributive property to the

numerator on the right-hand side of this equation yields , which is equivalent to .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from various misconceptions or miscalculations.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1f353a9e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1f353a9e

The given function models the number of coupons a company sent to their customers at the end of each year, where
represents the number of years since the end of , and . If is graphed in the ty-plane, which of the
following is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

C. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

D. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

ID: 1f353a9e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the ty-plane is the point where . For the given function ,
the y-intercept of the graph of in the ty-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore,
the y-intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of
coupons a company sent to their customers at the end of each year. Therefore, represents the estimated
number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of each year. It's also given that represents
the number of years since the end of . Therefore, represents years since the end of , or the end
of . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of is that the estimated number of
coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 44076c7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 44076c7d

For the quadratic function , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Which equation
defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 44076c7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The equation of a quadratic function can be written in the form ,
where , , and are constants. It’s given in the table that when , the corresponding value of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation gives , which
is equivalent to , or . It’s given in the table that when ,
the corresponding value of is . Substituting for and for in the equation
gives , or . It’s given in the table that when , the corresponding value of
is . Substituting for and for in the equation gives ,
which is equivalent to , or . Adding
to the equation gives . Dividing both
sides of this equation by gives . Since , substituting for into the
equation gives . Subtracting from both sides of this equation gives .
Substituting for in the equations and gives and
, respectively. Since , substituting for in the equation
gives , or . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation gives . Dividing both sides of this equation by gives . Substituting for into
the equation gives , or . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation gives . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation gives
, which is equivalent to , or .
Therefore, defines .

Choice A is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not

.
Choice B is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not .

Choice C is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not ,

and when , the corresponding value of is , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 49efde89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 49efde89

The expression is equivalent to for some

constant a. What is the value of a ?

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 7

ID: 49efde89 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that is equivalent to for some constant a. Distributing the x over

each term in the parentheses gives , which is in the same form as the first given expression, .

The coefficient of the second term in is 7. Therefore, the value of a is 7.

Choice A is incorrect. If the value of a were 2, then would be equivalent to , which isn’t

equivalent to . Choice B is incorrect. If the value of a were 3, then would be equivalent to

, which isn’t equivalent to . Choice C is incorrect. If the value of a were 4, then would

be equivalent to , which isn’t equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 67f4b449
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 67f4b449

The function gives the area of a rectangle, , if its width is and its length is times
its width. Which of the following is the best interpretation of ?

A. If the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

B. If the width of the rectangle is , then the length of the rectangle is .

C. If the width of the rectangle is , then the length of the rectangle is .

D. If the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

ID: 67f4b449 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The function gives the area of the rectangle, in , if its width is . Since the value of
is the value of if , it follows that means that is if . In the
given context, this means that if the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from interpreting as the width, in , of the rectangle if its area is ,
rather than as the area, in , of the rectangle if its width is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e9349667
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: e9349667

If and are the two solutions to the system of equations

above, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e9349667 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The system of equations can be solved using the substitution method. Solving the second
2
equation for y gives y = –x – 1. Substituting the expression –x – 1 for y into the first equation gives –x – 1 = x +
2
2x + 1. Adding x + 1 to both sides of the equation yields x + 3x + 2 = 0. The left-hand side of the equation can be
factored by finding two numbers whose sum is 3 and whose product is 2, which gives (x + 2)(x + 1) = 0. Setting
each factor equal to 0 yields x + 2 = 0 and x + 1 = 0, and solving for x yields x = –2 or x = –1. These values of x can
be substituted for x in the equation y = –x – 1 to find the corresponding y-values: y = –(–2) – 1 = 2 – 1 = 1 and y = –
(–1) – 1 = 1 – 1 = 0. It follows that (–2, 1) and (–1, 0) are the solutions to the given system of equations. Therefore,
(x1, y1) = (–2, 1), (x2, y2) = (–1, 0), and y1 + y2 = 1 + 0 = 1.

