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 4e18fc5d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4e18fc5d

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4e18fc5d Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that is positive. Therefore, multiplying each side of the given equation by yields
, which is equivalent to . Thus, the equation correctly expresses in terms of
and .

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 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 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
Choice A is correct. It is given that y = x + 1 and y = x2 + x. Setting the values for y equal to each other yields x + 1 = x2 +
x. Subtracting x from each side of this equation yields x2 = 1. Therefore, x can equal 1 or –1. Of these, only –1 is given as
a choice.

Choice B is incorrect. If x = 0, then x + 1 = 1, but x2 + x = 02 + 0 = 0 ≠︀1. Choice C is incorrect. If x = 2, then x + 1 = 3, but x2

+ x = 22 + 2 = 6 ≠︀3. Choice D is incorrect. If x = 3, then x + 1 = 4, but x2 + x = 32 + 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 301faf80
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 301faf80

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?

ID: 301faf80 Answer

Correct Answer: 14

Rationale
The correct answer is . Let represent the first integer and represent the second integer. If the first integer is
greater than twice the second integer, then . It's given that the product of the two integers is ; therefore
. Substituting for in this equation yields , which can be written as
. Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . 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 or . Subtracting from
both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Since is a positive integer, the value of isn't . Adding to both sides of the equation yields .
Substituting for in the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Therefore, the two integers are and , so the smaller of the two integers is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 02060533
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 02060533

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 02060533 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the table shows values of and their corresponding values of , where
. It's also given that is a linear function. It follows that an equation that defines can be written in the
form , where represents the slope and represents the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
graph of in the xy-plane. The slope of the graph of can be found using two points, and
, that are on the graph of , and the formula . Since the table shows values of and their
corresponding values of , substituting values of and in the equation can be used to define
function . Using the first pair of values from the table, and , yields , or .
Multiplying each side of this equation by yields , so the point is on the graph of
. Using the second pair of values from the table, and , yields , or .
Multiplying each side of this equation by yields , so the point is on the graph of .
Substituting and for and , respectively, in the formula yields
, or . Substituting for in the equation yields . Since
, substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It follows that is the y-coordinate of the y-
intercept of the graph of . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph of is .

Choice B is incorrect. is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of .

Choice C is incorrect. is the slope of the graph of .

Choice D is incorrect. is the x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the graph of .

Question Difficulty: Hard
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 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 358f18bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 358f18bc

What is the minimum value of the given function?

ID: 358f18bc Answer

Correct Answer: 1728

Rationale
The correct answer is . The given function can be rewritten in the form , where is a
positive constant and the minimum value, , of the function occurs when the value of is . By completing the square,
can be written as , or
. This equation is in the form , where , , and
. Therefore, the minimum value of the given function is .

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 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 39714777
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 39714777

The given equation relates the value of and its corresponding value of for the function . What is the minimum
value of the function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 39714777 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 . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation
yields . This function is in the form , where , , and .
Therefore, the minimum value of the function 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: Medium

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 781c2f6e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 781c2f6e

The function is defined by , where and are integer constants and . The
functions and are equivalent to function , where and are constants. Which of the following equations displays
the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane as a constant or coefficient?

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 781c2f6e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is a point where the graph intersects the y-axis, or a point
where . Substituting for in the equation defining function yields , or
. So, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph is , or equivalently, .
It's given that function is equivalent to function , where . It follows that . Since can't be
equal to , the coefficient can't be equal to . Since , the constant , which is equal to , can't be
equal to . Therefore, function doesn't display the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of
in the xy-plane as a constant or coefficient. It's also given that function is equivalent to function , where .
The equation defining can be rewritten as . It follows that . Since
can't be equal to , the coefficient can't be equal to . Since , the constant , which is equal to
, can't be equal to . Therefore, function doesn't display the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the
graph of in the xy-plane as a constant or coefficient. Thus, neither function nor function displays the y-
coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane as a constant or 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 C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cb29c54c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cb29c54c

A physics class is planning an experiment about a toy rocket. The equation gives the
estimated height , in feet, of the toy rocket seconds after it is launched into the air. Which of the following is the best
interpretation of the vertex of the graph of the equation in the xy-plane?

A. This toy rocket reaches an estimated maximum height of feet seconds after it is launched into the air.

B. This toy rocket reaches an estimated maximum height of feet seconds after it is launched into the air.

C. This toy rocket reaches an estimated maximum height of feet seconds after it is launched into the air.

D. This toy rocket reaches an estimated maximum height of feet seconds after it is launched into the air.

ID: cb29c54c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The vertex of the graph of a quadratic equation is where it reaches its minimum or maximum value.
When a quadratic equation is written in the form , the vertex of the parabola represented by the
equation is . In the given equation , the value of is and the value of is
. It follows that the vertex of the graph of this equation in the xy-plane is . Additionally, since
in the given equation, the graph of the quadratic equation opens down, and the vertex represents a maximum.
It’s given that the value of represents the estimated height, in feet, of the toy rocket seconds after it is launched into
the air. Therefore, this toy rocket reaches an estimated maximum height of feet seconds after it is launched into
the air.

Choice A is incorrect. The in the equation is an indicator of how narrow the graph of the equation is rather than where
it reaches its maximum.

Choice C is incorrect. The in the equation is an indicator of how narrow the graph of the equation is rather than where
it reaches its maximum.

Choice D is incorrect. This is an interpretation of the vertex of the graph of the equation , not
of the equation .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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

Choice B is correct. The term x4 can be factored as . Factoring –6 as yields values that add to –1, the
coefficient of x2 in the expression.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect and may result from finding factors of –6 that don’t add to the coefficient of x2 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 b4acba95
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: b4acba95

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly two

B. Exactly one

C. Zero

D. Infinitely many

ID: b4acba95 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A 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 positive,
the given equation has exactly two distinct real solutions.

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 ff8c5844
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ff8c5844

For the exponential function , the table shows four values of and their corresponding values of . Which equation
defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ff8c5844 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that function is exponential. Therefore, an equation defining can be written in the form
, where and are constants. The table shows that when , . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields , which is equivalent to . Substituting for in the equation
yields . The table also shows that when , . Substituting for and for
in the equation yields , which is equivalent to . Substituting for in the equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect. For this function, is equal to , not .

Choice B is incorrect. For this function, is equal to , not .

Choice C is incorrect. For this function, is equal to , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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
Choice C is correct. The expression can be written as a difference of squares x2 – y2, which can be factored as (x + y)(x –
y). Here, y2 = 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. Choice D is
incorrect; (x + 5)(x – 1) can be rewritten as x2 + 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 ?

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 f423771c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f423771c

The table shows the exponential relationship between the number of years, , since Hana started training in pole vault,
and the estimated height , in meters, of her best pole vault for that year. Which of the following functions best
represents this relationship, where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f423771c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The table shows an increasing exponential relationship between the number of years, , since Hana
started training in pole vault and the estimated height , in meters, of her best pole vault for that year. The
relationship can be written as , where and are positive constants. It's given that when ,
. Substituting for and for in yields , or . Substituting
for in yields . It's also given that when , . Substituting for
and for in yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields
, or is approximately equal to . Since is positive, is approximately equal to , or .
Substituting for in yields .

