Yes. The built-in Desmos calculator can graph and solve, but you still need to know which formula sets up the problem. Formulas tell you what to compute; the calculator just does the arithmetic faster once you've set it up.
The failure mode is subtle: students who lean on Desmos tend to lose time rather than accuracy, because they reach for the graph before deciding what the question is asking. Knowing the formula is what lets you recognise the shape of a problem in a few seconds, which is where the time is actually won.
The full picture, with the surrounding detail, is in SAT Math Formulas You Actually Need to Memorize (2026).