Test Strategy

What you'll learn

• Complete 10 questions in 11 minutes (target pace)
• Identify which problems benefit from a calculator and which are faster by hand
• Practice backsolving (plugging in answer choices) as a speed technique
• Develop a pacing plan: first 30 questions in 30 minutes, last 15 in 20 minutes
• Use the Desmos graphing calculator to graph functions, find intersections, solve systems, and verify answers visually

Key concepts

The ACT Math section has 45 questions in 50 minutes, roughly 67 seconds each. Questions are arranged approximately from easiest to hardest. A smart pacing strategy is to spend about 30 minutes on the first 30 questions and 20 minutes on the last 15. Backsolving (plugging answer choices into the problem to see which works) is highly effective on the ACT because the choices are in order. With 4 choices, start with B or C (the smaller of the two middle values): if it's too big, try A; if too small, jump to D and binary-search inward. The enhanced ACT embeds a Desmos graphing calculator on the online test. This is a powerful tool. Use Desmos to: (1) graph two equations and find their intersection to solve systems, (2) graph a function and visually identify its zeros, max/min, or behavior, (3) plug in answer choices and see which satisfies the equation, (4) verify your algebraic work. A physical calculator helps with arithmetic, but Desmos is faster for anything involving graphs or functions.

Pro tips

• Use your calculator for arithmetic but solve algebraic manipulations by hand. It's faster.
• For 'which of the following' questions, start testing from the answer choices rather than solving from scratch.
• If a question looks very complex, consider whether picking a simple number (like x = 2) and testing it works.