Choice A is incorrect. When , the value of in this function is equal to rather than , and it is
decreasing rather than increasing.

Choice B is incorrect. When , the value of in this function is equal to rather than .

Choice C is incorrect. This function is decreasing rather than increasing.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 8e1da169
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 8e1da169

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8e1da169 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B 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. 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
.

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

Choice D is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ae05d37b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ae05d37b

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?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ae05d37b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. 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, in minutes, 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 is , the expression will double when the exponent increases by . Since the
exponent of this 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 .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the base of the exponent, not the time it takes for the number of bacteria in the population
to double.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the number of minutes it takes for the population to double twice.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the number of bacteria that are initially observed, not the time it takes for the number of
bacteria in the population to double.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 02add2d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 02add2d2

A company has a newsletter. In January , there were customers subscribed to the newsletter. For the next
months after January , the total number of customers subscribed to the newsletter each month was greater
than the total number subscribed the previous month. Which equation gives the total number of customers, , subscribed
to the company's newsletter months after January , where ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 02add2d2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that in January , there were customers subscribed to a company's newsletter
and for the next months after January , the total number of customers subscribed to the newsletter each month
was greater than the total number subscribed the previous month. It follows that this situation can be represented by
the equation , where is the total number of customers subscribed to the company's newsletter
months after January , is the number of customers subscribed to the newsletter in January , and the total
number of customers subscribed to the newsletter each month was greater than the total number subscribed the
previous month. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or
.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the total number of customers subscribed each month
was less, not greater, than the total number subscribed the previous month.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the total number of customers subscribed each month
was , not , greater than the total number subscribed the previous month.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the total number of customers subscribed each month
was , not , greater than the total number subscribed the previous month.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 2c288148
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2c288148

In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one real solution. What is the minimum possible value of
?

ID: 2c288148 Answer

Correct Answer: 231

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that . Squaring both sides of this equation yields
, which is equivalent to the given equation if . It follows that if a solution to the equation
satisfies , then it's also a solution to the given equation; if not, it's extraneous. The
equation can be rewritten as . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. The number of solutions to a quadratic equation in the form ,
where , , and are constants, can be determined by the value of the discriminant, . Substituting for ,
for , and for in yields , or . The equation
has exactly one real solution if the discriminant is equal to zero, or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Therefore, if , then the equation has exactly one real solution.
Substituting for in this equation yields , or ,
which is equivalent to . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields .
Adding to both sides of this equation yields . To check whether this solution satisfies , the
solution, , can be substituted for in , which yields , or . Since is greater
than , it follows that if , or , then the given equation has exactly one real solution. If ,
then the discriminant, , is negative and the given equation has no solutions. Therefore, the minimum possible
value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 40491607
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 40491607

In the xy-plane, when the graph of the function , where , is shifted up units, the resulting graph is defined by
the function . If the graph of crosses through the point , where is a constant, what is the value of ?

ID: 40491607 Answer

Correct Answer: 48

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that in the xy-plane, when the graph of the function , where , is shifted up
units, the resulting graph is defined by the function . Therefore, function can be defined by the equation
. It's given that . Substituting for in the
equation yields . For the point , the value of is .
Substituting for in the equation yields ,
or . It follows that the graph of crosses through the point . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3206b905
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 3206b905

Which of the following expressions is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3206b905 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since is a common factor of each term in the given expression, the expression can be rewritten
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: Medium

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 768b60d2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 768b60d2

For the exponential function , the value of is , where is a constant. Of the following equations that define the
function , which equation shows the value of as the coefficient or the base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 768b60d2 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Each of the given choices is an equation of the form , where , , and are
constants. For an equation of this form, the coefficient, , is equal to the value of the function when the exponent is equal
to , or when . It follows that in the equation , the coefficient, , is equal to the value of .
Substituting for in this equation yields , which is equivalent to , or . Thus,
the value of is and the equation shows the value of as the coefficient.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation shows the value of , not , as the coefficient.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation shows the value of , not , as the coefficient.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation shows the value of , not , as the coefficient.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 4618501a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4618501a

A conservation scientist implemented a program to reduce the population of a certain species in an area. The given
function estimates this species' population years after , where . Which of the following is the best
interpretation of in this context?

A. The estimated percent decrease in the population for this species and area every years after

B. The estimated percent decrease in the population for this species and area each year after

C. The estimated population for this species and area years after

D. The estimated initial population for this species and area in

ID: 4618501a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . It’s given that the function estimates the species’ population years after , so
it follows that the estimated population of the species is in . Therefore, the best interpretation of in
this context is the estimated initial population for this species and area in .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect. The estimated percent decrease in the population for this species and area each year after is
, not .

Choice C is incorrect. The estimated population for this species and area years after is , or
approximately , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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. 15

C. 20

D. 60

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, the
number of bacteria increased from 2.5 × 105 to 5.0 × 105. At the end of day 3 there are 106 bacteria per milliliter. At the
end of day 4, there will be 106 × 2 bacteria per milliliter. At the end of day 5, there will be (106 × 2) × 2, or 106 × (22)
bacteria per milliliter, and so on. At the end of day d, the number of bacteria will be 106 × (2d – 3). If the number of
bacteria per milliliter will reach 5.12 × 108 at the end of day d, then the equation must hold.

Since 5.12 × 108 can be rewritten as 512 × 106, the equation is equivalent to . Rewriting 512 as 29 gives d –
3 = 9, so d = 12. The number of bacteria per milliliter would reach 5.12 × 108 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 5.12 × 108
per milliliter by the end of any of these days.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID fada6b03
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fada6b03

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

ID: fada6b03 Answer

Correct Answer: 120

Rationale
The correct answer is . The solutions to a quadratic equation of the form can be calculated using
the quadratic formula and are given by . The given equation is in the form , where

, , and . It follows that the solutions to the given equation are , which is
equivalent to , or . It's given that one solution to the equation can be
written as . The solution is in this form. Therefore, the value of is .

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 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. 2

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?

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 6bdcac03
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6bdcac03

How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 6bdcac03 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since the square of a real number is never negative, the given equation isn't true for any real value of
. Therefore, the given equation has zero distinct real solutions.

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 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 2992ac30
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2992ac30

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: 2992ac30 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the function models the population, in thousands, of a certain city years after
. The value of the base of the given exponential function, , corresponds to an increase of for every increase of
in the exponent, . If the exponent is equal to , then . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields . If the exponent is equal to , then . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields ,
or . Therefore, the population is predicted to increase by every of a year. It’s given that the population is
predicted to increase by every months. Since there are months in a year, of a year is equivalent to ,
or , months. Therefore, the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the number of months in which the population is predicted to increase by according to
the model , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the number of months in which the population is predicted to increase by according to
the model , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the number of months in which the population is predicted to increase by according to
the model , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3d7d7534
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3d7d7534

What is a solution to the given equation?

