Every year, students across the U.S. take the ACT® to support their college applications, explore scholarship opportunities, and assess their readiness for college-level work. Students here in our hometown of St. George, Utah, are no exception.
At Mathnasium of St. George, we regularly help students prepare for the ACT® math section. But when should preparation begin, and what should students focus on?
Today, our education specialists will answer those questions and share practical tips to help your student head into test day prepared.
Utah’s statewide ACT® takes place in the spring of junior year. Some students take the test for the first time then, while others have already tried it on a national test date. With that milestone in mind, when should your student start preparing for the math section?
Sophomore year is a good time to start thinking about ACT® math preparation. The right starting point depends on how much preparation they need and when they plan to test.
Your teen may benefit from focused preparation in sophomore year in two situations:
Some earlier math topics still give them trouble. Extra time lets them revisit those concepts before they focus on ACT® questions.
They plan to take the ACT® before spring of junior year. An earlier test date calls for an earlier start.
If your teen has a solid math foundation and plans to test in the spring, they can likely wait until junior year to begin focused preparation. The schedule just needs to leave enough time to address their needs before test day.
Your learner’s coursework also shapes the timeline, because not every sophomore follows the same course sequence. For example, one student may finish Algebra 2 by the end of sophomore year, while another may still be taking it.
If an ACT® question covers a topic your teen hasn’t studied yet, that doesn’t automatically mean they have a knowledge gap. Their preparation schedule should account for what they’ve already learned and what they’ll cover in class before the test.
Families can start thinking about the timeline during sophomore year. When to begin focused preparation depends on your teen’s test date, coursework, and how much support they need. Once you have a timeline in mind, the next question is what your student’s ACT® math preparation should focus on.
Students preparing for the ACT® math section need to work on the math they’ll see on the test and the demands of the test itself. At the Mathnasium of St. George, we encourage students to prepare for both.
Practice tests are useful, but they’re most effective when students understand which skills they need to work on. Here are our team’s tips to help your student focus on the right skills and prepare for test day.
Before you decide how much ACT® math preparation your teen needs, start with an official practice test. It gives you a clearer picture of what they already know and where they may need more practice.
After the test, look at three things:
Question types. Which questions could they answer comfortably, and which ones felt unfamiliar?
Math concepts. Which topics need a review, and which may require more time to understand?
Pace and format. Could they finish within the time limit, and did the test format make certain questions harder to tackle?
If your learner is a sophomore, a practice test helps them get familiar with the ACT® and plan ahead for junior year. It doesn’t produce official scores or affect college applications, and it won’t predict their actual ACT® performance. Instead, it shows them where to start.
Keep their current math classes in mind as you review the test, too. The ACT® covers math from several high school courses, so it may include topics your teen will only learn later. If a question covers a topic they haven’t studied in school yet, they may simply need to learn that material later, which is different from a knowledge gap in a concept they’ve already covered.
If you know which questions were difficult, you can help your teen decide where to focus their ACT® math preparation. The test covers algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability, and number and quantity. Each of them will probably require a different amount of practice time.
Sometimes, the mistakes your teen makes during practice go back to an earlier skill. For example, they may know how to solve an equation but still slip up with fractions or negative numbers. Those small errors can cost points, even when they understand what a question asks them to do.
Encourage your learner to explain why each step works. That way, they can use the same reasoning when an ACT® question looks different from the examples they’ve practiced.
The amount of review they need depends on the problem:
A quick refresher: If they understand a concept but have forgotten a formula or a few steps, a short review and some practice may be enough.
Foundational review: If they struggle with the underlying concept, they may need to revisit earlier material and work through it step by step before moving on to more advanced questions.
Students who do well on classroom exercises may not always recognize the same math in an ACT® question. The test can present familiar concepts in unfamiliar ways. For example, your teen may know how to solve an equation but struggle to turn a word problem into one.
ACT®-style practice helps them apply what they’ve learned to the questions they’ll face on test day. Encourage them to take a moment to understand what each problem asks before choosing a formula or using a calculator.
Figure out what the question asks. Before doing any calculations, identify what the problem requires them to find.
Pick out the useful information. Word problems may include details that aren’t necessary to reach the answer.
Choose a method that fits. Decide which math concept or approach will help solve the problem.
Check whether the answer makes sense. Look at the result in the context of the question to see if it’s reasonable.
Shortcuts can save time on certain questions, but they work best when your teen understands the math behind them. With practice, they can learn to recognize familiar concepts even when the questions look different from the ones they’ve seen in class.
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Students need to learn how to manage their time on the ACT® math section without sacrificing accuracy. After they understand the relevant concepts, short timed sets can help them find a comfortable pace. During these sessions, pay attention to a few patterns:
Questions that take too long: Notice which types of problems require extra time.
Rushed errors: Look for mistakes that happen when working too quickly.
Difficult questions: Practice deciding whether to move on from a challenging problem and return to it later.
