The test’s structure

The ACT Math section has 45 questions and a 50-minute time limit. Each question has four answer choices. We’re teaching it first because it’s the top priority for most students, even though it’s actually the second of the required sections on the exam.

ACT Math questions can be roughly divided by difficulty into easy, medium, and hard.

Questions generally increase in difficulty throughout the section, with earlier questions being easier and later questions more challenging. Because the test generally gets harder as you go, it usually makes sense to work from beginning to end and plan for the later questions to take more time.

Question categories

The questions aren’t grouped by category on the exam, but it helps to know the breakdown so you can spot your strengths and weaknesses. Some categories appear more often than others.

• Pre-algebra: Very common
• Elementary algebra: Very common
• Intermediate algebra: Very common
• Plane geometry: Common
• Coordinate geometry: Common
• Trigonometry: Uncommon

Since you’ll be tested on everything, you need to learn and practice every category. At the same time, it’s useful to think about how much each area affects your score. For example, trigonometry might be your weakest subject, but there are relatively few trigonometry questions. If you’re also weak in geometry, practicing geometry may raise your score more because those questions appear more often.