On the new SAT, algebra items are one of three basic types:

Here’s a brief description of each item type.

These are easy to spot. The stem is slap-dash full of numbers and letters (the letters should probably be referred to by their math name, variables). Manipulating the letters and numbers so they do your bidding is the key to these items, but this isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

You’ve already seen a sample Buncho item twice:

Buncho!

These items often have hidden variables, but they can also be clearly spotted by their talkiness. Storytime Algebra items are word problems that either come right out and ask you to set up an algebraic equation or are written in a way that leads you to believe you must set up an algebraic equation to find the correct answer. This assumption—that you have to set up an equation—isn’t true, but we’ll talk about that later. A sample Storytime Algebra item looks like:

There are variables throughout the item, and the stem blathers on for some time. That’s Storytime Algebra for you.

Old-timey function items on the SAT used only strange mathematical symbols, such as . These looked bizarre but just meant that you were to take any number between the two “horseshoes” and multiply it by 3. These functions were simple. Maybe too simple, because these items have been replaced with new kinds of function items. It’s survival of the fittest on the new SAT Math section. For example:

Many new functions feature graphs too. If you see an item with a bunch of graphs and no geometry figures around, the best bet is that it’s a new function item.

We cover each of the items and provide you with powerful step methods and strategies so you are prepared to answer any item you encounter.