What are the Most Common Math Topics?

Not all ACT math topics are created equal – some will show up far more often than others. After running the numbers, we found that the most common 17 topics account for nearly 80% of all questions. What does that mean for you? Well, this should be pretty encouraging if you’re starting with a low score. You can fast-track progress by focusing the bulk of your time and effort on these topics. If you are starting with a higher score, regularly crushing these topics and answering them all correctly, you are probably good to move onto the more niche topics. Check in on these topics either way; you may have a blind spot somewhere. If so, brush up on your weaknesses, because you are bound to see a ton of these questions.

So, what are the topics? Here they are, along with the percent of questions from the past 16 exams that fall under that topic: 

1.i: Algebra Basics (5.21%)

1.1: Least common multiples / denominators (4.17%)

1.2: Ratios (5.52%)

1.3: Exponents (4.17%)

1.5: Percents (4.79%)

1.7: Number Theory (5.73%)

2.1: Coordinate Geometry (4.17%)

2.2: Perimeter, Area and Volume (9.69%)

2.3: Angle Properties (3.33%)

2.6 / 7: Trig and Advanced Trig (4.9%)

3.2: Linear Equations (5.83%)

3.4 / 5: Polynomials and Quadratics (4.16%) 

3.10: Functions (4.79%)

4.1 / 2: Statistics and Averages (6.56%)

4.3: Probability (5.83%)

Make sure you familiarize yourself with all the ways these topics are presented. You may feel like you have a grasp on Probability, for example, but we can almost guarantee there will be a question type or two you may not have seen. Mastering these topics will provide a solid foundation for any student. Depending on your goals, it may be possible for you to hit a reasonable target score with these topics only. If your goals are loftier, you’ll need to deepen your content knowledge by learning the topics that show up less frequently, but fill in the cracks of the ACT math curriculum. Our Question Type Index will be useful throughout, as it tells you how often every single topic and subtopic show up.