December SAT · study plan
The December SAT is on Saturday 5 December. Here's a math plan that fits.
If you're aiming for the 5 December SAT, the first job isn't math: register by Friday 20 November (11:59 p.m. Eastern / 10:59 p.m. Central). After that, late registration runs to 24 November with an extra fee. Dates and links are on College Board's dates and deadlines page.
Once that's done, here's a simple plan for the math section. It assumes about 30–45 minutes a day.
This week: find out where you are.
Take one full practice test in Bluebook, timed, in one sitting. Don't review while you go. Afterwards, write down every math question you missed and every one you got right but guessed or ran out of time on. That list is your study plan.
Next week: fix the patterns, not the questions.
Group your list by topic: linear equations, quadratics, systems, circles, percentages, statistics. Pick the two topics that show up most and spend most of your time there. Khan Academy's free SAT practice is organised by exactly these skills.
Get fluent in Desmos.
Bluebook has a Desmos graphing calculator built in, and a lot of questions are faster with a graph than with algebra. Systems of equations (graph both, tap the intersection), quadratic roots (tap the x-intercepts), vertex questions (tap the turning point) and circles (type the equation as given) are the big ones, with exponential growth and lines of best fit close behind (all the walkthroughs are in one place). Practise typing them until it's automatic: fractions with /, exponents with ^, and the right arrow to get out. Just as useful is knowing when not to graph. If you can see the answer, or it's sum-of-roots (−b/a), doing it by hand is faster.
Final week: one more full practice test, then go lighter.
Take a second timed practice test about a week out and review it the same way. In the last few days, redo questions you missed before instead of cramming new material. Sleep matters more than one extra hour of practice.
When a practice question stops you
That's what we built CalcHack for. Snap the practice question and it shows you the quickest way through it, in Desmos or by hand, step by step on a live graph. The answer stays hidden until you've had a go. You get 5 free scans a day, and it's for practice only. Here's one worked example, and our free Desmos cheat sheet covers the entries above in more detail.
Try a practice question freeNot taking it in December? The same plan works for 6 March (register by 19 February).