Best ACT Math Strategies With Sarah!

Is the ACT math section leaving you frustrated? It doesn’t have to! 

Learn some of Revolution's favorite math strategies with expert tutor Sarah! 

1. Know the layout! 

It’s important to get comfortable with the way the test questions are laid out so you don’t experience any surprises on test day! Conserve your brainpower for the hard stuff. You got this.

2. Focus on the first 30. 

On the ACT, the questions tend to get harder as you go. Small strategic shifts can make a big difference in your score. Slow down, take a breath, and focus on getting the first 30 math questions right. Don’t make mistakes on the easier stuff! 

3. Create a personal order of difficulty 

Categorize questions as “now,” “later,” or “never.” If you’re confident you can do a problem quickly and accurately, it’s a now. If you think you can do it, but it’ll be time consuming, it’s a later. If you have no idea what’s happening, cut your losses, guess, and move on. 

4. Know the formulas! 

The ACT doesn’t have a reference sheet, so you’re expected to know basic geometry formulas. Prepare for that in advance! 

5. Find your math weaknesses and drill them 

Identify the content areas and question types that you struggle with most. Understand what you tend to miss and center your studying efforts on getting more of those tricky questions right! 

6. Know the question types, and how often they come up

You’ll see about 10 basic algebra questions, 15 that test advanced algebra, 13 that test geometry, 10 that test coordinate geometry, and 12 that test trig and percents. 

7. Use the answer choices

Sometimes, it helps to use the answer choices in front of you when you’re trying to narrow down your options. If you’re asked to solve a variable, and it’s a multiple choice question, plug an answer choice back in to see if it works! 

8. Guess on every question you don’t know 

Make sure every single bubble is filled in before time is called. Even if you’re unsure, guessing won’t count against you, and you have the chance to rack up some additional points you’d leave behind if you skipped those questions entirely. 

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