Grade: Grade 11 Subject: SAT/ACT Skills Unit: Review Cycles SAT: ProblemSolving+DataAnalysis ACT: Math

Timed Drill

Learn

Timed drills are essential for building the speed and accuracy needed for SAT/ACT success. This lesson teaches you how to structure effective timed practice sessions as part of your review cycle.

Time Benchmarks

Test Section Questions Time Per Question
SAT Math (No Calculator) 20 25 min ~75 sec
SAT Math (Calculator) 38 55 min ~87 sec
ACT Math 60 60 min 60 sec

Timed Drill Strategies

  • Progressive Timing: Start at 2x the target time, gradually decrease
  • Category Focus: Drill one question type at a time initially
  • Skip and Return: Practice marking hard questions and returning
  • Two-Pass Method: First pass for questions you know, second for harder ones

Building Speed Without Sacrificing Accuracy

  1. Master the concept first (untimed)
  2. Practice with generous time limits
  3. Gradually reduce time as accuracy improves
  4. Target 85% accuracy before reducing time further
  5. Track both time AND accuracy in your error log

Examples

Example Timed Drill Session (15 minutes)

Setup: 10 algebra questions, 90 seconds each

  1. Set timer for 15 minutes total
  2. Work through questions in order
  3. Mark any you skip with a star
  4. After first pass, return to starred questions
  5. When timer ends, circle where you stopped
  6. Finish remaining questions (no time pressure) in different color
  7. Grade and analyze: timed vs. untimed accuracy

Example: Progressive Time Reduction

Week 1: 10 questions in 20 minutes (2 min each)

Week 2: 10 questions in 15 minutes (90 sec each)

Week 3: 10 questions in 12 minutes (72 sec each)

Week 4: 10 questions in 10 minutes (60 sec each) - ACT pace

Practice

Complete this mini timed drill. Set a timer for 8 minutes and answer as many as you can:

1. If 5x - 3 = 17, what is the value of 10x - 6?

A) 34   B) 40   C) 20   D) 44

2. A rectangle has length 12 and width 5. What is the length of its diagonal?

A) 13   B) 17   C) 11   D) 15

3. If 30% of x equals 45, what is x?

A) 135   B) 150   C) 13.5   D) 175

4. What is the slope of the line 4x - 2y = 10?

A) 4   B) 2   C) -2   D) -5

5. If f(x) = 2x + 3, what is f(f(1))?

A) 5   B) 13   C) 8   D) 7

6. The average of 4, 7, 10, and x is 8. What is x?

A) 11   B) 9   C) 12   D) 10

7. If a circle has area 36 pi, what is its circumference?

A) 6 pi   B) 12 pi   C) 18 pi   D) 36 pi

8. Simplify: (x + 3)(x - 3)

A) x^2 - 9   B) x^2 + 9   C) x^2 - 6x + 9   D) 2x

9. If the ratio of a to b is 3:4, and b = 20, what is a?

A) 12   B) 15   C) 16   D) 18

10. What is 15% of 80?

A) 10   B) 12   C) 15   D) 8

Answer Key

1-A, 2-A, 3-B, 4-B, 5-B, 6-A, 7-B, 8-A, 9-B, 10-B

Check Your Understanding

Q1: What is the average time per question on the ACT Math section?

Q2: Why should you start timed drills with more time than the actual test allows?

Q3: What accuracy percentage should you aim for before reducing drill time?

Q4: Explain the "two-pass method" for timed sections.

Next Steps

  • Create a weekly timed drill schedule targeting your weak areas
  • Record your times and scores in a tracking spreadsheet
  • Aim to complete at least 3 timed drills per week
  • Move on to Review Mistakes to learn how to analyze your drill results