Choice A is incorrect. The solutions to the system of equations are (x1, y1) = (–2, 1) and (x2, y2) = (–1, 0).
Therefore, –3 is the sum of the x-coordinates of the solutions, not the sum of the y-coordinates of the solutions.
Choices B and C are incorrect and may be the result of computation or substitution errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f2d60b99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f2d60b99

The function gives a metal ball's height above the ground , in inches, seconds after it
started moving on a track, where . Which of the following is the best interpretation of the vertex of the graph
of in the xy-plane?

A. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

B. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

C. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

D. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

ID: f2d60b99 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The graph of a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are
positive constants, is a parabola that opens upward with vertex . The given function
is in the form , where , , , and . Therefore,
the graph of is a parabola that opens upward with vertex . Since the parabola opens upward, the
vertex is the lowest point on the graph. It follows that the y-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is
the minimum value of . Therefore, the minimum value of is . It’s given that
represents the metal ball’s height above the ground, in inches, seconds after it started moving on a track.
Therefore, the best interpretation of the vertex of the graph of is that the metal ball’s minimum height
was inches above the ground.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2cd6b22d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2cd6b22d

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 2cd6b22d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The number of solutions of a quadratic equation of the form , where , ,
and are constants, can be determined by the value of the discriminant, . If the value of the
discriminant is positive, then the quadratic equation has exactly two distinct real solutions. If the value of the
discriminant is equal to zero, then the quadratic equation has exactly one real solution. If the value of the
discriminant is negative, then the quadratic equation has zero real solutions. In the given equation,
, , , and . Substituting these values for , , and in yields
, or . Since the value of its discriminant is negative, the given equation has zero real
solutions. Therefore, the number of distinct real solutions the given equation has is zero.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5377d9cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5377d9cf

If ,
what is ?

A. –5

B. –2

C. 2

D. 5

ID: 5377d9cf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Substituting –1 for x in the equation that defines f gives .

Simplifying the expressions in the numerator and denominator yields , which is equal to or –5.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from misapplying the order of operations when substituting –1
for x.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a0b4103e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a0b4103e

The expression can be rewritten as , where k is a

positive constant. What is the value of k ?

A. 2

B. 6

C.

D.

ID: a0b4103e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Factoring out the coefficient , the given expression can be rewritten as . The

expression can be approached as a difference of squares and rewritten as . Therefore, k

must be .

Choice A is incorrect. If k were 2, then the expression given would be rewritten as , which is

equivalent to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly factoring the expression and finding as the

factored form of the expression. Choice C is incorrect. This may result from incorrectly distributing the and

rewriting the expression as .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d675744f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d675744f

Which of the following is the graph in the xy-

plane of the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d675744f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of the graph of an equation is the point , where b is the value of y when
. For the given equation, when . It follows that the y-intercept of the graph of the given equation
is . Additionally, for the given equation, the value of y doubles for each increase of 1 in the value of x.
Therefore, the graph contains the points , , , and . Only the graph shown in choice D
passes through these points.
Choices A and B are incorrect because these are graphs of decreasing, not increasing, exponential functions.
Choice C is incorrect because the value of y increases by a growth factor greater than 2 for each increase of 1 in
the value of x.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 78d5f91a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 78d5f91a

For the function f defined above, what is

the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 78d5f91a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Substituting for x in the given function f gives ,

which simplifies to . This further simplifies to , or

.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from correctly substituting for x in the function but incorrectly
simplifying the resulting expression to , or . Choice B is incorrect and may result
from arithmetic errors. Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly substituting for x in the function

but incorrectly simplifying the expression to , or 11.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 717a1964
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 717a1964

What is one of the solutions to the given equation?

ID: 717a1964 Answer

Correct Answer: 2, -12

Rationale

The correct answer is either or . The left-hand side of the given equation can be rewritten by factoring. The
two values that multiply to and add to are and . It follows that the given equation can be rewritten
as . Setting each factor equal to yields two equations: and .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation results in . Adding to both sides of the
equation results in . Note that 2 and -12 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 22fd3e1f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 22fd3e1f

Which of the following expressions is

equivalent to , for ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 22fd3e1f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Since and , the fraction can be

written as . It is given that , so the common factor is not equal to 0. Therefore, the

fraction can be further simplified to .

