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Most math concepts covered between sixth grade and Algebra 2 are fair game. That includes basic number theory, linear equations, polynomials, modeling, data analysis, 3D objects and volume. But you need to know more than just math concepts to do well. You need to be able to reason with the information you've been given and figure out how you can get to the answer. This may involve several steps, and this process doesn't lend itself to memorizing those steps.

Maybe, maybe not. Being good at high school math is probably the best background you can bring to the table. But a lot of students who are good at high school math struggle in this section because high school math often encourages students to simply memorize the steps that are needed to do each problem. The ACT doesn't really work that way, so it's possible to be great at high school math but struggle on the ACT Math Test.

Practice tests are certainly important, but a better approach is to use those tests to help you identify your weak areas. Then, spend some time reviewing those areas and improving your underlying content skills before doing the next practice test.

Nope. Gosh, could you imagine?

Not necessarily. If you are an advanced math student, you likely took pre-Algebra years and years ago. That means you're rusty on things like linear equations, and you very possibly missed some questions simply because it's been a while since you did the easy stuff.

Reading scientific passages and interpreting the information presented. The passages are designed to feel like they are over your head. They aren't written to be accessible to high school students. But don't let that discourage you. Everything you need to answer every single question is right there in the passage.

Probably not. Every college makes their own policy regarding how they handle admissions to specific programs within their university, but we aren't aware of any colleges that require a certain score on the ACT Science Test in order to pursue a scientific major.

Yes, almost certainly. But you don't need to read everything. You need only a cursory understanding of the passages in order to answer the questions. The exception to this is the comparative viewpoints passage -- you need to actually read it well enough to understand it.

The first thing you need to know is that getting better at this section will speed you up more than anything else. Practice slowly -- even if that means spending five minutes per question -- in order to learn how this section works. However, there are some tricks. For most students, the comparative viewpoints passage takes the longest. Save it until the end. For multiple experiments passages, only read the introductory text and skim the text for each experiment.

Unless your strengths are so strong that there isn't much room left for improvement (i.e., you are scoring a 750+ on math), you should spend some time on both. However, for a lot of students, the biggest gains in the shortest time often come from getting better at their weaknesses.

This of course various, but a lot of students could get real improvement by spending four hours per week for eight weeks on ACT prep. That time should be split between reviewing content and doing practice tests.

No matter how much time you spend on ACT prep, remember that quality time is more important than anything else. Treat every practice question like it's a test question, and have a plan that guides how you will spend your time.

If you get the score you need, once is enough. Okay, that's a cop out. There isn't an inherent advantage in taking the test a lot of times unless you underperformed on it, and you should know whether you underperformed because you should have already taken some official practice tests. If you've been scoring a 21 on practice tests and you score about a 21 on test day, you shouldn't expect to do better just by taking it again. Instead, you'll need to do some prep and actually get better at the ACT in order for your score to go up. If, however, you have been getting a 21 on practice tests but scored just an 18 on the real thing, take it again whether you do additional prep or not.

Very! Different colleges weight test scores differently, but it's hard to overstate the importance of the ACT for college admissions. Your GPA/class rank and test scores are, by far, the two most important factors that will determine the colleges you get into.

A lot has been made in the last couple years about test optional college admissions. While it's true that many schools no longer require the SAT, students who have competitive test scores are more likely to get in. If you have a chance of getting to the 25th percentile score for a given college, you should do it. It will significantly improve your chances of admission, and scholarships almost always require test scores.

For the most part, no. There are some little tricks, but they aren't going to give you 2+ points on the test. There is no substitute for doing actual work to get better at the algebra, grammar, etc. that is tested. Good ACT tutoring revolves around resolving content weaknesses first.

For most students, it doesn't really matter. The vast majority of students do about the same on both exams, and there is no difference in how the exams are viewed by colleges. Your goal is to get the highest percentile score possible, regardless of which test it happens on. In general, the ACT is more a of a time crunch and gives less weight to math, but it is also a bit more straightforward. It also includes a science section, but this section has little correlation with ability in high school science class.

Probably linear equations. Knowing how to solve and graph linear equations as well as work with the slope formula are fundamental skills on this test. Outside of math, subjects and verbs are extremely important. The ACT English Test and ACT Math Test are equally weighted, and these two concepts are vital within their sections, so maybe subjects and verbs are actually just as important as linear equations.