Desmos for the SAT · Start here
What Desmos Is and Where It Lives on the SAT
The free calculator built into the digital SAT, and how to open it.
Nova here. Before we get to the fun stuff, give me two minutes on the basics: what Desmos actually is, when you get it, and how to open it.
Get this down now, and every technique later is just pointing and clicking. That is the whole game.
Nova
Two minutes, tops. Once you know what Desmos is and how to pull it up, every move in this series is just point and click.
What Desmos is
Desmos is a free online graphing calculator. On the Digital SAT it is built right into the Bluebook testing app, so there is nothing to download and nothing to bring. It is the same calculator you can use at desmos.com, so anything you practice transfers exactly.
You only get it on the Math section
The calculator is available the whole time on both Math modules. It is not there on the Reading and Writing section, and you do not need it there. So every Desmos move you learn is a Math move.
How to open it
During any Math module, click the Calculator button in the top toolbar. Desmos opens in a panel you can drag around and resize so it does not cover the question. Click the button again to tuck it away.
You can also bring your own approved handheld calculator, but the built-in Desmos does things a handheld cannot, like graphing an equation and clicking the exact answer, which is the whole point of this series.
Practice it here, not just on test day
Our practice tests use the same Bluebook-style calculator in the same spot, so drilling with it here builds the muscle memory you want on test day. Do not save Desmos for the real thing; the students who win points with it are the ones who already know the moves cold.
Meet the calculator
Here is the real thing, right on this page. Click into the box on the left and type y=2x+3, then watch Desmos draw the line the moment you finish. That instant feedback is the whole reason it wins you points.
Type y=2x+3 and watch it draw. Nothing to set up, just start typing.
Nova
That is the whole orientation. Next up you learn the five buttons that matter, and you will be graphing in minutes.
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.