Desmos for the SAT · Start here
Typing Math in Desmos
Exponents, fractions, and roots without getting stuck.
Nova here. You have graphed a simple equation, so now let us handle the keyboard for the messier ones. Exponents, fractions, and roots are where beginners lose the most time, and it is never the math, it is the typing.
The whole trick is one key: the right arrow. It is how you climb back down out of an exponent or a fraction so the rest of what you type lands in the right place.
Nova
Real talk: the thing that trips up everyone new to Desmos is not the math, it is typing the math. Nail the arrow key here and the techniques are smooth.
Exponents: type ^, then arrow out
To square something, press the ^ key (or the a-squared button on the keypad), then type the power. Here is the part beginners miss: after the exponent, press the RIGHT ARROW to drop back down to the baseline. Skip it and everything you type next gets stuck up in the exponent.
Nova
The right arrow is your escape hatch. Type x2, arrow out, then keep going. Do it every single time and you will never get a runaway exponent again.
Try it: type x^2, press the right arrow, then type +3x. You want x squared plus 3x sitting on the baseline, not x raised to a giant tower.
Fractions: the slash stacks them
Press the / key and Desmos stacks a numerator over a denominator for you. Type the top, then the bottom fills in, and when you are done press the right arrow to step out of the fraction before you type anything else. For a fraction of a whole expression, wrap it in parentheses first, like (x+6)/2.
Nova
Same escape hatch as exponents: build the fraction, then right-arrow out. If your next few characters keep landing in the denominator, you forgot the arrow.
Type 3/4 and watch it stack. Then try (x+6)/2 the same way, and arrow out before you add anything after it.
Roots, absolute value, and pi: type the name
You do not hunt for symbols in Desmos, you type the word. Type sqrt and it becomes a square root sign with a box for whatever goes inside; fill the box, then arrow out. The same works for abs (absolute value) and pi. Type the name and Desmos converts it into the real symbol.
Nova
This is the friendly part. sqrt becomes the root sign, abs makes the bars, pi becomes the symbol. Just type what you would say out loud.
Try sqrt, then 49 inside, then arrow out. Then put abs(-8) and pi on their own lines and watch each one turn into its symbol.
Nova
That is the keyboard handled. You are ready for the techniques now, so go pick your first move below.
Now put it on a real SAT question
SAT Prep Quest drills let you practice these Desmos basics on real SAT questions, adapting to what you miss so nothing feels new on test day.
Practice freeSAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in producing, and does not endorse, this product. Score estimates are Learner Labs projections, not official College Board scores.