ACT Math Tips for Aspirants

A standardized test used throughout the USA, the ACT, or American College Testing, assesses students' readiness for college education. Scoring well on this test enables students to secure admission to renowned American colleges. 

This paper and pencil exam comprise multiple-choice questions. It is conducted for two hours and 55 minutes, with an additional 40 minutes for those appearing for the optional Writing section. 

Besides Writing, there are four mandatory sections – English, Math, Reading, and Science. 

The questions in the ACT Math test are highly varied, ranging from Geometry to Algebra. Vital ACT Math tips include regular practice, which makes securing a good score easy. 

ACT Sections 

Find the details of the ACT sections below: 

ACT Section	Number and Type of Questions	Duration	Areas Assessed
English	75 multiple-choice questions	45 minutes	Rhetoric skills, grammar, and sentence structure
Science	40 multiple-choice questions	35 minutes	Analysis of science-based passages through tables, graphs, and charts
Mathematics	60 multiple-choice questions	60 minutes	Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra I and II
Reading	40 multiple-choice questions	35 minutes	Comprehension skills through four passages on natural sciences, social studies, fiction, and humanities
Writing	1 essay	40 minutes	Observation and Analytical skills through essay writing based on a short passage and its perspectives

Out of these, only the Writing section is optional. Among the mandatory sections, the Math section is allotted the maximum time. Scoring well here can significantly improve the overall ACT score. 

A vital ACT Mathematics test tip is to focus on straightforward questions before attempting the challenging ones. Use a calculator to speed things up. 

Tips to Ace ACT Math Sections 

Students who need to strengthen their preparations will benefit from the ACT Math section tips below –

1. Learning the Art of Prioritization: In time-sensitive examinations like the ACT, it is essential to learn time management. This begins with understanding the importance of attempting the easier questions before challenging ones. 

Students must ensure they are 100% confident with the easy questions before proceeding to the tough ones (the aim is not to answer all questions but to answer as many correctly). 

2. Taking the Smarter Route: In some cases, students may not need to dive into complex algebra. They can look at the question and make the choices work to help them get the correct answer. This is an efficient way to solve and takes lesser time. 

3. Replacing Abstract with Concrete Values: The ACT loves to ask questions that contain variables such as 'x' and 'y'. Since it is more challenging to work with abstract values, students must replace them with concrete numbers. This will make the calculation process efficient. 

4. Cutting Through the Fluff: In the case of word problems, there is often much fluff. Learning to navigate through the fluff is essential – this is also among the critical ACT Mathematics test tips. 

Regular practice will help students identify the problem's actual question. 

5. Having Proper Content Knowledge: The ACT English and Mathematics sections depend heavily upon content knowledge— even the most complex formulas must be memorized. 

Students are recommended to stay in touch with these formulas till they become second nature. 

6. Identifying Question Concepts: Though ACT math problems are generally divided into three broad sections – Modelling, Integrating Higher Skills, and Preparation for Higher Math – the crux lies in understanding the tested concept. 

For instance, students must identify whether the question tests their trigonometry, exponents, or geometry skills. This helps to cut through the fluff and answer faster. 

7. Embracing the Guessing Game: ACT does not penalize students for the wrong answers, so it is best to try at least to attempt all (if left with some time). 

Students can use the power of elimination for complex questions to arrive at the most likely correct answer. 

8. Becoming Calculator-Savvy: Students must work with and without calculators during practice sessions. 

This will help them understand what works best for a particular problem. Also, frequent use of the calculator makes it easy to operate on examination day. 

9. Going Black-and-White: Students often choose to solve a math problem in their heads without writing it down. This can be a mistake, even if the question is easy. 

Writing down (even briefly) helps double-check the figures and arrive at the correct answer. 

10. Being Suspicious of Figures: In ACTs, the instructions read, "figures may NOT draw to scale." What this means is that looks can be deceptive. 

The idea is to not rely on figures and refer to given values. For instance – Do not immediately assume that an angle is 90 degrees because it appears so. Always refer to the value provided. 

Know More About:

• ACT Writing Test
• ACT Reading Test
• ACT English Test

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