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Mike McGarry
Lesson by Mike McGarry
Magoosh Expert
Summary
Mental math matters on ACT Math because, once practiced, it becomes faster than relying on a calculator. The key is to treat mental math like learning a bicycle: it feels awkward and slow at first, but steady practice turns it into an efficient test-day skill.
  • Mental math is introduced as a deliberate strategy for the ACT even though a calculator is allowed.
  • The main reason to use mental math is speed, even if that claim feels paradoxical at first.
  • A bicycle analogy explains the learning process: a beginner struggles early and may doubt the benefit, even though the tool is genuinely faster once mastered.
  • New mental math techniques will seem overwhelming or slower than calculator use in the beginning, and that early difficulty is normal.
  • Improvement comes only through repeated practice, and even after several tries the techniques may still feel inefficient.
  • The long-term goal is to build enough fluency that mental math becomes quicker and more practical than calculator-based work on the ACT.
  • The right mindset is patience: do not expect immediate results, but keep practicing until the speed advantage appears.
Chapters
00:00
Why Mental Math Belongs on the ACT
00:47
Why Speed Makes Mental Math Worth Learning
01:09
The Bicycle Analogy for Skill Building
02:43
Practice First, Speed Later