This paper presents the application of signal flow graphs (SFG) in the calculation of higher-order derivatives (sensitivities) of the linear circuit functions. The idea of exact differentiation of the circuit functions is based on the adjoint networks, translated into SFG language. Thanks to its application, it is possible to calculate the exact value of any order derivative of circuit function without knowing this function in explicit form. Moreover, these derivatives can be determined on the basis of analysis of only two graphs (circuits): the original and adjoint one. We show that the SFG approach to the sensitivity calculation allows to reduce greatly the complexity of calculations. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.