Algebra Cheat Sheets & Math Reference Sheets
An algebra cheat sheet is one printer-friendly page holding the rules of a single unit, each beside a worked example. Ten of them are free to print here, each in two versions: worked, and blank so students fill in the examples as the unit is taught. The blank one is the version most teachers actually assign.
The free makers
No account, no Canva, no cap on printing.
The six algebra sheets, in course order
Each is one page. Together they follow an Algebra 1 course from September to May.
- Order of Operations & Integer Rules — including why −3² is not (−3)².
- Fractions, Decimals & Percents — operations, conversions, and percent change.
- Solving Equations & Inequalities — the method in order, and the sign that flips.
- Linear Functions & Graphing — slope, the three forms, parallel and perpendicular, systems.
- Exponents & Polynomials — the six rules, FOIL, and the (x + 4)² trap.
- Factoring & Quadratics — factoring in order, the formula, the discriminant, the parabola.
Why the blank version is the one that works
A reference sheet a student wrote is a reference sheet a student can find things on. Hand out the blank version at the start of the unit, with every rule printed and the example space ruled and empty, and have students fill in each worked example as you teach it.
It costs nothing, it gives you a formative check as you walk the room, and by the test they own a page they know their way around instead of a handout they have never read.
Turning one into an anchor chart
Print at 100%, then enlarge on the copier to 141% twice to land at roughly A2. Use the one-column layout for anything going on a wall — two columns at wall distance reads as a block of grey.
The section headings are solid bars in the accent colour precisely so they survive an enlargement and a photocopy generation or two. Everything else on the sheet is type, which is why it enlarges cleanly at all.
A note on getting the maths right
These sheets were written to be correct rather than complete. Eleven right rules are worth more to a student than twenty with one wrong one, and a formula sheet with an error in it is the worst thing a site like this could hand a classroom.
If you find a mistake on any sheet, tell us and it will be fixed the same day.
Already made, if you would rather not spend the evening
Every pack has a real free sample on its own page — several complete pages, not a watermarked teaser.
Questions
What is an algebra cheat sheet?
One printer-friendly page holding the rules of a single unit, each with a worked example beside it. Students keep it in a notebook, tape it inside a folder, or enlarge it into a classroom anchor chart. It is not a shortcut past learning the rules — it is the reference students use while they are still learning them.
Which algebra topics should be on a reference sheet?
One unit per sheet. In an Algebra 1 course that means: order of operations and integer rules; fractions, decimals and percents; solving equations and inequalities; linear functions and graphing; exponents and polynomials; and factoring and quadratics. A separate geometry formula sheet covers area, volume, angles and the Pythagorean theorem.
What is a blank or “student notes” cheat sheet?
The same page with every rule printed and the example space left ruled and empty, so students write the worked example themselves as the unit is taught. Writing it is most of what makes the sheet findable to them later, which is why it is usually the assigned version.
Can I make a reference sheet for my own unit?
Yes, free. In the reference sheet maker, switch to “build my own”, start a line with ## for a section heading, then write one rule per line and use an equals sign to add a worked example. It lays out into the same one-page format, and the blank-for-notes version works on it too.
Is there a printed set of all of them?
The Algebra Reference Sheet Library is all ten sheets in course order, each in both versions, for $5.99. The maker stays free.
More for teachers
We publish puzzle books too
Every titlePaperbacks we wrote and printed ourselves — including one written for people who teach.
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