SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

We at PrepScholar believe in providing you with the highest quality ACT study material. We've put together a detailed, entirely free guide for your ACT math prep right here. This is the best, most comprehensive guide to the ACT Math section available anywhere. To make this article, we brought all of our top ACT Math guides together in one place.

The path to mastering the ACT is challenging, but if you're dedicated to doing your best on the test and are ready to commit your time and energy to improving your score, using our guides can help you reach your greatest potential!

Coordinate geometry is a big focus on the ACT math section, and you’ll need to know its many facets in order to tackle the variety of coordinate geometry questions you’ll see on the test. Luckily, coordinate geometry is not difficult to visualize or wrap your head around once you know the basics. And we are here to walk you through them.

There will usually be three questions on any given ACT that involve points alone, and another two to three questions that will involve lines and slopes and/or rotations, reflections, or translations. These topics are tested by about 10% of your ACT math questions, so it is a good idea to understand the ins and outs of coordinate geometry before you tackle the test.

This article will be your complete guide to points and the building blocks for coordinate geometry: I will explain how to find and manipulate points, distances, and midpoints, and give you strategies for solving these types of questions on the ACT.

SAT functions have the dubious honor of being one of the trickiest topics on the SAT math section. Luckily, this is not because function problems are inherently more difficult to solve than any other math problem, but because most students have simply not dealt with functions as much as they have other SAT math topics.

This means that the difference between missing points on this seemingly tricky topic and acing them is simply a matter of practice and familiarization. And considering that function problems generally show up on average of three to four times per test, you will be able to pick up several more SAT math points once you know the rules and workings of functions.

This will be your complete guide to SAT functions. We'll walk you through exactly what functions mean, how to use, manipulate, and identify them, and exactly what kind of function problems you'll see on the SAT.

Inequality questions come in a variety of shapes and forms on the ACT, but, no matter their form, you will see approximately three inequality questions on any given test. This means that inequality questions make up 5% of your overall ACT math test. Now, 5% of your test might not sound like a lot, but with only a quick brush-up on inequalities, that's an additional 5% of your questions that you're bound to rock!

This will be your complete guide to inequalities on the ACT: what they are, the different types of ACT math problems on inequalities, and how to solve them.

Sequences are patterns of numbers that follow a particular set of rules. Whether new term in the sequence is found by an arithmetic constant or found by a ratio, each new number is found by a certain rule—the same rule—each time.

There are several different ways to find the answers to the typical sequence questions—”What is the first term of the sequence?”, “What is the last term?”, “What is the sum of all the terms?”—and each has its benefits and drawbacks. We will go through each method, and the pros and cons of each, to help you find the right balance between memorization, longhand work, and time strategies.

This will be your complete guide to ACT sequence problems—the various types of sequences there are, the typical sequence questions you’ll see on the ACT, and the best ways to solve these types of problems for your particular ACT test taking strategies.

There are several math topics that act as foundations for understanding ACT Math, even though there are not many questions specifically dedicated to the topic. This is most certainly the case for line and angle problems. Though it is rare to see a pure line and angle problem (without the addition of other geometric shapes), you’ll need to know just how lines and angles work and how to solve for all your missing measures before you can take on those more complex problems.

This will be your complete guide to lines and angles on the ACT—what they are, how you’ll see them on the test, and how to solve these types of questions to maximize your points on test day.

SAT statistics questions usually involve finding the mean, median, and/or mode(s) of a set of numbers. You have probably dealt with with these concepts in your high school math classes but, as always, the SAT likes to put their own special twist on simple concepts such as these.

Whether or not you are familiar with these terms and the techniques needed to find a mean, median, or mode, this guide is for you. SAT questions are always tricky and knowing how to handle their version of these types of questions will serve you well as you go through your test.

This will be your complete guide to SAT means, medians, and modes—what they mean, how you'll see them on the test, and how to solve even the most complicated of SAT statistics questions.

About 33% of the ACT math section requires you to know and use at least one math formula. This means that remembering your formulas and understanding how to utilize them is of paramount importance.

We’ve put together all the ACT formulas you’ll need to know (prioritized in the order from greatest to least that you’ll see them on the test) as well as how to best use them for test-day.

Questions about both circles and various types of polygons are some of the most prevalent types of geometry questions on the ACT. Polygons come in many shapes and sizes and you will have to know them inside and out in order to take on the many different types of polygon questions the ACT has to offer.

The good news is that, despite their variety, polygons are often less complex than they look; a few simple rules and strategies are all that you need when it comes to solving an ACT polygon question.

This will be your complete guide to ACT polygons—the rules and formulas for various polygons, the kinds of questions you’ll be asked about them, and the best approach for solving these types of questions.

Integers, integers, integers (oh, my)! You've already read up on your basic ACT integers and now you're hankering to tackle the heavy hitters of the integer world. Want to know how to (quickly) find a list of prime numbers? Want to know how to manipulate and solve exponent problems? Root problems? Well look no further!

This will be your complete guide to advanced ACT integers, including prime numbers, exponents, absolute values, consecutive numbers, and roots—what they mean, as well as how to solve the more difficult integer questions that may show up on the ACT.

A probability question asks you to identify how likely a particular event is to occur. How likely is it that you’ll pick a red marble out of a bag? How likely is it that a particular person will be chosen out of a lottery? How likely is it that two or more events will both occur? These are just some of the many different types of probability questions you may encounter on the SAT.

This guide will take you through all aspects of probability you’ll need to know for the SAT—exactly what probability means, the typical probability questions you’ll see on the SAT math section, and the steps needed to solve them.

Variables, exponents, and more variables, whoo! ACT operations questions will involve all of these (and so much more!). So if you ever wondered what to do with or how to solve some of those extra long and clunky algebra problems (“What is the equivalent to ${2/3}a^2b - (18b - 6c) +$ …” you get the picture), then this is the guide for you.

This will be your complete guide to ACT operations questions—what they’ll look like on the test, how to perform operations with multiple variables and exponents, and what kinds of methods and strategies you’ll need to get them done as fast and as accurately as possible. You'll see these types of questions at least three times on any given ACT, so let's take a look.

What are the factors of 45? 1, 3, 5, 9, 15, and 45.

Wondering how I came up with those numbers? Factoring! Because it provides a mathematical foundation for more complicated systems, learning how to factor is key. So whether you're studying for an algebra test, brushing up for the SAT or ACT, or just want to refresh and remember how to factor numbers for higher orders of math, this is the guide for you.

Potty training a puppy is a sometimes messy, but ultimately rewarding process. And with a little know-how and a regular potty routine, you'll be able to get your pup on the right track and keep both your pup and your home happy, comfortable, and clean.

So let's look at the ins and outs of how to potty train a puppy: creating a proper potty training routine, setting a potty schedule, and reacting when the inevitable accident occurs.

Living in an apartment doesn’t mean you can’t also have a happy, healthy dog as well (unless your apartment complex doesn’t allow dogs, of course!). Though apartment living comes with a few hurdles when it comes to dog ownership, finding the right dog breed can make all the difference.

With a little effort, the majority of dog breeds can live in apartments, but apartment living is certainly easier with some breeds than others. So let’s check out what qualities make for a good apartment dog and the top breeds that fit the bill.