Combinations are another sort of problem on the SAT math section that will be frequently encountered. The good news is that they are easy to deal with. 

 

Combinations

 

Like probability, combinations can be independent or dependent. 

 

Five employees are trying out for positions on a 3-person committee.  How many 3-person committees can be formed that are distinct and different?

 

Five employees are shooting for spots on a 3-person committee.  There will be a Manager, an Editor, and a Secretary.  What is the amount of different 3-person committees can be formed with this infomation. 

 

The first question is dependent on the answer of other questions. For the second example question, every position is a different spot. So, if A is manager, there will only be so many possibilities while if B is manager there may or may not be the same number of possibilities. 

 

In unsure about shortcuts for these types of questions on the SAT, it is a good idea to write out the combinations longhand, but be careful when doing so. This is because combinations are usually on the SAT just to waste time of students taking the test. By writing it all out by hand, time is wasted and taken away from other questions on the test, which can lower the overall math score on the SAT.