Choice A is incorrect. The expression is not equivalent to because at , as a value of 1

and has a value of 0.

Choice B is incorrect and results from omitting the factor x in the factorization of . Choice C is incorrect and
may result from incorrectly factoring as instead of .
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 4a5af623
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 4a5af623

Which expression is a factor of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4a5af623 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since is a common factor of each of the terms in the given expression, the expression can
be rewritten as . Therefore, the factors of the given expression are and . Of these
two factors, only is listed as a choice.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is a term of the given expression, not a factor of the given expression.

Choice D is incorrect. This is a term of the given expression, not a factor of the given expression.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 71014fb1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 71014fb1

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 71014fb1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Any quantity that is positive or negative in value has a positive value when squared.
Therefore, the left-hand side of the given equation is either positive or zero for any value of . Since the right-
hand side of the given equation is negative, there is no value of for which the given equation is true. Thus, the
number of distinct real solutions for the given equation is zero.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 735a0a00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 735a0a00

The equation gives the estimated stock price , in dollars, for a certain company days after a new product launched,
where . Which statement is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The company's estimated stock price increased every day after the new product launched.

B. The company's estimated stock price increased every days after the new product launched.

C. day after the new product launched, the company's estimated stock price is .

D. days after the new product launched, the company's estimated stock price is .

ID: 735a0a00 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. In the given equation, represents the number of days after a new product launched, where
, and represents the estimated stock price, in dollars, for a certain company. Therefore, the best
interpretation of in this context is that day after the new product launched, the company's
estimated stock price is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ffdbcad4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: ffdbcad4

The expression , where is a constant, can be rewritten as , where , , and are integer
constants. Which of the following must be an integer?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ffdbcad4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that can be rewritten as . The expression

can be rewritten as , or . Therefore,
is equivalent to . It follows that . Dividing each side of this
equation by yields . Since is an integer, must be an integer. Therefore, must also be an
integer.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 062f86db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 062f86db

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 062f86db Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The left-hand side of the given equation can be factored as . Therefore, the
given equation, , can be written as . Applying the zero product
property to this equation yields and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Adding to both sides of
the equation yields . Therefore, the two solutions to the given equation, ,
are and . It follows that is the positive solution to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c4cd5bcc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c4cd5bcc

In the xy-plane, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the function f
is c. Which of the following must be equal to c ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c4cd5bcc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. A y-intercept is the point in the xy-plane where the graph of the function crosses the y-axis,
which is where . It’s given that the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of function f is c. It follows

that the coordinate pair representing the y-intercept must be . Therefore, c must equal .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because , , and would represent the y-value of the coordinate

where , , and , respectively.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2c88af4d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 2c88af4d

The expression , where and , is

equivalent to which of the following?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c88af4d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. For and , and are equivalent to and , respectively. Also, and

are equivalent to and , respectively. Therefore, the given expression can be rewritten as .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because these choices are not equivalent to the given expression for and
.

For example, for and , the value of the given expression is ; the values of the choices, however,

are , , and 1, respectively.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d12b1e0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3d12b1e0

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?

ID: 3d12b1e0 Answer

Correct Answer: -1

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are constants,
has exactly one solution when its discriminant, , is equal to . In the given equation,
, and . Substituting for and for in yields
, or . Since the given equation has exactly one solution, . Subtracting
from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7c74b73
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b7c74b73

The function gives the value, in dollars, of a certain piece of equipment after months of use. If the value of the
equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding year, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b7c74b73 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. For a function of the form , where , , and are constants and , the value
of decreases by for every increase of by . In the given function, , , and
. Therefore, for the given function, the value of decreases by , or , for every
increase of by . Since represents the value, in dollars, of the equipment after months of use, it follows
that the value of the equipment decreases every months by of its value the preceding months. Since
there are months in a year, the value of the equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding
year. Thus, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 203774bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 203774bc

