PSAT Formula Sheet: Reference Sheet and Calculator (2026)

Every formula College Board gives you on the digital PSAT, the calculator rules, and the formulas you still have to know by heart.

Yes, the PSAT has a formula sheet: during the Math section of the digital PSAT, Bluebook gives you a reference sheet of 12 geometry formulas and relationships plus 3 facts about angles and arcs, plus a built-in Desmos calculator you can use on every math question. The sheet covers area, volume, the Pythagorean theorem and the two special right triangles. It does not cover slope, the quadratic formula, exponent rules, percent change or trigonometry ratios, and those show up on the test too.

This guide lists everything on the official PSAT reference sheet, confirms whether it matches the SAT's, explains the calculator policy, and gives you a compact table of the formulas you need to memorize because the sheet leaves them out.

What Is on the PSAT Formula Sheet?

College Board's Fall 2026 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide says that in the Math section "you have access to a list of common formulas." The list itself appears at the start of the Math section in College Board's official PSAT paper practice tests, under the heading Reference. Here is every item on it:

Shape or Fact	Formula Given
Circle	A = πr², C = 2πr
Rectangle	A = ℓw
Triangle	A = ½bh
Pythagorean theorem	c² = a² + b²
30-60-90 triangle	Sides x, x√3, 2x
45-45-90 triangle	Sides s, s, s√2
Rectangular prism	V = ℓwh
Cylinder	V = πr²h
Sphere	V = (4/3)πr³
Cone	V = (1/3)πr²h
Rectangular pyramid	V = (1/3)ℓwh
Three facts	360 degrees of arc in a circle; 2π radians of arc in a circle; triangle angles sum to 180 degrees

Above the reference list, the same page sets four ground rules that are worth knowing too: unless a question says otherwise, all variables and expressions represent real numbers, figures are drawn to scale, all figures lie in a plane, and the domain of a function f is every real x for which f(x) is a real number. "Drawn to scale" matters: if a figure looks like a right angle, you can use that to sanity-check an answer.

Is the PSAT Reference Sheet the Same as the SAT's?

Yes. We compared the Reference block in College Board's PSAT/NMSQT Practice Test 1, PSAT 8/9 Practice Test 1 and SAT Practice Test 4, and all three list the same shapes, the same formulas and the same three facts. That makes sense: the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 all belong to the SAT Suite, which College Board says measures "the same skills and knowledge in grade-appropriate ways."

The practical upshot is that one study sheet serves you from the PSAT through the SAT. If you have already worked through our SAT math formula sheet, you have covered the PSAT version as well.

A clay mat holding a cream triangle frame, a flat orange clay disc, a hollow coral clay tube and a light wooden ruler with plain tick marks

The PSAT Calculator Policy and Desmos

The reference sheet is half of your toolkit. The other half is the calculator, and on the PSAT it is allowed for the entire Math section. College Board's SAT Suite calculator policy, which covers the PSAT tests, sets these rules:

Desmos is built in. Bluebook includes an embedded Desmos calculator with a graphing option and a scientific option, and you can toggle between them at any point in the Math section
You may bring your own. Graphing, scientific and 4-function calculators are allowed, though College Board does not recommend 4-function models because they typically do not follow order of operations
No CAS. Calculators with computer algebra system functionality are no longer allowed on any SAT Suite test. That rules out the TI-89, TI-92, TI-Nspire CAS models, the HP Prime and the Casio ClassPad line, among others. A TI-Nspire without "CAS" in its name is acceptable
Other bans. No phone calculator apps, no QWERTY keyboards, no devices with wireless, Bluetooth or cellular connectivity, and no calculators that use paper tape
Math only. You may not use a calculator during the Reading and Writing section; it stays under your desk
A backup is built in. If your handheld calculator fails during testing and you have no spare, you can keep going with the embedded Desmos calculator

College Board also notes that some Math questions are better solved without a calculator even though one is allowed. For the full allowed and banned list, see our SAT calculator policy guide, which applies to the PSAT the same way.

