Hourly Prep
Sign inGet the app

SAT · Math · Problem-Solving and Data Analysis

Percentages on the Digital SAT: How to Answer These Questions

Whether you can calculate percents, percent change and repeated percent changes.

By Hourly Prep Editorial TeamReviewed October 1, 2026

How to answer it

  1. Find the change: new minus original.
  2. Divide by the original value.
  3. Multiply by 100 to get the percent.

Worked example

An original question in the SAT format, already answered.

SAT MathWorked example

A jacket’s price drops from $80 to $68.

By what percent did the price decrease?

  1. A12%
  2. B15%
  3. C17.6%
  4. D85%

Answer: B. The change is $12, and 12 ÷ 80 = 0.15, so 15%. Choice C divides by the new price, $68.

The most common trap

Dividing by the new value. Percent change is always measured from where you started.

Practice it

Hourly Prep’s daily sets mix percentages with the rest of SAT Math, and send more of it your way when it’s a weak spot. See how the SAT prep plan works, or browse the other SAT skill guides.

Primary sources

Keep going

SAT · Math

Ratios, Rates, Proportions, and Units

Set up a proportion with matching units in the same positions, then solve. Convert units before you compare them.

Read the guide →SAT · Math

One-Variable Data

Mean, median, mode and range respond differently to new values. An outlier moves the mean far more than the median.

Read the guide →SAT · Math

Two-Variable Data

On a scatterplot, the slope of the line of best fit is the predicted change in y for each one-unit increase in x.

Read the guide →SAT · Math

Probability and Conditional Probability

Probability is favorable outcomes over possible outcomes. For conditional probability, the group in the condition becomes the denominator.

Read the guide →

Practice percentages in 15 minutes a day.

Short SAT sets on the test-day screen, with an explanation for every question.

Get the app