Best Free Materials to Prepare for the SAT

You don’t need to spend money to prepare for the Digital SAT.

Between College Board, Khan Academy, and the broader online test-prep community, there’s a wealth of free resources available to help you get ready for the SAT. These resources include full-length practice tests, online courses, and test banks with thousands of practice questions—all created or officially endorsed by College Board. These resources offer a realistic sense of the Digital SAT’s format, content, and difficulty, often making them better than many paid alternatives.

With so many test-prep tools out there, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve rounded up and analyzed the best free SAT prep resources available. Each of these resources serves a different purpose, but used together in the right way, they can provide everything you need to prepare.

1. Bluebook App / Official Practice Exams

College Board offers six official practice exams through its Bluebook app—the same platform used on test day. These tests replicate the real experience: same format, tools, timing, and accommodations. The only downside to these practice tests is that there are only six of them, so you want to avoid burning through them. To make the best use of these tests, you should make sure you have ample time to prepare before your exam.

 How to use:

• • Take the first practice test to establish a baseline of your strengths and weaknesses.

• • After your first exam, take a few weeks to practice your weakest areas (timing varies depending on your schedule).

• • After spending some time practicing specific skills, take another test to track your progress.

• • Repeat the process: after each practice test, identify your errors and focus your study on them.

 Downsides:

• • There are only six tests; use them wisely!

• • Some students may struggle to sit through a full test without a proctor.

Download Bluebook here:
Bluebook Download

2. College Board Question Bank

This is the ultimate resource for official practice questions. This question bank includes thousands of SAT practice questions created by College Board, categorized by topic and difficulty. Even better, you can filter and download custom question sets tailored to your needs. As stated before, use this tool between full practice exams to target your weak spots.

 How to use:

• • Create topic-focused question sets to help you practice and improve on specific types of questions. You can include more difficult problems as you improve.

• • Create mixed problem sets that simulate mini practice sections and mirror real testing conditions. This can also help with identifying different question types so you can quickly decide how to approach each one.

• • Time yourself while doing problem sets to work on pacing and strategies.

• • Important: Use the “Exclude Active Questions” filter to avoid using questions used on the practice tests.

Downsides:

• • The interface can be difficult to navigate.

• • Manually selecting questions can be tedious and overwhelming. 

• • You’ll need to explore and experiment to build the most effective sets.

Use the question bank here:
Question Bank

For your convenience, we’ve downloaded all the questions (excluding active ones) into PDFs organized by topic and difficulty: SAT Question PDFs

3. Khan Academy’s Digital SAT Courses

Khan Academy, in partnership with College Board, offers free SAT lessons and practice. The material is split into two courses: Math and Reading & Writing. The courses are designed to introduce and teach the topics covered on the exam. These lessons are great for reviewing content you struggle with and are especially helpful when you’re just starting out. Please note that the courses focus on content review rather than strategy, and the difficulty level is slightly below that of the real exam.

Best Uses:

• • Learning concepts you haven’t yet mastered

• • Accessing additional practice questions officially endorsed by College Board

• • Particularly helpful for reviewing grammar rules in detail

Downsides:

• • Questions are generally easier than actual SAT items, making it less useful for more advanced students.

• • No strategy or test-taking guidance is included.

Access Courses Here:
SAT Math Course

SAT Reading and Writing Course

4. Desmos Calculator

Desmos is the calculator integrated into the Digital SAT. It’s not a prep tool on its own, but mastering it can save you a lot of time on the test—and make tough math problems far easier. When preparing for the Math section, always have the Desmos calculator open to build fluency with its functions and learn when and how to use it effectively.

Best Uses:

• • Practice using Desmos every time you do math problems.

• • Experiment with inputting problems for quick solutions.

• • Learn shortcuts for graphs, equations, and systems.

Access Desmos Here:

Desmos Calculator

Helpful community tips:

Reddit Desmos Thread

Where Free Resources Fall Short

Free resources are excellent for practice, but they don’t always teach you how to take the test. They often lack:

• • Time-saving strategies

• • Tips for quickly identifying and solving question types

• • A study plan tailored to your schedule, goals, and strengths

That’s where a tutor can help—offering targeted strategies, structure, and accountability to make your prep more effective.

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Need More Help?

If you’re overwhelmed by all the options, not sure where to start, or want to make your prep as effective as possible, our expert tutors are here to guide you every step of the way.

We offer:

• • Personalized test-taking strategies

• • Custom study plans based on your schedule and goals

• • Guidance on how to get the most out of prep resources

• • Motivation and accountability to keep you on track

Whether you’re just starting out or trying to break through a score plateau, we can help you reach your goals faster and smarter.

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