The product of two positive integers is . If the first integer is greater than twice the second integer, what is the
smaller of the two integers?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 203774bc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Let be the first integer and let be the second integer. If the first integer is greater than
twice the second integer, then . If the product of the two integers is , then .
Substituting for in this equation results in . Distributing the to both terms in the
parentheses results in . Subtracting from both sides of this equation results in
. The left-hand side of this equation can be factored by finding two values whose product is
, or , and whose sum is . The two values whose product is and whose sum is are
and . Thus, the equation can be rewritten as , which is
equivalent to , or . By the zero product property, it follows
that and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Since is a positive integer, the value of is not .
Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by results in . Therefore, the two integers are
and , so the smaller of the two integers is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the larger of the two integers.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7cb3a8ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7cb3a8ee

What is one possible solution to the given equation?

ID: 7cb3a8ee Answer

Correct Answer: 15, -5

Rationale

The correct answer is or . By the definition of absolute value, if , then or

. Adding to both sides of the first equation yields . Adding to both sides of the second
equation yields . Thus, the given equation has two possible solutions, and . Note that 15 and -5 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6ecdbcb4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6ecdbcb4

The function is given. Which table of values represents ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ecdbcb4 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting

for in the equation yields .
Substituting for in this equation yields , or . Substituting
for in the equation yields , or .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or
. Therefore, when then , when then , and when then .
Thus, the table of values in choice B represents .
Choice A is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Choice C is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Choice D is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID db888cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: db888cd6

The graph gives the estimated number of catalogs , in thousands, a company sent to its customers at the end of each
year, where represents the number of years since the end of , where . Which statement is the best
interpretation of the y-intercept in this context?

A. The estimated total number of catalogs the company sent to its customers during the first years was .

B. The estimated total number of catalogs the company sent to its customers from the end of to the end of
was .

C. The estimated number of catalogs the company sent to its customers at the end of was .

D. The estimated number of catalogs the company sent to its customers at the end of was .

ID: db888cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of the graph is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis, or the point
for which the value of is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the given graph is the point . It's given that
represents the number of years since the end of . Therefore, represents years since the end of ,
which is the same as the end of . It's also given that represents the estimated number of catalogs, in
thousands, that the company sent to its customers at the end of the year. Therefore, represents
catalogs. It follows that the y-intercept means that the estimated number of catalogs the company sent to
its customers at the end of was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ad376f1a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ad376f1a

The graph of is shown in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad376f1a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Because the graph of is shown, the value of is the value of on the graph that
corresponds with . When , the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 60fdb4d4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 60fdb4d4

Which expression is equivalent to

?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 60fdb4d4 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given expression can be rewritten as .

Combining like terms yields .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of errors when applying the distributive property.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 9afe2370
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9afe2370
The population P of a certain city y years after the last census is modeled by the equation below, where r is a
constant and is the population when .

If during this time the population of the city decreases by a fixed percent each
year, which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9afe2370 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The term (1 + r) represents a percent change. Since the population is decreasing, the percent
change must be between 0% and 100%. When the percent change is expressed as a decimal rather than as a
percent, the percentage change must be between 0 and 1. Because (1 + r) represents percent change, this can be
expressed as 0 < 1 + r < 1. Subtracting 1 from all three terms of this compound inequality results in –1 < r < 0.

Choice A is incorrect. If r < –1, then after 1 year, the population P would be a negative value, which is not possible.
Choices C and D are incorrect. For any value of r > 0, 1 + r > 1, and the exponential function models growth for
positive values of the exponent. This contradicts the given information that the population is decreasing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ebb717ab
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: ebb717ab

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has no real solutions if . What is the least possible value of ?

ID: ebb717ab Answer

Correct Answer: 289

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants,
has no real solutions when the value of the discriminant, , is less than . In the given equation,
, and . Therefore, the discriminant of the given equation can be expressed as
, or . It follows that the given equation has no real solutions when .
Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields
, or . It's given that the equation has no real solutions when . Therefore,
the least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6d04c89d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 6d04c89d

The expression is equivalent to , where b is a constant and . What is the value of b?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6d04c89d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Since the given expressions are equivalent and the numerator of the second expression is
of the numerator of the first expression, the denominator of the second expression must also be of the
denominator of the first expression. By the distributive property, is equivalent to ,
or . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 97e50fa2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 97e50fa2

The graph of the function f, defined by , is shown in

the xy-plane above. If the function g (not shown) is defined by ,

what is one possible value of a such that ?

