ACT Resources

Desmos on the Digital ACT

Use the guides below. Each covers the same skills in the same order as we use them on real problems. If your student is prepping for both SAT and ACT, learning Desmos once pays off on both tests.

Domain References

Section Strategy

Each section on the ACT rewards different habits. The test is shorter and faster-paced than the SAT, so knowing how to move through each section is often worth as many points as knowing more content.

English (75 questions, 45 minutes)

About 55 percent of the section is grammar mechanics, and the remaining 45 percent is rhetoric and style. The section is dense but rewards pattern recognition: if your student can name the grammar rule being tested, the answer follows quickly.

• The shortest grammatically correct answer is right more than half the time. When all four choices are grammatical, prefer the most concise option that preserves meaning.
• Know the Big Four grammar patterns cold: comma splices, subject-verb agreement across intervening phrases, pronoun clarity, and parallel structure in lists and comparisons. These four rules account for roughly a third of the grammar questions.
• For rhetoric questions, read the surrounding sentences before the one in question. Transitions, added-or-deleted sentences, and paragraph order all depend on context the student has to actually read.
• Do not waste time second-guessing "no change" answers. They are right roughly a quarter of the time, which is exactly the rate you would expect by chance.

Math (60 questions, 60 minutes)

Questions roughly escalate in difficulty across the section, with the first 30 being ninth- and tenth-grade math and the last 15 reaching into Algebra II and precalculus. Calculator use is permitted the entire time.

• Move quickly through the first 30 questions. These should be nearly automatic for a student aiming for a 28 or higher. Banking time here pays for slower work on the last 20.
• On the digital ACT, graph functions and systems in Desmos before trying to solve algebraically. Seeing a graph eliminates at least two choices on most questions.
• Skip multi-step geometry problems on the first pass if nothing jumps out. Come back with fresh eyes.
• Answer every question even if you guess. There is no penalty for wrong answers.

Reading (40 questions, 35 minutes)

Four passages of roughly 700 words each. Your student has about 8 minutes and 45 seconds per passage, which is not enough time to read carefully, answer questions carefully, and check work. Pick two of those three.

• Read the blurb, then the first question stem, before the passage. This primes your student for what to look for.
• Skim the passage with a finger or pen. Mark the first and last sentence of each paragraph, and any obvious transitions or structural shifts. Do not try to absorb details on the first pass.
• Passage order is usually Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science. If your student is faster at one type, do that one first.
• For line-reference questions, read two or three lines before the reference and two or three after, not just the cited sentence. Context matters.
• If your student is running out of time, skip to the easiest remaining passage type and take the pacing hit on the hardest. Uniform pacing across all four passages is not required.

Science (40 questions, 35 minutes)

The ACT Science section is not actually a science knowledge test. It is a reading-and-data-interpretation test with a science wrapper. Almost every answer is in the charts and tables. The text is mostly there to set up what the charts show.

• For every passage except Conflicting Viewpoints, look at the figures first and read the text only when a question requires it. Most questions can be answered from the charts alone.
• For Conflicting Viewpoints passages, read carefully. These questions depend on understanding each scientist’s argument, not the data. Summarize each viewpoint in five words before attacking the questions.
• Practice reading tables and graphs for trend direction before specific values. "Does y increase as x increases?" is usually enough information.
• Unit confusion is the single most common trap. Check axis labels and units before committing to an answer.

Test Day Prep

What to bring

• Approved photo ID and the printed admission ticket.
• Approved calculator (the ACT keeps a list online of banned models; some TI Nspire variants are not allowed).
• Number 2 pencils. Mechanical pencils are not allowed on paper administrations in most test centers. Bring three or four sharpened wood pencils and a good eraser.
• Water and a small snack for the break after Math. Protein-based snacks (nuts, cheese) hold up better than sugar.
• A watch without a sound (digital watches with alarms that cannot be disabled are banned). Do not rely on the proctor’s time calls; they are optional.

The night before and the morning of

• Lay out everything the night before, including the ID, ticket, and clothes. No last-minute hunting for anything.
• Eat a reasonable breakfast, no heavier than a weekday breakfast. A test day is not the day to try a new food.
• Arrive 30 minutes before the listed check-in time. Test centers close doors promptly and readmission after a late arrival is not guaranteed.
• Skip the warmup questions. Reviewing material on the morning of rarely helps and often increases anxiety.

Pacing cheat sheet

• English: about 36 seconds per question. If your student is not sure within 20 seconds, go with instinct and move on.
• Math: about 60 seconds per question. The first 30 questions should average 40 seconds; the last 30 will take longer.
• Reading: about 52 seconds per question, or just under 9 minutes per passage including reading.
• Science: about 52 seconds per question, but with 6 or 7 passages there is much more variance. Easy passages go fast; Conflicting Viewpoints eats time.

Score Goals and College Targets

A note on composite vs section scores. The ACT composite is the rounded average of the four section scores. This means a student can hit a composite target multiple ways: a student strong in English and Reading can carry a student weaker in Math or Science, and vice versa. Most selective colleges care about the composite, but some read section scores too (engineering schools will read Math hard; humanities programs will read English and Reading).