Important SAT Update: Transition to Digital SAT
Effective December 3, 2023, the traditional paper-and-pencil format of the SAT has been discontinued. Starting in 2024, all students are required to take the Digital SAT, ushering in substantial changes in duration, format, material coverage, and question types. This shift to the Digital SAT represents a departure from traditional testing methods. It is crucial for students, educators, and test-takers to acquaint themselves with the new examination structure. Read more about the Digital SAT here.
Most SAT® Math test questions come in the form of multiple-choice questions, but some SAT test questions are called grid-ins. These questions do not provide answer choices to choose from, so you must come up with an answer on your own and fill it in on the answer sheet. Sometimes, the College Board® will also refer to these questions as “student-produced responses.”
What Does A Grid-In Question Look Like?
Without any answer choices, you will need to provide your own answer choice on the answer sheet. You will be provided with a grid to write in the answer and bubble in the corresponding digits or symbols (like decimals or fractions). Your SAT test will provide you with an example to follow.
Rules To Know
You should know that you may not bubble in more than one circle per column. You should also know that your written answer must also be bubbled in for it to be considered by the College Board. If you only provide your answer in a written form on the line, it will not be considered correct. To be correct, the answer must be bubbled into the grid. You should also know that decimal answers cannot start with zero. If your decimal answer is larger than four digits, you may round up or fill in an abbreviated version. This may occur with an answer like .777992 being bubbled in as .778 or .777. If the question has more than one correct answer, be sure that you only bubble in one answer per question. You may be able to provide your answer as a decimal or fraction for some questions, but be sure that you convert any mixed numbers to improper fractions. You do not need to reduce fractions. Grid-in questions will not provide you with a negative sign, so negative answers are not possible with grid-in questions.
You will find questions that use this answer format at the end of the no-calculator and the calculator sections of the SAT Math test.
You can practice these tips for grid-in questions in the SAT Math test using UWorld’s SAT Prep Course. If you struggle with time management, then these grid-in questions may need a bit more practice. Our practice exams will provide you with plenty of examples to prepare you for test day. You can also find out more about your weak points through the prep course. It is a good idea to find out where you can improve. Try out UWorld’s SAT Prep Course and efficiently boost your SAT Math scores!