ID: 97e50fa2 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 2 or 8. Substituting in the definitions for f and g gives

and , respectively. If , then .

Subtracting 10 from both sides of this equation gives . Multiplying both sides by gives

. Expanding gives . Combining the like terms on one side of the equation

gives . One way to solve this equation is to factor by identifying two numbers
with a sum of and a product of 16. These numbers are and , so the quadratic equation can be
factored as . Therefore, the possible values of a are either 2 or 8. Note that 2 and 8 are examples
of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: Graphically, the condition implies the graphs of the functions and
intersect at . The graph is given, and the graph of may be sketched as a line with
y-intercept 10 and a slope of (taking care to note the different scales on each axis). These two graphs
intersect at and .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 66bce0c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 66bce0c1

What is the solution set of the

equation above?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 66bce0c1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Subtracting 4 from both sides of isolates the radical expression on the

left side of the equation as follows: . Squaring both sides of yields

. This equation can be rewritten as a quadratic equation in standard form: .

One way to solve this quadratic equation is to factor the expression by identifying two numbers with
a sum of and a product of . These numbers are and 1. So the quadratic equation can be factored as
. It follows that 5 and are the solutions to the quadratic equation. However, the solutions

must be verified by checking whether 5 and satisfy the original equation, . When ,

the original equation gives , or , which is false. Therefore, does not satisfy the

original equation. When , the original equation gives , or , which is true.

Therefore, is the only solution to the original equation, and so the solution set is .

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these sets contains at least one value that results in a false
statement when substituted into the given equation. For instance, in choice D, when 0 is substituted for x into
the given equation, the result is , or . This is not a true statement, so 0 is not a

solution to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID a31417d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a31417d1

From 2005 through 2014, the number of music CDs sold in the United States
declined each year by approximately 15% of the number sold the preceding
year. In 2005, approximately 600 million CDs were sold in the United States. Of
the following, which best models C, the number of millions of CDs sold in the
United States, t years after 2005?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a31417d1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A model for a quantity C that decreases by a certain percentage per time period t is an

exponential equation in the form , where I is the initial value at time for r% annual
decline. It’s given that C is the number of millions of CDs sold in the United States and that t is the number of
years after 2005. It’s also given that 600 million CDs were sold at time , so . This number declines by

15% per year, so . Substituting these values into the equation produces , or

Choice A is incorrect and may result from errors made when representing the percent decline. Choices C and D
are incorrect. These equations model exponential increases in CD sales, not exponential decreases.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a4f61d75
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a4f61d75

In the equation above, a is a constant and . If the equation has two integer
solutions, what is a possible value of a ?

ID: a4f61d75 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is either 7, 8, or 13. Since the given equation has two integer solutions, the expression on the
left-hand side of this equation can be factored as , where c and d are also integers. The product of c
and d must equal the constant term of the original quadratic expression, which is 12. Additionally, the sum of c
and d must be a negative number since it’s given that , but the sign preceding a in the given equation is
negative. The possible pairs of values for c and d that satisfy both of these conditions are and , and
, and and . Since the value of is the sum of c and d, the possible values of are
, , and . It follows that the possible values of a are 7, 8, and

13. Note that 7, 8, and 13 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 802549ac
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 802549ac

Which of the following is a solution to

the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 802549ac Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Applying the distributive property on the left- and right-hand sides of the given equation
yields , or . Subtracting from and adding
to both sides of this equation yields . Subtracting 6 from both sides of this equation and then
dividing both sides by 10 yields .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Substituting 0, , or for x in the given equation will result in a false

statement. If , the given equation becomes ; if , the given equation becomes ; and if
, the given equation becomes . Therefore, the values 0, , and aren’t solutions to the given
equation.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c81b6c57
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c81b6c57

In the expression , p is a constant. This expression

is equivalent to the expression . What is the value of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c81b6c57 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

2
Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the first given expression can be rewritten as 6x + 3px + 24
2 2
– 16px – 64x + 24, and then rewritten as 6x + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24. Since the expression 6x + (3p – 16p – 64)x +
2
24 is equivalent to 6x – 155x + 24, the coefficients of the x terms from each expression are equivalent to each
other; thus 3p – 16p – 64 = –155. Combining like terms gives –13p – 64 = –155. Adding 64 to both sides of the
equation gives –13p = –71. Dividing both sides of the equation by –13 yields p = 7.

