Based on Math Classes, When Is a Student Ready for the ACT?

In previous blog posts, we have been attempting to answer the question of when students should take the ACT.  In today’s post, we are going to discuss test date considerations one should make with respect to the math classes that the student has already completed and the math class(es) the student is taking now.  For math ACT prep success, my goal is to choose a time that is not too early due to students not having been presented the material in class yet, nor too late and not providing enough time to retest for score improvement. 

In Preparing for the ACT Test 2022-2023, it states that the math skills tested are those “up to the beginning of 12th grade”.  I would have to challenge that statement with some students because I know 11th graders that take Calculus, and you will not find Calculus questions on the ACT.  Several years ago, ACT documentation stated that the skills needed were taught in Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry classes, including trigonometry.  This is the guidance that makes more sense to me based on test questions from released materials in recent years.

On the early end of the time consideration, previous ACT documentation describes the Integrating Essential Skills question category as “those concepts typically learned before 8th grade” (2016).  The material does not seem to have changed since then, so this is the rule of thumb I use.  Almost 50% of the questions on the test come from this category.  This can give us a starting point for timing and basic skills review. So, a student could start as early as 9th grade, but let’s think on this a little more.

Because of the early documentation and my experience reviewing many test questions and skills that are necessary to answer all the questions, my advice for a student to be able to do his/her very best on the math section is that the student has taken geometry, Algebra1, and Algebra 2 (with trig).  A student can be currently enrolled in Algebra 2, preferably during the 2nd semester, and still do well.

For students that follow an advanced flow of math classes and are currently enrolled in at least Algebra 2 and have already taken geometry, I usually recommend a February or April of 10th grade test date.  If a student has not taken Algebra 2 and geometry by the end of 10th grade, I would recommend to first take the test in the summer between the 10th and 11th grades, but know that they may see topics that they have not been presented yet.

As an extra piece of advice related to upper-level math classes, I also think that being in a PreCalculus class while taking the ACT provides a great review of more advanced skills that can appear on the test. So, this would be a great class to be in for retests to help increase score performance.  This includes skills like matrices, vectors, and more advanced algebra, but not calculus.  Again, there is no calculus on this test, so a student does not need to have taken this class to perform well.

The ultimate goal when considering the math classes taken before taking the ACT is for a student to be very prepared for the types of questions they may see so they can do their best and not be overwhelmed by many questions they don't know how to answer because of unfamiliarity.  On the other hand, we have to  balance that consideration with not starting too late to have enough time to retest as needed to help meet score goals. Preparation with review and practice is a great way to work hand-in-hand with school classes to prepare a student.