<p>Are the real ACT tests as easy as the practice tests? Harder?</p>
<p>I find them to be relatively easy, but I do not want to keep my hopes up...</p>
<p>Depends on which tests you too it from. If the tests were from say Princeton Review or Barron’s, the test may be harder or easier but generally along the same difficulty level.</p>
<p>I’ve taken both. However, the math and english sections are definitely the easiest of the four, but the level of difficulty of reading and science can vary with every test administered–at least that is what I have heard. </p>
<p>Did you take an official ACT test?</p>
<p>The only reliable test booklet is the Real ACT red book. That should be on par with the real test minus the stress.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll check it out.</p>
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<p>It should be, but I’m not convinced that it is. Based on my purely anecdotal story reading, the ‘rigor’ of ACT-Science section is inconsistent. (Students reports scores in the low 30’s and in the 20’s on a retake.) But that is not true of the Math-Eng which tends to be more consistent. And, (again in IMO), the second science test in the Red Book is rather easy. I have no doubt that some real test on some real day will be as easy, but most real science sections appear to be more difficult.</p>
<p>For students aspiring to a high score (30’s), I recommend Barrons for math and science. It will over-prepare you.</p>
<p>Thanks, bluebayou!! I will check that book out. BTW, if I want to prepare for the reading portion as well, do you recommend the same book–Barrons for Reading and English?</p>
<p>Another question, you mean the workbooks, right?</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>
<p>Another good source are the Preparing for the ACT test booklets administered annually. Here are most of them: [Preparing</a> for the ACT 2005-2010](<a href=“Preparing for the ACT 2005-2010 | Scribd”>Preparing for the ACT 2005-2010 | Scribd)</p>
<p>I posted this on the ACT board but I will repost it here. I used the real ACT red book and the Barron 36 book with my son. One thing I didn’t put but I think was very important is that he really LOOKED at WHY he missed things on each test. Did he see a pattern in the kind of questions he was missing? Here is how he prepared:</p>
<p>First week I had him take the first test out of the Real Act prep guide. He scored:
Engl. 31, Math 27, Reading 29, Science 27. His composite was 28.</p>
<p>The next few weeks I had him go through a section a week in ACT 36 by Barrons. So for example, he would read through the English section of the ACT 36, do the practice problems in that book and then do the section on the second test of the REal ACT. So at the end of 4 weeks the cumulative scores of that 2nd test were: English 32, Math 30, Reading 32, and science 26. Composite 30. </p>
<p>After that we had 1 week left until the exam, so he took another practice exam:
English 32, Math 30, and Reading 34. We found the online science prep </p>
<p>ACT Test Prep - Science - YouTube</p>
<p>about halfway through that week and so he watched those videos rather than take the science test over a couple of days. I really wish we had found them earlier!!! </p>
<p>Here are the results from the ACT exam he took in December: English 35, Reading 34, Math 34 and science 31. His composite was 34.</p>
<p>I think if he had been able to watch all the science videos and practice a few more exams, he would have done better in science, but overall we were thrilled. </p>
<p>I hope that helps.</p>
<p>The ACT website has a bunch of practice questions. Those are the only ones that I did to prepare as I had studied extensively for the SAT’s. I think those questions represented pretty much exactly how difficult the actual exam was.</p>
<p>^^absolutely, do all the real practice questions that you can. But first and foremost, the ACT is a test of speed, and that means taking full practice sections/tests under a time clock. And since the Red Book only has two full length tests, one has to look for other prep materials for even more practice.</p>
<p>OP: the ACT English/Reading is pretty straightforward. And I don’t have one book that I like better than another. IMO, taking SAT CR practice is good for the ACT since, IMO, the SAT material is a little more ‘difficult’. What makes the ACT more challenging is the compressed time. Really strong students have plenty of time leftover on the SAT; the same student has to rush through the ACT.</p>