Math · Content domain
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis on the Digital SAT
Problem-Solving and Data Analysis is quantitative reasoning in real-world clothing. You handle ratios, rates, proportions, and percentages, then read one- and two-variable data, probability, and basic statistics from tables and graphs.
It is a smaller slice of the Math section, but it is where careful reading matters as much as calculation. Many misses here are not math errors, they are unit or setup errors from rushing the word problem.
New to the Digital SAT? Start with how the test is structured and scored.
≈15% · 5–7 questions
Share of the Math section (College Board figures, approximate).
Where it appears
Math is not grouped by domain. All four domains are mixed through each module and ordered easiest to hardest, so these questions can appear anywhere. Your total is spread across both modules.
How one Math module is ordered
Based on our analysis of official Bluebook practice tests, Math modules are not grouped by domain: all four domains are mixed across the 22 questions and ordered easiest to hardest, so Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions can appear anywhere in the module.
The 7 skills in Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
Each has its own guide: what the SAT tests, the strategies that work, and practice questions with worked solutions.
Ratios, Rates, Proportional Relationships, and Units
Master ratios, rates, proportions, and unit conversion on the Digital SAT. Setup rules, worked practice questions, and the traps to avoid.
Percentages
Percent change, discounts, tax, and stacked percents on the Digital SAT. Learn the multiplier method with worked practice questions and common traps.
One-Variable Data
Mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation on the Digital SAT. How outliers move each statistic, plus worked practice questions.
Two-Variable Data
Scatterplots, lines of best fit, and correlation vs causation on the Digital SAT. Interpret slope and intercepts with worked practice questions.
Probability and Conditional Probability
How the Digital SAT tests probability and conditional probability: restrict the denominator, avoid the whole-total trap, and practice with worked questions.
Inference from Sample Statistics and Margin of Error
What margin of error means (and does not mean) on the Digital SAT: sample-to-population inference, plausible ranges, and worked practice questions.
Evaluating Statistical Claims
Digital SAT questions on study design: random sampling vs. random assignment, biased samples, and why correlation is not causation. With worked practice.
Desmos for Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
Solve these with the built-in calculator
Several Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions are faster on the Digital SAT's Desmos graphing calculator than by hand. Here are the 3 moves that apply to this domain, each with a worked walkthrough.
- 7Find Mean, Median, or Standard Deviation from a List
- 9Fit a Line or Curve to Data (Regression)
- 10Find a Residual from a Line of Best Fit
Find out where you stand on Problem-Solving and Data Analysis
SAT Prep Quest tracks your level on every skill in this domain, then builds 5-minute drills around the ones costing you the most points.
Get your free skill profileCommon questions
How many Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions are on the SAT?
College Board does not publish a fixed count, but Problem-Solving and Data Analysis makes up ≈15% · 5–7 questions of the Digital SAT Math section. The exact number shifts slightly from one test form to the next.
Where do Problem-Solving and Data Analysis questions appear on the Digital SAT?
Math is not grouped by domain. All four domains are mixed through each module and ordered easiest to hardest, so these questions can appear anywhere. Your total is spread across both modules. The Math section is split into two adaptive modules, and this domain shows up in both.
Other Math domains
SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in producing, and does not endorse, this product. Score estimates are Learner Labs projections, not official College Board scores.