2
Choice A is incorrect. If p = –3, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 25x + 24. Choice C is
2
incorrect. If p = 13, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 233x + 24. Choice D is incorrect. If p =
2
155, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x – 2,079x + 24.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a1bf1c4e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: a1bf1c4e

Which of the following is equivalent to

the expression above?
2
A. (x + 3) +5
2
B. (x + 3) –5
2
C. (x – 3) +5
2
D. (x – 3) –5

ID: a1bf1c4e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The given quadratic expression is in standard form, and each answer choice is in vertex
form. Completing the square converts the expression from standard form to vertex form. The first step is to
rewrite the expression as follows: . The first three terms of the revised

expression can be rewritten as a perfect square as follows: . Combining the

constant terms gives .

Choice A is incorrect. Squaring the binomial and simplifying the expression in choice A gives .

Combining like terms gives , not . Choice C is incorrect. Squaring the binomial and

simplifying the expression in choice C gives . Combining like terms gives , not

. Choice D is incorrect. Squaring the binomial and simplifying the expression in choice D gives

. Combining like terms gives , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 17d0e87d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 17d0e87d

The given equation relates the distinct positive real numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms
of and ?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 17d0e87d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Dividing each side of the given equation by yields , or .

Because it's given that each of the variables is positive, squaring each side of this equation yields the equivalent
equation . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields , or

Choice A is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation isn't equivalent to the given equation.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2f51abc2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2f51abc2

The function is defined by the given equation. For which of the following values of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2f51abc2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The value of for which can be found by substituting for and for in
the given equation, , which yields . For this equation to be true, either
or . Adding to both sides of the equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting
for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to ,
or , which isn't a true statement. Therefore, isn't the value of . Adding to both sides of the
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . To check
whether is the value of , substituting for in the equation yields ,
which is equivalent to , or , which is a true statement. Therefore, the value of for which
is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 5355c0ef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 5355c0ef

The given expression can be rewritten as , where is a constant. What is the value of ?

ID: 5355c0ef Answer

Correct Answer: .09, 9/100

Rationale

The correct answer is . It's given that the expression can be rewritten as
. Applying the distributive property to the expression yields
. Therefore, can be rewritten as . It follows that in
the expressions and , the coefficients of are equivalent, the
coefficients of are equivalent, and the constant terms are equivalent. Therefore, , , and
. Solving any of these equations for yields the value of . Dividing both sides of the equation
by yields . Therefore, the value of is . Note that .09 and 9/100 are examples of ways to
enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ce579859
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce579859

A model estimates that at the end of each year from to , the number of squirrels in a population was
more than the number of squirrels in the population at the end of the previous year. The model estimates that at the end
of , there were squirrels in the population. Which of the following equations represents this model, where is
the estimated number of squirrels in the population years after the end of and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: ce579859 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Since the model estimates that the number of squirrels in the population increased by a fixed
percentage, , each year, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the form
, where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population at the end of , and the
model estimates that at the end of each year, the number is more than the number at the end of the previous
year. Since the model estimates that at the end of each year, the number was more than the number at the
end of the previous year, . Substituting for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . It’s given that the estimated number
of squirrels at the end of was . This means that when , . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields , or . Dividing each side of this equation by
yields . Substituting for in the equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of
squirrels was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of
squirrels was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year, and the
estimated number of squirrels at the end of , not the end of , was .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a model where the estimated number of squirrels at the end of
, not the end of , was .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID be0c419e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: be0c419e

Immanuel purchased a certain rare coin on January 1. The function , where , gives the
predicted value, in dollars, of the rare coin years after Immanuel purchased it. What is the best interpretation of the
statement “ is approximately equal to ” in this context?

