The Math IC test covers a variety of topics. ETS, the company that writes the test, provides the following breakdown of coverage:
| Topic |
Percent of Test |
Usual Number of Questions |
| Algebra |
30% |
15 |
| Plane Geometry |
20% |
10 |
| Solid Geometry |
6% |
3 |
| Coordinate Geometry |
12% |
6 |
| Trigonometry |
8% |
4 |
| Functions |
12% |
6 |
| Statistics and Sets |
6% |
3 |
| Miscellaneous |
6% |
3 |
This breakdown is accurate, but it is too broad to help you direct your studying in any meaningful way. That’s why we created this more detailed breakdown of the test:
| Topic |
Percent of Test |
Usual Number of Questions |
| Algebra |
30% |
15 |
| Arithmetic |
1–3% |
1 |
| Equation solving |
18–22% |
10 |
| Binomials, polynomials, quadratics |
5–7% |
3 |
| Plane Geometry |
20% |
10 |
| Lines and angles |
3–5% |
2 |
| Triangles, polygons, circles |
14–18% |
8 |
| Solid Geometry |
6% |
3 |
| Solids (cubes, cylinders, cones, etc.) |
7–9% |
4 |
| Inscribed solids, solids by rotation |
1–3% |
1 |
| Coordinate Geometry |
12% |
6 |
| Lines and distance |
7–9% |
4 |
| Graphing |
1–3% |
1 |
| Conic sections (parabolas, circles) |
3–5% |
2 |
| Trigonometry |
8% |
4 |
| Basic functions (sine, cosine, tangent) |
3–5% |
2 |
| Trigonometric identities |
1–3% |
1 |
| Functions |
12% |
6 |
| Basic, compound, inverse functions |
7–9% |
4 |
| Graphing functions |
1–3% |
1 |
| Domain and range of functions |
1–3% |
2 |
| Statistics and Sets |
1–3% |
2 |
| Mean, median, mode |
6% |
3 |
| Probability |
1–3% |
1 |
| Permutations and combinations |
1–2% |
0.5 |
| Group questions, sets |
1–2% |
0.5 |
| Miscellaneous |
6% |
3 |
| Arithmetic and geometric series |
1–2% |
0.5 |
| Logic |
1–3% |
1 |
| Limits |
1–2% |
0.5 |
| Imaginary numbers |
1–2% |
0.5 |
This book is organized according to these categories, allowing you to focus on each topic to whatever degree you feel necessary. Also, each question in the practice tests at the back of this book is grouped by the above categories, so that you can very precisely identify your weaknesses and then use this book to address them.
