The ACT Math section is a test of whether you can apply your knowledge of high-school Math in a fast-paced, efficient, & sometimes strategic way. It contains 60 questions to be completed in 60 minutes, and it is the ONLY section of the ACT on which the questions progressively become more difficult over the course of the section. In terms of the knowledge required, you may see questions pertaining to any topic ranging from Pre-Algebra through Pre-Calculus.
Most of the questions need only straightforward use of formulas and algebraic skill. There is, however, a sizable number of questions that will reward students who work cleverly with concepts to avoid having to do any working out OR who see how to cleverly rewrite or manipulate the given information strategically (the "reward" being less time spent on those questions, and thus more time to spend on others). Both kinds, however, require careful reading and processing of the information.
The best way to prepare for this test by filling any gaps in your knowledge and skill set and practicing what you learn on ACT-style questions. In fact, students who have a solid grounding in high-school Math will probably find this section a VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD test of their Math knowledge. Despite the stringent pacing (1 minute per question on average), students who get in enough practice are more than able to finish within the time limits. The easier (lower 40) questions, after all, do not require a full 1 minute to answer, leaving more time to work on the harder (upper 20) questions, and even the harder questions really only require learning the topics involved. These topics may be more obscure in the sense that not as many students have covered them, but the good news is that they are all VERY easy to learn!
However, if you are either weak/slow in Math even after considerable time/effort spent preparing for the test OR you have very little time to prepare, then consider basing your strategy on the following 3 facts:
1) There are 60 questions to be answered in 60 minutes, and the average difficulty of the questions rises progressively from the beginning till the end of the section.
2) All questions are worth the same number of points, REGARDLESS of their level of difficulty.
3) You are allowed a calculator for the duration of the ENTIRE section.
Strategically, what these 3 facts mean for YOU is that:
(a) You should focus more on getting 100% accuracy on the lower 40 questions before you worry about the upper 20.
(b) You may even wish to skip/guess on the last 10 so that you can use all the time on the lower 50 (with the priority being acing the lower 40)
(c) You should learn how to use a calculator to solve many of the problems. In particular, calculators are a useful tool for handling nearly all of the questions that involve working with functions and graphs, solving equations, evaluating algebraic expressions, and handling of trigonometry problems (among other things).
That said, nothing beats starting early and working with a qualified tutor to learn how to do your best WITHOUT having to resort to skipping/guessing on questions, etc. Reach out today to learn more on how I can help you!