A. When the rare coin's predicted value is approximately dollars, it is greater than the predicted value, in dollars,
on January 1 of the previous year.

B. When the rare coin’s predicted value is approximately dollars, it is times the predicted value, in dollars, on
January 1 of the previous year.

C. From the day Immanuel purchased the rare coin to years after Immanuel purchased the coin, its predicted value
increased by a total of approximately dollars.

D. years after Immanuel purchased the rare coin, its predicted value is approximately dollars.

ID: be0c419e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function gives the predicted value, in dollars, of a
certain rare coin years after Immanuel purchased it. It follows that represents the predicted value, in
dollars, of the coin years after Immanuel purchased it. Since the value of is the value of when ,
it follows that “ is approximately equal to ” means that is approximately equal to when .
Therefore, the best interpretation of the statement “ is approximately equal to ” in this context is years
after Immanuel purchased the rare coin, its predicted value is approximately dollars.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 13e57f0a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 13e57f0a

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 13e57f0a Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Multiplying each side of the given equation by yields . To complete
the square, adding to each side of this equation yields , or .
Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields two equations: and .
Subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by
yields , or . Therefore, is a solution to the given equation. Subtracting from each side of the
equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
given equation has two solutions, and . Since is positive, it follows that is the positive solution to the
given equation.

Alternate approach: Adding and to each side of the given equation yields . The right-
hand side of this equation can be rewritten as . Factoring out the common factor of
from the first two terms of this expression and the common factor of from the second two terms yields
. Factoring out the common factor of from these two terms yields the expression
. Since this expression is equal to , it follows that either or . Adding to
each side of the equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields .
Therefore, is a positive solution to the given equation. Subtracting from each side of the equation
yields . Therefore, the given equation has two solutions, and . Since is positive, it follows that
is the positive solution to the given equation.

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is false.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is false.

Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is false.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 03ff48d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 03ff48d2

In the given equation, is an integer constant. If the equation has no real solution, what is the least possible value of ?

ID: 03ff48d2 Answer

Correct Answer: 50

Rationale

The correct answer is . An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has no real
solutions if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. Applying the distributive property to the left-hand
side of the equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields
. Substituting for , for , and for in yields a discriminant of
, or . If the given equation has no real solution, it follows that the value of
must be negative. Therefore, . Adding to both sides of this inequality yields
. Dividing both sides of this inequality by yields , or . Since it's given that is an
integer, the least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50e40f08
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 50e40f08

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is the x-coordinate of an x-intercept of the
graph?

ID: 50e40f08 Answer

Correct Answer: -6, 4

Rationale

The correct answer is either or . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where .
Thus, for an x-intercept of the graph of , . Substituting for in the equation
yields . By the zero product property, and .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation
yields . Therefore, the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of are and .
Note that -6 and 4 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 11ccf3e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 11ccf3e1

The given equation relates the numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 11ccf3e1 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Subtracting from each side of the given equation results in . Dividing each
side of this equation by results in .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e166aca6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e166aca6

What is the x-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e166aca6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. The x-intercept of the graph shown is the point on the graph where . At ,
the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the x-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not
.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not
.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not
.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7bd10ef3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7bd10ef3

In the equation above, t is a constant. If the equation has no real solutions, which
of the following could be the value of t ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7bd10ef3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The number of solutions to any quadratic equation in the form , where a, b,

and c are constants, can be found by evaluating the expression , which is called the discriminant. If the

value of is a positive number, then there will be exactly two real solutions to the equation. If the value of

is zero, then there will be exactly one real solution to the equation. Finally, if the value of is
negative, then there will be no real solutions to the equation.

