The science behind Kaplan's SmartPoints™

On the standardized tests like the ACT, certain skills are tested more often than others. So, to get the most points on Test Day, we teach our students to focus on and master these most-tested skills.

We took this idea one step further. We decided to actually calculate exactly how many ACT points each skill is worth. We analyzed all the published tests. We counted how many times each skill was tested. From there, we were able to calculate the SmartPoints value—the number of ACT points—for each skill.

For example, on released ACTs, we counted that 110 out of 660 Math questions hinge on your ability to manipulate a variable, meaning that triangles make up about 16.6 percent of all Math questions—and 16.6 percent of the available 36 points in that section. The conclusion? Mastering variable manipulation can earn you 6 points on your ACT score.

As a Kaplan student, you'll use SmartPoints to guide you in your at-home studies. Sure, you'll spend more topics that are new than those you know already, but you'll always spend more time on topics with the highest number of SmartPoints—and earn as many ACT points as you can on Test Day.