ID: 3d7d7534 Answer

Correct Answer: 30, -30

Rationale
The correct answer is either or . Adding to each side of the given equation yields .
Since a product of two factors is equal to if and only if at least one of the factors is , either or
. Adding to each side of the equation yields . Subtracting from each side of the
equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and . Note that -30 and
30 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

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 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 09d21d79
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 09d21d79

The graph of is shown, where and are constants. What is the value of ?

ID: 09d21d79 Answer

Correct Answer: -24

Rationale
The correct answer is . Since the graph passes through the point , it follows that when the value of is ,
the value of is . Substituting for and for in the given equation yields , or .
Therefore, the value of is . Substituting for in the given equation yields . Since the graph
passes through the point , it follows that when the value of is , the value of is . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields , or , which is
equivalent to . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation
by yields . Since the value of is and the value of is , it follows that the value of is , or .

Alternate approach: The given equation represents a parabola in the xy-plane with a vertex at . Therefore, the
given equation, , which is written in standard form, can be written in vertex form, ,
where is the vertex of the parabola and is the value of the coefficient on the term when the equation is
written in standard form. It follows that . Substituting for , for , and for in this equation yields
, or . Squaring the binomial on the right-hand side of this equation yields
. Multiplying each term inside the parentheses on the right-hand side of this equation by
yields , which is equivalent to . From the given equation ,
it follows that the value of is and the value of is . Therefore, the value of is , or .
Question Difficulty: Hard
Question ID 95d1c344
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 95d1c344

The graph models the number of active projects a company was working on months after the end of November ,
where . According to the model, what is the predicted number of active projects the company was working on
at the end of November ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 95d1c344 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the graph models the number of active projects a company was working on months
after the end of November . Therefore, the value of that corresponds to the end of November is . The point
at which is the y-intercept of the graph. It follows that the y-intercept of the graph shown is the point .
Therefore, according to the model, the predicted number of active projects the company was working on at the end of
November is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of that corresponds to the end of November , not the predicted number of
active projects the company was working on at the end of November .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the predicted number of active projects the company was working on months after the
end of November .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the predicted number of active projects the company was working on months after the
end of November .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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. 8

B. 3

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 fde6f3bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: fde6f3bb

The functions and are defined by the equations shown. Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fde6f3bb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting for and for
in the expression yields . This expression can be rewritten as
, or , which is equivalent to .

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

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

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

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 3148fe3e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3148fe3e

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3148fe3e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Adding to each side of the second equation in the given system of equations yields .
Substituting for in the first equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this
equation yields . This equation can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of each
side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the
value of is .

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

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 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 rewritten

as . Simplifying by taking the cube root of each part gives x1 ⋅ y2, or xy2.

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 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 0380bbdc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 0380bbdc

If , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0380bbdc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Dividing each side of the given equation by yields . Squaring both sides of this equation
yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of is .

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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

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 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 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 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 821e724e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 821e724e

The function is defined by , where is a constant. In the xy-plane, the graph of

passes through the point . What is the value of ?

ID: 821e724e Answer

Correct Answer: 336

Rationale
The correct answer is . By the zero product property, if , then , which gives
, or , which gives . Therefore, when and when . Since the graph of
passes through the point , it follows that , so . Substituting for in the equation
yields . The value of can be calculated by substituting for
in this equation, which yields , or .

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 d8e84431
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d8e84431

The area of a rectangular banner is square inches. The banner's length , in inches, is inches longer than its
width, in inches. Which equation represents this situation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d8e84431 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the banner’s length , in inches, is inches longer than its width, in inches. It follows
that the banner’s width, in inches, can be represented by the expression . The area of a rectangle is the product of
its length and its width. It's given that the area of the banner is square inches, so it follows that
, or . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields
. Therefore, the equation that represents this situation is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from representing the width, in inches, of the banner as , rather than .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from representing the width, in inches, of the banner as , rather than .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 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 15c364bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 15c364bf

A sample of a certain isotope takes years to decay to half its original mass. The function gives
the approximate mass of this isotope, in grams, that remains years after a -gram sample starts to decay. Which
statement is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. Approximately grams of the sample remains years after the sample starts to decay.

B. The mass of the sample has decreased by approximately grams years after the sample starts to decay.

C. The mass of the sample has decreased by approximately grams years after the sample starts to decay.

D. Approximately grams of the sample remains years after the sample starts to decay.

ID: 15c364bf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. In the given function, represents the approximate mass, in grams, of the sample that remains
years after the sample starts to decay. It follows that the best interpretation of is that approximately
grams of the sample remains years after the sample starts to decay.

Choice B is incorrect. The mass of the sample has decreased by approximately , or , grams, not grams,
years after the sample starts to decay.

Choice C is incorrect. The mass of the sample has decreased by approximately grams, not grams, years after
the sample starts to decay.

Choice D is incorrect. This would be the best interpretation of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 2cb17792
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2cb17792

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

ID: 2cb17792 Answer

Correct Answer: 17.5, 35/2

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting the second equation from the first equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to
. It's given that the system has exactly one distinct real solution; therefore, this equation has
exactly one distinct real solution. An equation of the form , where , , and are constants, has
exactly one distinct real solution when the discriminant, , is equal to . The equation
is of this form, where , , and . Substituting these values into the
discriminant, , yields . Setting the discriminant equal to yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 35/2 and 17.5 are examples of ways
to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ce508fb0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce508fb0

The functions and are defined by the given equations.

If , where is a constant, what is the value of ?

ID: ce508fb0 Answer

Correct Answer: -4.9, -49/10

Rationale
The correct answer is . The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or , which is
equivalent to , or . Since it's given that , it follows that and the value of
is the value of . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or , which is equivalent to , or . Note
that -4.9 and -49/10 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 equation
for y gives y = –x – 1. Substituting the expression –x – 1 for y into the first equation gives –x – 1 = x2 + 2x + 1. Adding x +
1 to both sides of the equation yields x2 + 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 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. 7

D. 11

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 4dc5c6f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4dc5c6f9

If the given equations are graphed in the xy-plane, at how many points do the graphs of the equations intersect?

A. Exactly one

B. Exactly two

C. Infinitely many

D. Zero

ID: 4dc5c6f9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A point is a solution to a system of equations if it lies on the graphs of both equations in the
xy-plane. In other words, a solution to a system of equations is a point at which the graphs intersect. It’s given that
the first equation is . Substituting for in the second equation yields . Subtracting
from each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields
. Since the square of a real number is at least , this equation can't have any real solutions. Therefore,
the graphs of the equations intersect at zero points.

Alternate approach: The graph of the second equation is a parabola that opens downward and has a vertex at .
Therefore, the maximum value of this parabola occurs when . The graph of the first equation is a horizontal line at
on the y-axis, or . Since is greater than , or the horizontal line is above the vertex of the parabola, the
graphs of these equations intersect at zero points.

Choice A is incorrect. The graph of , not , and the graph of the second equation intersect at exactly one
point.

Choice B is incorrect. The graph of any horizontal line such that the value of is less than , not greater than , and
the graph of the second equation intersect at exactly two points.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 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 dc77e0dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dc77e0dc

The function models the intensity of an X-ray beam, in number of particles in the X-ray beam, millimeters below the
surface of a sample of iron. According to the model, what is the estimated number of particles in the X-ray beam when it
is at the surface of the sample of iron?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dc77e0dc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the function models the intensity of an X-ray beam, in number of particles in the X-ray
beam, millimeters below the surface of a sample of iron. When the X-ray beam is at the surface of the sample of iron, it
is millimeters below the surface, so the value of is . Substituting for in the function yields
. Since any positive number raised to the power of is equal to , it follows that , or
. Therefore, the estimated number of particles in the X-ray beam at the surface of the sample of iron 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 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 967ef685
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 967ef685

Which expression is equivalent to , where ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 967ef685 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Two fractions can be added together when they have a common denominator. Since ,
multiplying the second term in the given expression by yields , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the
expression can be written as which is equivalent to . Since each term in the
numerator of this expression has a factor of , the expression can be rewritten as , or
, which is equivalent to .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

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

Choice C is incorrect. This expression is equivalent to .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 .

The estimated total number of catalogs the company sent to its customers from the end of to the end of
B. 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 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 197bed38
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 197bed38

An object was launched upward from a platform. The graph shown models the height above ground, , in meters, of the
object seconds after it was launched. For which of the following intervals of time was the height of the object
increasing for the entire interval?

A. From to

B. From to

C. From to

D. From to

ID: 197bed38 Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the variable represents the height, in meters, of the object above the ground. The
graph shows that the height of the object was increasing from to , and decreasing from to .
Therefore, the height of the object was increasing for the entire interval of time from to .

Choice B is incorrect. The height of the object wasn't increasing for this entire interval of time, as it was decreasing from
to .

Choice C is incorrect. The height of the object was decreasing, not increasing, for this entire interval of time.

Choice D is incorrect. The height of the object was decreasing, not increasing, for this entire interval of time.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e51bf5b1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: e51bf5b1

Which of the following expressions has a factor of , where is a positive integer constant?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e51bf5b1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since each choice has a term of , which can be written as , and each choice has a term
of , which can be written as , the expression that has a factor of , where is a positive integer
constant, can be represented as . Using the distributive property of multiplication, this expression is
equivalent to , or . Combining the x-terms in this expression yields
. It follows that the coefficient of the x-term is equal to . Thus, from the given choices,
must be equal to , , , or . Therefore, must be equal to , , , or , respectively, and must be
equal to , , , or , respectively. Of these four values of , only , or , is a positive integer. It follows that
must be equal to because this is the only choice for which the value of is a positive integer constant. Therefore, the
expression that has a factor of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't positive.

Choice B is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't an integer.

Choice C is incorrect. If this expression has a factor of , then the value of is , which isn't an integer.

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 e1f9000d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e1f9000d

The function estimates an object’s height, in feet, above the ground seconds after the object is dropped, where is a
constant. The function estimates that the object is feet above the ground when it is dropped at .
Approximately how many seconds after being dropped does the function estimate the object will hit the ground?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e1f9000d Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the function estimates that the object is feet above the ground when it's
dropped at . Substituting for and for in the function yields , or .
Substituting for in the function yields . When the object hits the ground, its height will
be feet above the ground. Substituting for in yields . Adding
to each side of this equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Since
the object will hit the ground at a positive number of seconds after it's dropped, the value of can be found by taking the
positive square root of each side of this equation, which yields . It follows that the function estimates the
object will hit the ground approximately seconds after being dropped.

Choice A is incorrect. The function estimates that seconds after being dropped, the object's height will be
feet, or feet, above the ground.

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 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. 1

B. 0

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
Choice B is correct. Using the distributive property, the first given expression can be rewritten as 6x2 + 3px + 24 – 16px –
64x + 24, and then rewritten as 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24. Since the expression 6x2 + (3p – 16p – 64)x + 24 is
equivalent to 6x2 – 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.

Choice A is incorrect. If p = –3, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 25x + 24. Choice C is incorrect. If p
= 13, then the first expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 233x + 24. Choice D is incorrect. If p = 155, then the first
expression would be equivalent to 6x2 – 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?

A. (x + 3)2 + 5

B. (x + 3)2 – 5

C. (x – 3)2 + 5

D. (x – 3)2 – 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 74473be4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 74473be4

Which quadratic equation has no real solutions?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 74473be4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The number of solutions to a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and
are constants, can be determined by the value of the discriminant, . If the value of the discriminant is greater
than zero, then the quadratic equation has 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 less than zero, then the
quadratic equation has no real solutions. For the quadratic equation in choice D, , ,
, and . Substituting for , for , and for in yields , or . Since
is less than zero, it follows that the quadratic equation has no real solutions.

Choice A is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since is greater than zero, it
follows that this quadratic equation has two real solutions.

Choice B is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since zero is equal to zero, it follows
that this quadratic equation has exactly one real solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The value of the discriminant for this quadratic equation is . Since is greater than zero,
it follows that this quadratic equation has two real solutions.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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. 1

D. 3

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 f28944ff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f28944ff

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f28944ff Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Substituting for in the given function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Therefore, when , the corresponding value of for function is .
Substituting for in the given function yields , which is equivalent to , or .
Therefore, when , the corresponding value of for function is . Substituting for in the given function
yields , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, when , the corresponding
value of for function is . Of the choices given, only the table in choice D gives these three values of and their
corresponding values of for function .

Choice A is incorrect. This table gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the function
.

Choice B is incorrect. This table gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the function
.

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

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 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 e11294f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: e11294f9

The solutions to are and , where . The solutions to are and , where
. The solutions to , where is a constant, are and . What is the value of ?

ID: e11294f9 Answer

Correct Answer: 31

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . To
complete the square, adding , or , to both sides 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 solutions and to the equation are
and . Since , it follows that and . Subtracting from both sides
of the equation yields . To complete the square, adding , or , to both sides of
this equation yields , or . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Therefore, the solutions and to the equation are and . Since , it
follows that and . It's given that the solutions to , where is a
constant, are and . It follows that this equation can be written as , which is
equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is . Substituting
for , for , for , and for in this equation yields
, which is equivalent to

, or , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the

value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 7028c74f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 7028c74f

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

ID: 7028c74f Answer

Correct Answer: 10.33, 31/3

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from each side of the given equation yields
. Since is a common factor of each of the terms on the right-hand side
of this equation, it can be rewritten as . This is equivalent to
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields
. Since a product of two factors is equal to if and only if at least one of the factors is , either
or . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Adding to
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 sum of the solutions to the given
equation is , which is equivalent to , or . Note that 31/3 and 10.33 are examples of ways to enter
a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c4259674
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c4259674

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c4259674 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that function is defined by the equation . The value of is the value of
when . Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or .

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

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

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

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 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?

When the rare coin's predicted value is approximately dollars, it is greater than the predicted value, in dollars,
A. on January 1 of the previous year.

When the rare coin’s predicted value is approximately dollars, it is times the predicted value, in dollars, on
B. January 1 of the previous year.

From the day Immanuel purchased the rare coin to years after Immanuel purchased the coin, its predicted value
C. 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 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 99c5e794
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 99c5e794

A model predicts that the population of Bergen 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: 99c5e794 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that a model predicts the population of Bergen 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 99c5e794
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 99c5e794

A model predicts that the population of Bergen 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: 99c5e794 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that a model predicts the population of Bergen 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 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 95eeeb5b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 95eeeb5b

The function is defined by , where , , and are constants. The graph of in the xy-
plane passes through the points and . If is an integer greater than , which of the following could be the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 95eeeb5b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane passes through the points and . It
follows that when the value of is either or , the value of is . It's also given that the function is defined by
, where , , and are constants. It follows that the function is a quadratic function and,
therefore, may be written in factored form as , where the value of is when is either
or . Since the value of is when the value of is either or , and the value of is when the value of is
either or , it follows that and are equal to and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Distributing the right-
hand side of this equation yields , or . Since it's given that
, it follows that . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Since
, if is an integer, the value of must be a multiple of . If is an integer greater than , it follows that
. Therefore, . It follows that the value of is less than or equal to , or . Of the given
choices, only is a multiple of that's less than or equal to .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of if is equal to, not greater than, .

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 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 ?

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 133f3e41
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 133f3e41

The given equation relates the positive variables , , , and . Which of the following is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 133f3e41 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Multiplying each side of the given equation by yields .

Distributing on each side of this equation yields , or . Adding to
each side of this equation yields . Multiplying by , by , and by yields
, which is equivalent to . Since , and it's given that , , , and are
positive, it follows that the reciprocals of each side of this equation are also equal. Thus, , or
. Therefore, 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: Hard

Question ID 5ae4803e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 5ae4803e

What is the solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5ae4803e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Since the left-hand side of the given equation has a factor of in both the numerator and the
denominator, the solution to the given equation can be found by solving the equation . Adding to both sides
of this equation yields . Substituting for in the given equation yields , or . Therefore,
the solution to the given equation is .

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , or , which is false.

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , or , which is false.

Choice D is incorrect. Substituting for in the given equation yields , or , which is false.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4fb8a648
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 4fb8a648

A solution to the given system of equations is . What is the greatest possible value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4fb8a648 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that and ; therefore, it follows that
. This equation can be rewritten as . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields . This equation can be rewritten as
, or . By the zero product property, or .
Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of the equation
yields . Therefore, the given system of equations has solutions, , that occur when and
. Since is greater than , the greatest possible value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the negative of the greatest possible value of when for the second equation in the
given system of equations.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of when for the first equation in the given system of equations.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of when for the second equation in the given system of equations.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 9ff88bb5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9ff88bb5

A competitive diver dives from a platform into the water. The graph shown gives the height above the water , in meters,
of the diver seconds after diving from the platform. What is the best interpretation of the x-intercept of the graph?

A. The diver reaches a maximum height above the water at seconds.

B. The diver hits the water at seconds.

C. The diver reaches a maximum height above the water at seconds.

D. The diver hits the water at seconds.

ID: 9ff88bb5 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that the graph shows the height above the water , in meters, of a diver seconds after
diving from a platform. The x-intercept of a graph is the point at which the graph intersects the x-axis, or when the value
of is . The graph shown intersects the x-axis between and . In other words, the diver is meters above
the water, or hits the water, between and seconds after diving from the platform. Of the given choices, only choice B
includes an interpretation where the diver hits the water between and seconds. Therefore, the best interpretation of
the x-intercept of the graph is the diver hits the water at seconds.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the best interpretation of the maximum value, not the x-intercept, of the graph.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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. 6

B. 2

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 dbe9b217
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dbe9b217

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

ID: dbe9b217 Answer

Correct Answer: 68

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the function is defined by . Substituting for in this
equation yields , or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of
is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 2926cc6d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 2926cc6d

Which of the following is a solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2926cc6d Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Since a product of two factors is equal to if and only if at least one of the factors is , either
or . Subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Dividing each
side of this equation by yields . Adding to each side of the equation yields . Dividing
each side of this equation by yields . It follows that the solutions to the given equation are and .
Therefore, is a 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 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 c9417793
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c9417793

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

ID: c9417793 Answer

Correct Answer: 18

Rationale
The correct answer is . Subtracting from each side of the given equation yields . By the definition of
absolute value, if , then or . Adding to each side of the equation
yields . Adding to each side of the equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given
equation are and , and it follows that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 equation f( ) = –
0.28( – 27)2 + 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 55c5d3c2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 55c5d3c2

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

ID: 55c5d3c2 Answer

Correct Answer: -19

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that function is defined by , where and are constants and
. It's also given that the graph of in the xy-plane has a y-intercept at and passes through the
point . Since the graph has a y-intercept at , . Substituting for in the given equation
yields , or , and substituting for in this equation yields .
Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Since the graph also passes through the point , . Substituting for in the
equation yields , and substituting for yields . Adding to
each side of this equation yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Since it's
given that , the value of is . It follows that the value of is , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6aefc52b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 6aefc52b

In the given system of equations, is a positive integer constant. The system has no real solutions. What is the least
possible value of ?

ID: 6aefc52b Answer

Correct Answer: 14

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given by the first equation of the system of equations that . Substituting for
in the second given equation, , yields . Adding to both sides of this
equation yields . A quadratic equation of the form , where , , and are
constants, has no real solutions if and only if its discriminant, , is negative. In the equation
, where is a positive integer constant, , , and . Substituting for ,
for , and for in yields , or . Since this value must be negative,
. Adding to both sides of this inequality yields . Dividing both sides
of this inequality by yields . Subtracting from both sides of this inequality yields . Since is
a positive integer constant, the least possible value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c6e85cd7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: c6e85cd7

If , what is the value of ?

ID: c6e85cd7 Answer

Correct Answer: .2916, .2917, 7/24

Rationale
The correct answer is . An expression of the form , where and are integers greater than and , is
equivalent to . Therefore, the expression on the right-hand side of the given equation, , is equivalent to . Thus,
. It follows that . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Note that 7/24, .2916, .2917,
0.219, and 0.292 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 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.

The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.4 times as great as
C. 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 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 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 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 a267bd29
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a267bd29

Which of the following is a solution to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a267bd29 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Adding to both sides of the given equation yields . To complete the square,
adding , or , to both sides of this equation yields , or . Taking the
square root of both sides of this equation yields , or . Subtracting from both sides
of this equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given equation are and
. Of these two solutions, only is given as a choice.

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 fad2f98c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: fad2f98c

What is one of the solutions to the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: fad2f98c Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Applying the zero product property to the given equation yields , , and .
Dividing each side of the equation by yields . Adding to each side of the equation yields
. Subtracting from each side of the equation yields . Therefore, the solutions to the given
equation are , , and . Thus, one of the solutions to the given equation 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: Medium

Question ID 270cf326
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 270cf326

Which of the following functions has(have) a minimum value at ?

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 270cf326 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. A function of the form , where and , is a decreasing function. Both of
the given functions are of this form; therefore, both are decreasing functions. If a function is decreasing as the value of
increases, the corresponding value of decreases; therefore, the function doesn’t have a minimum value. Thus,
neither of the given functions has a minimum value.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 cbc4c163
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cbc4c163

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

ID: cbc4c163 Answer

Correct Answer: 11/4, 2.75

Rationale

The correct answer is . It’s given that the function is defined by . Substituting for in
this equation yields , which is equivalent , or . Therefore,
the value of is . Note that 11/4 or 2.75 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 equation. First,

multiply both sides of the equation by m, which gives , which simplifies to mv2 = 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 24016dee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 24016dee

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 24016dee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The given expression is equivalent to , or . Combining like
terms in this expression yields .

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: Medium

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. 0

D. 1

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 7f87deff
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7f87deff

What is an x-coordinate of an x-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 7f87deff Answer

Correct Answer: 14, -5, -4

Rationale
The correct answer is either , , or . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points at which the graph
intersects the x-axis, or when the value of is . Substituting for in the given equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Applying the zero product property to this equation yields three equations: , , and .
Adding to both sides of the equation yields , subtracting from both sides of the equation
yields , and subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the
x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of the given equation are , , and . Note that 14, -5, and -4 are
examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 40f2e601
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 40f2e601

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 40f2e601 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the values of , , and are positive. Therefore, dividing each side of the given
equation by yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Dividing
each side of this equation by yields , or .

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

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

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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 d41cf4d3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d41cf4d3

The function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of
passes through the point , and . Which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d41cf4d3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in the equation yields
. Therefore, . Since can't be negative, it follows that . It's also given
that the graph of passes through the point . It follows that when , . Substituting
for and for in the equation yields . By the zero product property, either
or . Since , it follows that . Squaring both sides of this equation yields
. Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Since and is , it follows that
must be true.

Choice A is incorrect. The value of is , which must be negative.

Choice B is incorrect. The value of is , which could be , but doesn't have to be.

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

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 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 70fb357b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70fb357b

The graph of the given equation in the xy-plane has a y-intercept of . Which of the following equivalent equations
displays the value of as a constant, a coefficient, or the base?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 70fb357b Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where . Substituting for in the given
equation, , yields , which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the graph
of the given equation in the xy-plane has a y-intercept of . It follows that and . Thus, the
equivalent equation displays the value of as the base.

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 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 f1fa0821
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f1fa0821

The graph gives the estimated population , in thousands, of a town years since , where . Which of the
following best describes the increase in the estimated population from to ?

A. The estimated population at is times the estimated population at .

B. The estimated population at is times the estimated population at .

C. The estimated population at is times the estimated population at .

D. The estimated population at is times the estimated population at .

ID: f1fa0821 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. On the graph shown, the y-axis represents estimated population, in thousands. The graph shows that
when , the y-coordinate is . Therefore, the estimated population at is thousand. The graph also shows
that when , the y-coordinate is . Therefore, the estimated population at is thousand. Dividing thousand
by thousand yields ; therefore, thousand is times thousand. It follows that the estimated population at
is times the estimated population at .

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 482a445b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 482a445b

Which expression is equivalent to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 482a445b Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. The expression can be written as , which is equivalent to

. Distributing and to yields , or
. The expression is equivalent to . Distributing and to
yields , or . Therefore, the expression is
equivalent to , or . Combining like terms in this
expression yields .

Choice A is incorrect. Equivalent expressions must be equivalent for any value of . Substituting for in this
expression yields , whereas substituting for in the given expression yields .

Choice C is incorrect. Equivalent expressions must be equivalent for any value of . Substituting for in this
expression yields , whereas substituting for in the given expression yields .

Choice D is incorrect. Equivalent expressions must be equivalent for any value of . Substituting for in this
expression yields , whereas substituting for in the given expression yields .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 .

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

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 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 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 a1262cdb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: a1262cdb

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a1262cdb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Subtracting from each side of the given equation yields . Therefore, the expression
correctly expresses the value of in terms of .

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 99269e03
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 99269e03

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of for the equation . In the table, is
a constant. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 99269e03 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of for the equation
. It's also given that when the corresponding value of is , and is a constant. Substituting for
and for in the given equation yields , or . Therefore, the value of 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: 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 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 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 1be909aa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 1be909aa

Which expression is equivalent to , where and ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1be909aa Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. For positive values of , , where and are integers. Since it's given that and
, this property can be applied to rewrite the given expression as , which is equivalent to
. For positive values of , . This property can be applied to rewrite the expression as
, which is equivalent to .

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 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 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 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 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 ?

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 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 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 second equation
gives y = 3, substituting 3 for y in the first equation gives 3 = x2 – 1. Adding 1 to both sides of the equation gives 4 = x2.
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 30a07668
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 30a07668

A solution to the given system of equations is , where . What is the value of ?

ID: 30a07668 Answer

Correct Answer: 6

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that and . Since , substituting for in the second
equation of the given system yields . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. This equation can be rewritten as . By the zero product property, or
. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of the
equation yields . Therefore, solutions to the given system of equations occur when and when
. It’s given that a solution to the given system of equations is , where . Since is greater than , it
follows that the value of is .

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 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 aa95fb33
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: aa95fb33

The graph of the rational function is shown, where and . Which of the following is the graph of
, where ?

A.
B.

C.

D.
 ID: aa95fb33 Answer
Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the graph of the rational function is shown, where and . The graph
shown passes through the point . It follows that when the value of is , the value of is . When the value of
is , the value of is , or . Therefore, the graph of passes through the point . Of
the given choices, choice D is the only graph that passes through the point and is therefore the graph of
.

Choice A is incorrect. This is the graph of , rather than .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the graph of , rather than .

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

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 7355b9d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 7355b9d9

If is a factor of the expression , where and are constants and , what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7355b9d9 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. If is a factor of the expression , then the expression can be written as
, where and are constants. This expression can be rewritten as , or
. Since this expression is equivalent to , it follows that ,
, and . Dividing each side of the equation by yields . Substituting for
in the equation yields . Adding to each side of this equation yields . Substituting for in
the equation yields . Since is positive, dividing each side of this equation by yields
. Multiplying each side of this equation by yields .

Alternate approach: The expression can be written as , which is a difference of two squares. It

follows that is equivalent to . It’s given that is a factor

of , so the factor is equal to . Adding to both sides of the equation

yields . Since is positive, dividing both sides of this equation by yields

. Squaring both sides of this equation yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by yields
.

Choice A is incorrect. This value of gives the expression , or . This expression

doesn't have as a factor.

Choice B is incorrect. This value of gives the expression , or . This

expression doesn't have as a factor.

Choice C is incorrect. This value of gives the expression , or . This expression

doesn't have as a factor.

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 is 50,000,
the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03)t. It follows that the equation 60,000 = 50,000(1.03)t 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 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 1073d70c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1073d70c

At the time that an article was first featured on the home page of a news website, there were comments on the article.
An exponential model estimates that at the end of each hour after the article was first featured on the home page, the
number of comments on the article had increased by of the number of comments on the article at the end of the
previous hour. Which of the following equations best represents this model, where is the estimated number of
comments on the article hours after the article was first featured on the home page and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 1073d70c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that an exponential model estimates that the number of comments on an article increased
by a fixed percentage at the end of each hour. Therefore, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the
form , where is the estimated number of comments on the article hours after the article was first featured
on the home page and and are constants. It's also given that when the article was first featured on the home page of
the news website, there were comments on the article. This means that when , . Substituting for and
for in the equation yields , or . It's also given that the number of comments on the
article at the end of an hour had increased by of the number of comments on the article at the end of the previous
hour. Multiplying the percent increase by the number of comments on the article at the end of the previous hour yields
the number of estimated additional comments the article has on its home page: , or comments. Thus, the
estimated number of comments for the following hour is the sum of the comments from the end of the previous hour
and the number of additional comments, which is , or . This means that when , . Substituting
for , for , and for in the equation yields , or . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Substituting for and for in the equation yields .
Thus, the equation that best represents this model is .

Choice A is incorrect. This model represents a situation where the number of comments at the end of each hour
increased by of the number of comments at the end of the previous hour, rather than .

Choice B is incorrect. This model represents a situation where the number of comments at the end of each hour
increased by of the number of comments at the end of the previous hour, rather than .

Choice C is incorrect. This model represents a situation where the number of comments at the end of each hour was
times the number of comments at the end of the previous hour, rather than increasing by of the number of
comments at the end of the previous hour.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2b1a27cd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2b1a27cd

The quadratic function models the depth, in meters, below the surface of the water of a seal minutes after the seal
entered the water during a dive. The function estimates that the seal reached its maximum depth of meters
minutes after it entered the water and then reached the surface of the water minutes after it entered the water. Based
on the function, what was the estimated depth, to the nearest meter, of the seal minutes after it entered the water?

ID: 2b1a27cd Answer

Correct Answer: 168

Rationale
The correct answer is . The quadratic function gives the estimated depth of the seal, , in meters, minutes after
the seal enters the water. It's given that function estimates that the seal reached its maximum depth of meters
minutes after it entered the water. Therefore, function can be expressed in vertex form as ,
where is a constant. Since it's also given that the seal reached the surface of the water after minutes, .
Substituting for and for in yields , or .
Dividing both sides of this equation by gives . Substituting for in gives
. Substituting for in gives , which is
equivalent to , or . Therefore, the estimated depth, to the nearest meter, of the
seal minutes after it entered the water was meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 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 dcf63c94
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dcf63c94

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dcf63c94 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that and . Substituting for in
yields . Substituting for in this equation yields . Using the
properties of exponents, the function can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
, or . Therefore, of the given choices, an equation that defines function is
.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation defines function if , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines function if , not .

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 4880eecb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4880eecb

The product of a positive number and the number that is more than is . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4880eecb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The number that's more than can be represented by the expression . It's given that the
product of and is , so it follows that , or . Subtracting from each
side 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 a positive number, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. If , the product of and the number that's more than would be , or , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of the number that's more than , not the value of .

Choice D is incorrect. If , the product of and the number that's more than would be , or , not
.

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 7a6d06bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7a6d06bf

A rectangle has an area of square inches. The length of the rectangle is inches less than times the width of the
rectangle. What is the width of the rectangle, in inches?

ID: 7a6d06bf Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale
The correct answer is . Let represent the width, in inches, of the rectangle. It's given that the length of the rectangle is
inches less than times its width, or inches. The area of a rectangle is equal to its width multiplied by its
length. Multiplying the width, inches, by the length, inches, yields square inches. It’s given that the
rectangle has an area of square inches, so 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 width, in inches, which must be positive, the value of is . Therefore, the width of the
rectangle, in inches, is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f44b4125
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f44b4125

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 ?

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: f44b4125 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. For the function , since the base of the exponent, , is greater than , the value of
increases as increases. Therefore, the value of and the value of also increase as
increases. Since is therefore an increasing function where , the function has no maximum value. For the
function , since the base of the exponent, , is less than , the value of decreases as increases. Therefore,
the value of also decreases as increases. It follows that the maximum value of for occurs when
. Substituting for in the function yields , which is equivalent to , or .
Therefore, the maximum value of for is , which appears as a coefficient in equation II. So, of the two
equations given, only II displays, as a constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it defines, where .

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 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
Choice C is correct. Using the property that for positive numbers x and y, with x = (a + c)3 and y = a + c, it

follows that . By rewriting (a + c)4 as ((a + c)2)2, 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 of
incorrectly rewriting (a + c)2 as a2 + c2. 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 083ef63a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 083ef63a

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

ID: 083ef63a Answer

Correct Answer: -13/2, -6.5

Rationale
The correct answer is . The value of for which reaches its minimum can be found by rewriting the given
equation in the form , where reaches its minimum, , when the value of is . The given
equation, , can be rewritten as . By completing the square, this
equation can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to

, or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of

is . Note that -13/2 and -6.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Alternate approach: The graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola. 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 . Note that -13/2 and -6.5 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

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 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 0af701e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0af701e7

The function is defined by . What value of satisfies ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0af701e7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that the function is defined by . It's also given that
. Substituting for in the function yields and substituting for in the function
yields . Therefore, and . Substituting for and
for in the equation yields . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . By the definition of
absolute value, if , then or . Dividing both sides of each of these equations by
yields or , respectively. Thus, of the given choices, a value of that satisfies 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: Medium

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 f76c1858
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: f76c1858

What is the positive solution to the given equation?

ID: f76c1858 Answer

Correct Answer: 4

Rationale
The correct answer is . 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.

Question Difficulty: Medium

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. 3

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 26e83bbc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Equivalent

expressions

ID: 26e83bbc

Functions and are given, and in function , is a constant. If , what is the value
of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 26e83bbc Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Multiplying the given functions and yields . Applying the
distributive property to the right-hand side of this equation yields
. Applying the distributive property once again to the right-hand
side of this equation yields , which is equivalent
to . Factoring out from the second and third terms yields
. Since the left-hand sides of
and are equal, it follows that
, or , and , or . Adding to each side of
yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Similarly, dividing each side of
by yields . Therefore, 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: 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 f678483b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f678483b

A submersible device is used for ocean research. The function gives the depth below
the surface of the ocean, in meters, of the submersible device minutes after collecting a sample, where . How
many minutes after collecting the sample did it take for the submersible device to reach the surface of the ocean?

ID: f678483b Answer

Correct Answer: 35

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the function gives the depth below the surface
of the ocean, in meters, of the submersible device minutes after collecting a sample, where . It follows that when
the submersible device is at the surface of the ocean, the value of is . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields . Since a product of two factors is equal to if and only if at least one of the factors is ,
either or . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Adding
to both sides of the equation yields . Since , minutes after collecting the sample the
submersible device reached the surface of the ocean.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 gives (1 –
p)1 = 1 – p; (1 – p)p = p – p2; (1 – p)p2 = p2 – p3; (1 – p)p3 = p3 – p4; (1 – p)p4 = p4 – p5; (1 – p)p5 = p5 – p6; and (1 –
p)p6 = p6 – p7. Adding these seven expressions together and combining like terms gives 1 + (p – p) + (p2 – p2) + (p3 –
p3) + (p4 – p4) + (p5 – p5) + (p6 – p6) – p7, which can be simplified to 1 – p7.

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 c19d1fb0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c19d1fb0

An egg is thrown from a rooftop. The equation represents this situation, where is the height of
the egg above the ground, in meters, seconds after it is thrown. According to the equation, what is the height, in meters,
from which the egg was thrown?

ID: c19d1fb0 Answer

Correct Answer: 18

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that an egg is thrown from a rooftop and that the equation
represents this situation, where is the height of the egg above the ground, in meters, seconds after it is thrown. If
follows that the height, in meters, from which the egg was thrown is the value of when . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or . Therefore, according to the
equation, the height, in meters, from which the egg was thrown is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

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 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
Choice C is correct. Factoring –1 from the second, third, and fourth terms gives x2 – c2 – 2cd – d2 = x2 – (c2 + 2cd + d2).
The expression c2 + 2cd + d2 is the expanded form of a perfect square: c2 + 2cd + d2 = (c + d)2. Therefore, x2 – (c2 + 2cd
+ d2) = x2 – (c + d)2. Since a = c + d, x2 – (c + d)2 = x2 – a2. Finally, because x2 – a2 is the difference of squares, it can be
expanded as x2 – a2 = (x + a)(x – a).

Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of making an error in factoring the difference of squares x2 – a2.
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 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 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 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 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 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 c8e9a011
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: c8e9a011

The given equation relates the variables , , and , where , , and . Which expression is equivalent to
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c8e9a011 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Adding to each side of the given equation yields . The fractions on the right side
of this equation have a common denominator of ; therefore, the equation can be written as , or
, which is equivalent to . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Since , ,
, and are all positive quantities, taking the reciprocal of each side of the equation yields an equivalent
equation: . Multiplying each side of this equation by 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 is equivalent to rather than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 52e589f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 52e589f9

The function gives the predicted body mass , in , of a certain animal days after it was born in a
wildlife reserve, where . Which of the following is the best interpretation of the statement “ is
approximately equal to ” in this context?

A. The predicted body mass of the animal was approximately days after it was born.

B. The predicted body mass of the animal was approximately days after it was born.

C. The predicted body mass of the animal was approximately days after it was born.

D. The predicted body mass of the animal was approximately days after it was born.

ID: 52e589f9 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. In the statement " is approximately equal to ," the input of the function, , is the value
of , the elapsed time, in days, since the animal was born. The approximate value of the function, , is the predicted
body mass, in kilograms, of the animal after that time has elapsed. Therefore, the predicted body mass of the animal was
approximately days after it was born.

Choice A is incorrect. This would be the best interpretation of the statement " is approximately equal to ."

Choice C is incorrect. The number is the number of weeks, not the number of days, after the animal was born.

Choice D is incorrect. This would be the best interpretation of the statement " is approximately equal to ."

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7e6ea718
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7e6ea718

In the given equation, and are unique positive constants. When the equation is graphed in the xy-plane, how many
distinct x-intercepts does the graph have?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e6ea718 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. An x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is a point on the graph where the value of is . Substituting
for in the given equation yields . By the zero product property, the solutions to
this equation are , , , and . However, and are identical. It's given that and
are unique positive constants. It follows that the equation has unique
solutions: , , and . Thus, the graph of the given equation has distinct x-intercepts.

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: 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 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 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 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
Choice B is correct. Expanding all terms yields (x – 11y)(2x – 3y) – 12y(–2x + 3y), which is equivalent to 2x2 – 22xy – 3xy
+ 33y2 + 24xy – 36y2. Combining like terms gives 2x2 – xy – 3y2.

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 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 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 161126cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 161126cf

The function is defined by the given equation. The equation can be rewritten as , where is a
constant. Which of the following is closest to the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 161126cf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The equation can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to

, or approximately . Since it's given that can be rewritten as
, where is a constant, it follows that is approximately equal to . Therefore, is
approximately equal to . It follows that the value of is approximately equal to . Of the given choices,
is closest to the value of .

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 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. 2

D. 4

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 7a4475df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7a4475df

A function estimates that there were animals in a population in . Each year from to , the function
estimates that the number of animals in this population increased by of the number of animals in the population the
previous year. Which equation defines this function, where is the estimated number of animals in the population
years after ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7a4475df Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that a function estimates that there were animals in a population in and that
each year from to , the number of animals in this population increased by of the number of animals in the
population the previous year. It follows that this situation can be represented by the function ,
where is the estimated number of animals in the population years after , is the estimated number of
animals in the population in , and each year the estimated number of animals increased by . Substituting
for and for in this function yields , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This function represents a population in which each year the number of animals increased by
, not , of the number of animals in the population the previous year.

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a population in which each year the number of animals increased by ,
not , of the number of animals in the population the previous year.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a population in which each year the number of animals decreased, rather
than increased, by of the number of animals in the population the previous year.

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 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 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 be1b8c74
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: be1b8c74

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: be1b8c74 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. To express in terms of and , the given equation can be rewritten such that is isolated on one
side of the equation. Since it’s given that is a positive number, is not equal to zero. Therefore, dividing both sides
of the given equation by yields the equivalent equation , or .

Choice A 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 3a01a5ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear equations

in one variable and
systems of
equations in two
variables

ID: 3a01a5ee

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

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3a01a5ee Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. By the definition of absolute value, if , then or
. Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both
sides of this equation by 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 , and it follows that the sum of the solutions to the given equation is , or .

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

Choice B is incorrect. This is a solution, not the sum of the solutions, to the given equation.

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

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6e7ae9fc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6e7ae9fc

The function is defined by . The value of is , where is a constant. What is the

sum of all possible values of ?

ID: 6e7ae9fc Answer

Correct Answer: 25

Rationale
The correct answer is . The value of is the value of when , where is a constant.
Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is
equivalent to . It’s given that the value of is . Substituting for
in the equation yields . Since the
product of the three factors on the right-hand side of this equation is equal to , at least one of these three factors must
be equal to . Therefore, the possible values of can be found by setting each factor equal to . Setting the first factor
equal to yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore, is one possible value of
. Setting the second factor equal to yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields .
Therefore, is a second possible value of . Setting the third factor equal to yields . Taking the square
root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Therefore,
is a third possible value of . Adding the three possible values of yields , or . Therefore, the sum of
all possible values of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

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 48f83c34
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 48f83c34

A right rectangular prism has a height of inches. The length of the prism's base is inches, which is inches more than
the width of the prism's base. Which function gives the volume of the prism, in cubic inches, in terms of the length of
the prism's base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 48f83c34 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The volume of a right rectangular prism can be represented by a function that gives the volume of
the prism, in cubic inches, in terms of the length of the prism's base. The volume of a right rectangular prism is equal to
the area of its base times its height. It's given that the length of the prism's base is inches, which is inches more than
the width of the prism's base. This means that the width of the prism's base is inches. It follows that the area of
the prism's base, in square inches, is and the volume, in cubic inches, of the prism is . Thus, the
function that gives the volume of this right rectangular prism, in cubic inches, in terms of the length of the prism's
base, , is .

Choice A is incorrect. This function would give the volume of the prism if the height were inches more than the length
of its base and the width of the base were inches more than its length.

Choice B is incorrect. This function would give the volume of the prism if the height were inches more than the length
of its base.

Choice C is incorrect. This function would give the volume of the prism if the width of the base were inches more than
its length, rather than the length of the base being inches more than its width.

Question Difficulty: Hard

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