The given equation is a quadratic equation in one variable, where t is a constant. Subtracting t from

both sides of the equation gives . In this form, , , and . The values of t for
which the equation has no real solutions are the same values of t for which the discriminant of this equation is a
negative value. The discriminant is equal to ; therefore, . Simplifying the left
side of the inequality gives . Subtracting 16 from both sides of the inequality and then dividing both
sides by 8 gives . Of the values given in the options, is the only value that is less than . Therefore,

choice A must be the correct answer.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from a misconception about how to use the discriminant to
determine the number of solutions of a quadratic equation in one variable.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b5c43226
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b5c43226

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b5c43226 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis.
The graph shown crosses the y-axis at the point . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6e02cd78
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6e02cd78

In the xy-plane, what is the y-coordinate of the point of intersection of the

graphs of and ?

ID: 6e02cd78 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 1. The point of intersection of the graphs of the given equations is the solution to the
system of the two equations. Since and , it follows that , or
. Applying the distributive property to the left-hand side of this equation yields

. Subtracting from and adding 3 to both sides of this equation yields .

Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields . By the zero product property, if
, it follows that . Adding 2 to both sides of yields . Substituting 2 for x in
either of the given equations yields . For example, substituting 2 for x in the second given equation yields
, or . Therefore, the point of intersection of the graphs of the given equations is . The y-
coordinate of this point is 1.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 18e35375
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 18e35375

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 18e35375 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .

Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches
its minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its
minimum. For an equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of
the vertex is . For the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-
coordinate of the vertex is , or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of
the graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and .
The midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between
and is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value
of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-
plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c303ad23
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c303ad23

If , what is the value of ?

ID: c303ad23 Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . Dividing each side of the given equation by yields . Adding to each
side of this equation yields . Therefore, if , the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 341ba5db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 341ba5db

What is the minimum value of the given function?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 341ba5db Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form , where ,
, and are constants and , the minimum value of the function is . In the given function, , ,
and . Therefore, the minimum value of the given function is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of for which the given function reaches its minimum value, not the
minimum value of the function.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 463eec13
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 463eec13

If , which of the following expressions is

equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 463eec13 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. Taking the square root of an exponential expression halves the exponent, so

, which further reduces to . This can be rewritten as .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from neglecting the denominator of the given expression and from

incorrectly calculating the square root of 16. Choice B is incorrect and may result from rewriting as rather

than . Choice C is incorrect and may result from taking the square root of the variables in the numerator
twice instead of once.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 95ed0b69
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 95ed0b69

The given equation relates the distinct positive numbers , , and . Which equation correctly expresses in terms
of and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 95ed0b69 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. To express in terms of and , the given equation must be solved for . Since it's
given that is a positive number, is not equal to zero. Therefore, multiplying both sides of the given
equation by yields the equivalent equation . Since it's given that is a positive number, is
not equal to zero. Therefore, dividing each side of the equation by yields the equivalent equation
.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation is equivalent to .

Choice C is incorrect. This equation is equivalent to .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a45ffacb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a45ffacb

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of has
a y-intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: a45ffacb Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
which is equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields
. It’s given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1fe32f7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 1fe32f7d

In the given equation, is a positive integer. The equation has no real solution. What is the greatest possible value of ?

ID: 1fe32f7d Answer

Correct Answer: 51

Rationale

The correct answer is . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
no real solution if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. In the given equation, and
. Substituting for and for in this expression yields a discriminant of ,
or . Since this value must be negative, , or . Taking the positive square root
of each side of this inequality yields . Since is a positive integer, and the greatest integer less than is
, the greatest possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c05d312
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c05d312

In the given equation, and are positive constants. The product of the solutions to the given equation is , where
is a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c05d312 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The left-hand side of the given equation is the expression .
Applying the distributive property to this expression yields . Since the first two terms of
this expression have a common factor of and the last two terms of this expression have a common factor of
, this expression can be rewritten as . Since the two terms of this expression have a
common factor of , it can be rewritten as . Therefore, the given equation can be
rewritten as . By the zero product property, it follows that or .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of the
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the
solutions to the given equation are and . It follows that the product of the solutions of the given equation
is , or . It’s given that the product of the solutions of the given equation is . It follows that
, which can also be written as . It’s given that and are positive constants. Therefore,
dividing both sides of the equation by yields . Thus, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard