SBAC Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield SBAC facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is an inference? → A conclusion drawn from evidence
2. Evaluate the expression 3x - 4 when x = 5. → 11
3. When a writer uses the phrase 'According to the American Medical Association...' what is the purpose? → To attribute evidence to a credible source, increasing the argument's persuasiveness
4. Which of the following shows 0.045 written in expanded form? → 4 × 0.01 + 5 × 0.001
5. Which of the following expressions is equivalent to the expression, (x-3)/(x^3-6x^2-9x+54)? → 1/((x+3)(x-6))
6. What is 4/5 written as a decimal? → 0.8
7. Which sentence is punctuated correctly? → After the storm, we cleaned up.
8. Daniella wrote a decimal and a fraction which were equivalent to each other. Which pair of numbers could be the pair Daniella wrote? → 0.375,38
9. What does it mean to evaluate the credibility of a source? → Judge its reliability and accuracy
10. 2. Which of the following might be a good title for the above selection? → Clara Barton: "The Angel of the Battlefields"
11. When an author writes, 'Jake's heart sank when he heard the news,' what does this expression most likely mean? → Jake felt very disappointed or sad
12. A polynomial has factors of x-3, x+6, and x+2. Which of the following represents the graph of the polynomial? → A.
13. What is the value of 4³ (4 cubed)? → 64
14. Which heading would BEST help a reader quickly locate information about the effects of pollution on marine life? → Effects of Ocean Pollution on Marine Life
15. A pattern starts at 3 and adds 5 each time. What is the fourth number? → 18
16. Which of the following represents the difference of (3x^3-9x^2+6x)-(8x^3+4x^2-3x)? → -5x^3-13x^2+9x
17. For f(x) = 2x + 1, what is f(5)? → 11
18. Which function is nonlinear? → y = x^2
19. Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between the values of x and y, as shown in the table below? → The value of y is 4 times the value of x
20. What is the main function of a topic sentence? → State the paragraph's main idea
21. Plot the point (0, 4). Where does it lie? → On the y-axis, 4 units up
22. What is the purpose of a counterclaim in an argument? → To address opposing views
23. An author's tone is best defined as the author's: → Attitude toward the subject
24. A student wants to find the meaning of a technical term used in an informational text about the human body. Which text feature would be MOST helpful? → The glossary
25. Which fraction is equivalent to 1/2? → 3/6
26. Which best describes the climax of a story? → The turning point of greatest tension
27. What is the 'theme' of a story? → The central message or lesson the story teaches
28. What does it mean when a story has a 'conflict'? → There is a problem or struggle that the character must face
29. What is the least common multiple (LCM) of 4 and 6? → 12
30. How do two authors' purposes most likely differ when writing about the same event? → One may inform while another persuades