How to Prepare for theACT Math Test

This scoring category measures how well students can synthesize and apply their understanding to solve more complex problems such as rates and percentages; proportional relationships; area, surface area, and volume; average and median; and expressing numbers in different ways.

This is being tested on questions that ask you to solve non-routine questions in a series of steps, and understand the connections between them.

This category mostly covers algebra as a general way of expressing and solving equations and is divided into five subcategories:

  1. Number & Quantity

Here, students are asked to demonstrate knowledge of real and complex number systems, including integer and rational exponents, and vectors and matrices.

  2. Algebra

Solve, graph, and model multiple types of expressions, including but not limited to linear, polynomial, radical, and exponential relationships.

  3. Functions

The questions here test students’ knowledge of function definition, notation, representation, and application. Students will need to manipulate and translate functions, as well as find and apply important features of graphs.

  4. Geometry

These questions ask students to apply their knowledge of shapes and solids, such as congruence and similarity relationships or surface area and volume measurements, and solve for missing values in triangles and other shapes, including using trigonometric ratios and equations of conic sections.

  5. Statistics & Probability

Describe centre and spread of distributions, apply, and analyse data collection methods, understand and model relationships in bivariate data, and calculate probabilities, including the related sample spaces.

This scoring category measures how well you can synthesise and apply your understanding to solve more complex problems such as rates and percentages; proportional relationships; area, surface area, and volume; average and median; and expressing numbers in different ways.

This is being tested on questions that ask you to solve non-routine questions in a series of steps and understand the connections between them.

Finally this refers to all the questions that involve producing, interpreting, understanding, evaluating, and improving models.

The ACT Math Test can be broken down into 6 question types: pre-algebra, elementary algebra, and intermediate algebra questions; plane geometry and coordinate geometry questions; and some trigonometry questions.

Practice questions for each type can be found on the official ACT website here.

ACT Algebra can be divided into 14 pre-algebra questions based on math terminology (integers, prime numbers, and so on), basic number theory (rules of zero, order of operations and so on), and manipulation of fractions and decimals.

There are 10 elementary algebra questions based on inequalities, linear equations, ratios, percentages, and averages; and 9 intermediate algebra questions based on exponents, roots, simultaneous equations, and quadratic equations.

This means a total for this section of 33 questions.

ACT Geometry contains 14 plane geometry questions based on angles, lengths, triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, perimeter, area, and volume; plus 9 coordinate geometry questions based on slope, distance, midpoint, parallel and perpendicular lines, points of intersection, and graphing.

This makes for a total of 23 questions in the geometry section.

ACT Trigonometry is 4 questions based on basic sine, cosine, and tangent functions, trig identities, and graphing.

It's important to get familiar with the ACT Math instructions now, so that they are not new to you on the day of the test. These are available in the official Preparing for the ACT Guide.

• Choose the correct solution to each question and fill in the corresponding bubble on your answer sheet
• Do not continue to spend time on questions if you get stuck. Solve as many questions as you can before returning to any if time permits
• You may use a calculator on this test for any question you choose. However, some questions may be better solved without a calculator
  Unless otherwise stated, you can assume:
• Figures are NOT necessarily drawn to scale
• Geometric figures are two dimensional
• The term line indicates a straight line
• The term average indicates arithmetic mean

The most important step in preparing for the ACT Math test is creating a study plan that effectively targets the areas that matter for improving your score.

Once you understand the format and content of the test, the best move is to take a practice test under test conditions. The information you get from your score there will be valuable for guiding your preparation.

Firstly, you will get an accurate picture of where you weaknesses are in a general sense. Are there gaps in your content knowledge or do you struggle with time management? Understanding your relative weak spots will help you to focus your efforts and will have a big impact on your final score.

The most common errors are simply not having the skill or knowledge for a particular question, or careless errors where you just misunderstood what the question was asking you to do or solved for the wrong thing.

If your mistakes are gaps in knowledge, be focused on acquiring the knowledge you need and don’t stop until you know that if that question came up again you would know exactly what to do.

Here, things like flashcards can be helpful to help you memorise key concepts and all the formulae you will need. Careless errors are mostly avoided by using the right test strategies on the day, which we’ll talk about shortly.

Timed practice is invaluable. Your ability to understand and apply key concepts is irrelevant if you do not have the time to answer correctly.

Often, students focus solely on mastering content, neglecting the equally important aspect of pacing. Without the skill to efficiently allocate your time, even the most prepared student can find themselves at a disadvantage.