Formulas You Must Memorize for the PSAT

The reference sheet is all geometry, but geometry is only one of the four PSAT math content domains: Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry. The Fall 2026 PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide puts Geometry and Trigonometry at just 4 to 6 of the 44 questions, against 13 to 15 for Algebra. These are the formulas and facts students commonly need that the sheet does not give you:

Topic	Formula or Fact
Slope	m = (y₂ - y₁) / (x₂ - x₁)
Line equations	y = mx + b; y - y₁ = m(x - x₁)
Parallel and perpendicular lines	Parallel: equal slopes. Perpendicular: slopes multiply to -1
Quadratic formula	x = (-b ± √(b² - 4ac)) / (2a)
Discriminant	b² - 4ac: positive = 2 real solutions, zero = 1, negative = no real solutions
Parabola vertex	x = -b / (2a); vertex form y = a(x - h)² + k has vertex (h, k)
Sum and product of roots	For ax² + bx + c = 0: sum = -b/a, product = c/a
Exponent rules	x^ax^b = x^a+b; (x^a)^b = x^ab; x^-a = 1/x^a; x^1/n = n-th root of x
Exponential growth and decay	y = a(1 + r)^t for growth, y = a(1 - r)^t for decay
Percent change	(new - old) / old × 100%
Mean	Sum of values / number of values
Probability	Favorable outcomes / total outcomes
Distance and midpoint	d = √((x₂ - x₁)² + (y₂ - y₁)²); midpoint ((x₁ + x₂)/2, (y₁ + y₂)/2)
Right-triangle trig	sin = opposite/hypotenuse, cos = adjacent/hypotenuse, tan = opposite/adjacent

A few of these deserve a note. Similar triangles have proportional sides, which is the idea behind many geometry and trig items. For linear and quadratic questions, graphing the equation in Desmos is frequently faster than any formula, which is why practicing with Desmos belongs on the same list. Some formulas you may see on SAT lists are not on this one on purpose: College Board's Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite lists circle theorems, circle equations, radians and the sine and cosine of complementary angles as SAT only, so learn them before the SAT rather than the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10. The PSAT 8/9 leaves out trigonometry as well. For topic-by-topic drills, see our PSAT math practice guide.

How the PSAT Math Section Works

Knowing the format helps you decide when to check the sheet and when to trust your memory. According to College Board's PSAT/NMSQT Math section page, the section has 44 questions split evenly between 2 modules, with 35 minutes per module, or about 1 minute and 35 seconds per question. Questions in each module run from easiest to hardest, and about 30% are set in a science, social studies or real-world context. Most are multiple choice; some ask you to type in your own answer.

At roughly a minute and a half per question, opening the reference sheet for a formula you could have recalled costs real time. Use the sheet as a safety net for the volume formulas you rarely use (cones, spheres, pyramids) and know the rest cold. For how this compares to the SAT's math section, read how many math questions are on the SAT, and for the PSAT as a whole see how many questions are on the PSAT.

How to Study the Formulas That Are Not on the Sheet

Write the memorize table from memory once a day for a week. Recall, not rereading, is what makes a formula stick
Attach each formula to a question. A formula you have used on five practice questions is one you will recognize under time pressure
Learn the Desmos shortcuts. Graph both sides of an equation and read the intersection; type a list of data to get its mean
Practice in short sets. Ten focused questions on slope or exponentials beat a full test you only skim afterward

Our SAT math page breaks down every domain the PSAT shares with the SAT, so you can find the area that costs you the most points.

Frequently Asked Questions About the PSAT Formula Sheet

Does the PSAT give you a formula sheet?

Yes. On the Math section of the digital PSAT you have access to a reference list of common formulas: area and circumference formulas, the Pythagorean theorem, the two special right triangles, five volume formulas and three facts about arcs and angles.

Is the PSAT formula sheet the same as the SAT formula sheet?

Yes. College Board's official PSAT and SAT practice tests print the same reference list, with the same formulas and the same three facts.

Is the quadratic formula on the PSAT reference sheet?

No. The reference sheet covers geometry only. You need to know the quadratic formula, slope, line equations, exponent rules and the trig ratios from memory.

Can you use a calculator on the whole PSAT math section?

Yes. An acceptable calculator can be used on the entire Math section, either the Desmos calculator built into Bluebook or your own approved handheld calculator without CAS features. Calculators are not allowed during Reading and Writing.

Is the TI-84 allowed on the PSAT?

College Board no longer keeps a list of specifically permitted graphing calculators; it bans CAS calculators and other listed features instead. A graphing calculator without CAS, QWERTY keys or wireless connectivity fits those rules, as long as you remove any programs with algebra functionality, and the TI-84 is not among the prohibited models College Board names.

Do I need to memorize the formulas on the reference sheet?

You do not have to, but it saves time. The sheet is there whenever you need it, yet recalling area and Pythagorean formulas instantly leaves more of your 35 minutes per module for the harder questions at the end.

Formulas stick when you use them on real problems, and short daily practice is the easiest way to get there. Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, a score estimate that tracks your progress, and 3 free quizzes a day. Start a free math quiz, or create a free account to build a streak before test day.