SAT Exponents and Radicals: The Rules You Must Know
A cheat sheet for Digital SAT exponent rules, radical simplification, and the fractional-exponent conversion that unlocks half these problems.
Core Exponent Rules
These show up on every Digital SAT.
- a^m · a^n = a^(m+n)
- a^m / a^n = a^(m−n)
- (a^m)^n = a^(mn)
- a^0 = 1
- a^(−n) = 1/a^n
- a^(1/n) = n-th root of a
Radicals Are Just Fractional Exponents
√x = x^(1/2), ∛x = x^(1/3). Converting radicals to fractional exponents often makes a messy SAT problem collapse into a clean one.
What to do after reading this
- Turn the article into one action: a bank drill, a timed module, or a score calculation.
- Write down the exact skill or habit you are testing.
- Review the result before reading another guide.
Related SAT guides
- SAT Quadratics Guide: Every Formula and Trick
Quadratics appear on nearly every Digital SAT Math module. Here's every formula, factoring trick, and Desmos shortcut you need.
- Every SAT Math Formula You Need to Memorize
The complete list of Digital SAT math formulas to memorize — including what the reference sheet already covers and what it doesn't.
Mistakes to avoid
- Reading multiple guides without doing practice between them.
- Using broad practice when the article points to a narrow skill.
- Treating format knowledge as score improvement before testing it under time.
Use this in practice
Practice on 1600.now
Apply what you just read. Run the numbers in the SAT score calculator, take a full Digital SAT module, or drill targeted skills in the question bank.
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