The initial results from your first few attempts at a complete timed Math section might be less than encouraging. However, it's crucial to understand that these early scores are not definitive indicators of your true potential.

Rather than viewing them as failures, consider them as baseline measurements from which you can grow. Improvement is a gradual process, and it is normal for progress to initially appear slow.

As you continue to practice under timed conditions, you'll start to notice a shift. Patterns will emerge, and you'll begin to recognize which types of questions you can answer more quickly and which ones require more thought.

This awareness is key to enhancing your time management skills. You'll learn to allocate your time more strategically, focusing your efforts where they are needed most.

Moreover, as you become more familiar with the format and types of questions, your confidence will grow. This newfound confidence will further aid in your ability to navigate the exam more efficiently, as you'll spend less time second-guessing your answers. In turn, this will allow you more time to tackle the more challenging questions that might have previously seemed insurmountable.

Embrace making mistakes in your practice questions! These are, believe it or not, the best revision tool in your armoury.

Compile all of the questions that you get wrong, your responses and record where and why you made an error. If this is not clear, consult with a tutor or teacher for clarification.

Analysing your errors are essential - it will identify weaknesses in your understanding, or how closely you read the questions. This collection of errors will be invaluable in the immediate weeks before the exam, enabling you to efficiently focus on where you went wrong and how to avoid it next time.

Common mistakes, which you can avoid by effectively training yourself in practice, include not reading the question thoroughly and not paying attention to the units.

Leveraging time-tested strategies for tackling math problems can significantly enhance your time management, especially when faced with complex word problems. These require you to distill the problem's core from the surrounding text.

A powerful approach is to translate sentences into mathematical equations, employing symbols to swiftly zero in on the essence of the problem. Consider this: when a problem discusses combining quantities, represent this with a "+" symbol; similarly, use an "x" for multiplication when you see the term 'product'.

Next, engage in a bit of detective work: what clues are given that can guide you to a solution? What are the units involved? What sequence of steps should you follow to reach the correct solution?

Equally crucial is a careful examination of the answer options. What sets them apart? Are the units consistent with your calculations?

Finally, don't forget to revise your work. It's crucial to ensure you've not only tackled the correct question but also noted your answer precisely to avoid losing points unnecessarily.

Online resources can be an effective way to maximise your preparation. With the proliferation of resources available, try to ensure that you focus on trusted sources. The official ACT site is a good place to start.

Working with a tutor can be an effective tool to help you to target the weak areas that you notice in your preparation. The specialist tutors at A-List have lots of experience in delivering tuition with a proven track record of improving success outcomes. Following a 25-hour tuition programme, the majority of our students improve their ACT score by 7 points, while the top 25% increase by 9 points. 

A-List also has intensive 5-day ACT courses for students who prefer group training.

The day of the test is your chance to demonstrate everything you have learned and secure yourself a great score.

Your test day performance though doesn’t start that morning, but the night before. Make sure you are well rested, have eaten well, and had enough water to drink.

Ideally, pay extra attention to your wellbeing for at least a week before the test. You deserve to feel good and do your best on the day.

Practising in the run up to the test will have given you solid time-management skills meaning that you will understand how to move steadily through the questions, completing the easier ones quickly and allowing extra time for the multi-step or more complex ones.

You may have to skip a question on the first pass through, but don’t panic. The aim is to keep working steadily, and if you have to guess, eliminate the answers you know are not correct and make a reasonable estimate.

Mental and physical stamina here is key, which you can bolster with strategic practice, taking care of your health, and a positive mindset.

Finally, know that you have done enough preparation, and this is your chance to apply that knowledge. Be careful of “silly” mistakes caused by lack of focus with simple tricks like underlining specifically what the question is asking you to solve for.

Lots of students get tricked into solving the wrong thing and lose marks but this doesn’t have to be you! Also, be very careful with your calculator entry. For example, "3 + 9 / 3" is completely different from "(3 + 9) / 3".

A-List has been a leader in US university pathways for almost 20 years.

All of our tutors are first class graduates from leading US universities - including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth and University of California - they combine in depth subject knowledge with insight into what it takes to succeed in some of the world’s most demanding academic environments.

For each subject area, we train our students in a thorough grounding of foundational to advanced content, stretching them with material beyond past papers and drills to produce articulate, well-rounded thinkers.

To enquire about A-List ACT support services, contact our Client Service team at +44 (0)20 3004 8101 or info@alisteducation.co.uk, anytime during our office hours Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm.