The Math 1 test consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. If you have completed three years of high school math, you have likely learned all the topics covered on the test. In fact, you almost surely have learned more than you need. At most, two or three questions, and possibly none, should seem completely unfamiliar to you. The following chart lists the topics included on the Math 1 test and indicates approximately how many questions you should expect on each topic.
| Topic | Approximate Percentage of Test | Approximate Number of Questions |
| Algebra and functions ■ Algebra ■ Functions Geometry ■ Plane geometry ■ Coordinate geometry ■ Solid geometry Trigonometry Statistics and probability ■ Complex numbers, sequences, and logic |
28 12 20 12 6 6–8 8–10 6 |
14 6 10 6 3 3–4 4–5 3 |
The information in this chart can help you guide your study. If you start your preparation early enough, you should plan on reviewing most, if not all, of the material in this book. If, however, your time is limited because you waited until right before your test date to start studying, you should concentrate on the topics that are heavily tested—algebra and plane geometry—and spend little or no time on solid geometry, statistics, and trigonometry.
The numbers in the chart above are approximations, because the percentages can vary slightly from test to test and also because some questions belong to more than one category. For example, you may need to solve an algebraic equation to answer a geometry question or you may need to use trigonometry to answer a question in coordinate geometry.
In the math review part of this book, you will specifically learn which facts you need to know for each topic. For example, you will learn that you need to know only the most basic facts about trigonometry. (The more advanced topics are covered only on the Math Level 2 test.) You will also learn that many more of the plane geometry questions involve triangles than quadrilaterals or circles and that some facts about triangles are much more important than others.
You need to know well over a hundred facts and formulas to do well on the Math 1 test. However, many of them you have known for years, such as the formulas for the areas of rectangles, triangles, and circles. Others you learned more recently, such as the laws of exponents and the quadratic formula. In the math review chapters, each essential fact is referred to as a KEY FACT, and you should study and memorize each one that you do not already know.
If you have already taken the PSAT or SAT, you may recall that 12 facts about geometry are provided for you in a reference box on the first page of each math section. For the Math 1 test, you need to know these formulas (and many more), but they are not given to you.
There are four formulas, however, that you do not have to memorize. They are provided for you in a reference box on the first page of the test. All four concern solid geometry and are explained in Section 2-K. It is unlikely that more than one of the 50 questions on any Math 1 test would require you to use one of these formulas, and it is possible that none of them will. So, don’t worry if you are not familiar with them. The four formulas appear in the box to the right.