Not every practice session needs a timer. Untimed work remains important, especially for learning new or challenging concepts.
It also helps to know whether a missed question comes from pace or content. If your student misunderstands the underlying math, faster practice won’t fix the problem. They’ll need to review the concept first, then work on speed.
Timed math questions help your teen build speed, while a full practice test prepares them for the demands of the ACT® from start to finish. They’ll have to manage their time and stay focused throughout the test, not just solve individual problems.
Choose an official practice test that matches the format they plan to take, whether online or on paper. Then recreate a few important test-day conditions at home:
Time limits: Follow the official time limits for each section so they can practice working at the right pace.
Calculator rules: Use only a calculator permitted under ACT® rules.
A quiet setting: Put phones away and choose a space where interruptions are unlikely.
If possible, have your child complete the full test, not just the math section. This gives them a better sense of the time and concentration the entire exam requires.
There’s no need to repeat full simulations every week. One or two practice tests under realistic conditions may be enough to help your teen get comfortable with the format and decide what to review before test day.
Your teen’s ACT® practice score shows how they performed on the test, but a closer look at their answers reveals what needs more attention. For every missed question, encourage your student to figure out which of these reasons applies:
The concept was unclear: Parts of this math still felt unfamiliar.
The approach didn’t fit: The concept was familiar, but the chosen method didn’t lead to the correct answer.
The question was misread: An important detail was overlooked, or the answer addressed a different question.
A calculation went wrong: The method was correct, but an arithmetic error affected the result.
Time ran out: The question remained unfinished, or a rushed response led to a mistake.
If students know why they missed a question, they should revisit the reasoning and try a similar problem on their own. Correct answers deserve a second look too. If your student guessed or felt unsure of their method, that question belongs in the review.
Over time, students will notice patterns in their mistakes. Those patterns should set the next preparation priority. Another full practice test can wait until your student has worked on what the last one revealed.
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If practice at home isn’t leading to progress, personalized ACT® math support can help your student move forward. Families usually consider it in these situations:
Foundational knowledge gaps: Earlier math concepts may be missing, which makes it hard to address every need at home.
No clear starting point: Some students aren’t sure which topics to review first.
Repeated frustration: Home practice can feel discouraging in situations where progress stays slow despite consistent effort.
Test-related worry: Some students have a solid grasp of math, but test conditions make it harder for them to show what they know.
When these challenges make home practice less effective, personalized support can help fill in what’s missing. Effective support usually includes a few common elements:
A clear plan: Preparation focuses on the concepts your student hasn’t mastered yet and works backward from their intended test date.
Adaptive instruction: Tutors adjust their explanations and pace to how your student learns best.
Focused practice: Students spend their time on the ACT® math skills most relevant to their goals, with support as they learn to apply those skills on their own.
At Mathnasium of St. George, we offer this kind of personalized support for local students preparing for the ACT®.
Every student begins with a diagnostic assessment that shows us which concepts they’ve already mastered, where they have knowledge gaps, what their goals are, and how they learn best.
With that picture of your student’s needs, we build a personalized learning plan to address the relevant gaps, extend their mathematical thinking, and help them build confidence before test day.
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At Mathnasium, every student receives support that matches their current level and long-term goals.
Mathnasium of St. George is a math-only learning center dedicated to helping K–12 students of all skill levels excel in math, including high school students preparing for college admissions tests like the ACT®.
Our ACT® math prep is guided by the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach designed to build deep understanding and help students learn and master the math they need.
Each student begins with a diagnostic assessment that helps us understand their current skill level, knowledge gaps, goals, and how they think and feel about math. For ACT® students, this provides a starting point for identifying the math skills that need attention.
Using these insights, we create a personalized learning plan focused on what each student needs most. That may include reviewing fraction and proportional reasoning skills, solving equations, interpreting functions and graphs, or applying geometry concepts to multi-step problems.
Our specially trained tutors provide live, face-to-face instruction in a caring and supportive group environment, in the center or online. They use mental, verbal, visual, tactile, and written techniques to help challenging concepts make sense.
Students are also encouraged to explain their reasoning before tutors step in. Rather than simply correcting answers, we guide students toward the solution. This helps them build the problem-solving skills and independence they’ll rely on when they’re sitting in the testing room on their own.
The results speak for themselves:
94% of parents report an improvement in their child’s math skills and understanding.
93% of parents report their child’s improved attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium.
90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades.
Whether your student needs to build foundational ACT® math skills, improve their approach to timed questions, or tackle more challenging problems as they work toward a higher score, our local team is happy to help.
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Mathnasium of St. George is a math-only learning center for K-12 students in St. George, UT. Trusted by over a million parents, Mathnasium uses personalized learning plans and the proprietary Mathnasium Method™ to help students catch up, keep up, and get ahead on their math journey.
Our specially trained tutors deliver face-to-face instruction in a supportive and fun small-group environment, working with students both in center and online to develop a deep understanding of math, build confidence, and improve academic performance.
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