Hi, I’m studying for the September ACT.
So far I’ve used
-PR 1296
-PR Cracking
I also have
-Kaplan
-Barron’s ACT
-Barron’s 36
-The Red Book
-The Black Book
-PR Math & Science
-PR English & Reading
-Dummies ACT
Since the test is only a month away, I was wondering what books I should study with…
Are PR, Kaplan, and Barron’s ACT reliable?
Do you have any recommendation?
Thank you 
I would start with the Red Book and the Black Book. I know the Black Book explicitly says not to use third-party books, but if you want to use the PR subject based books for your weak areas or the 36 for extra practice, you should be okay.
Thank you so much
The best way to study for the ACT is to practice with REAL ACT tests. The 3rd edition of the Real ACT Book (Red Book) has 5 tests to get you started. They are old, but you will get a feel for most of the concepts. Then move on to released tests from 2013/2014/2015. Using the work throughs in the Black book is also very helpful.
*****DO NOT USE THE READING PROMPTS IN THE RED BOOK. Use the materials a at this link instead: http://www.actstudent.org/writing/enhancements/
TIME each practice session to simulate the real test.
English 75 questions in 45 min.
Math 60 questions in 60 min.
Reading 40 questions in 35 min.
Science 40 questions in 35 min
Score your test, and then review only what you got WRONG after each practice session.
I suggest the following schedule:
Take 1 section each week night/with review for 4 nights/week.
Twice per month on a Saturday or Sunday take a full ACT test/with review.
Track your progress!
Here is a detailed sample schedule to get started, modify it to meet your needs:
Mon: English section with review
Tues: Math section with review
Wed:. Reading Section with review
Thu. Off
Fri: Science Section with review
Sat: FULL ACT with review
Sun: Off
Hey!
I got a 36 on it last year, and here are my tips:
Use the red book. The one with 5 tests is helpful since they were actual ACTs, not simulated ones. After you complete them, though, it’s not that helpful to go back and retake them or anything after you know your mistakes.
Kaplan is inaccurate in comparison to other books- I don’t recommend using it.
Princeton Review has a book with 11 practice tests which I found immensely helpful. The week before the test, I was doing one practice test everyday. It’s a lot of tests to go through and they’re a bit more difficult than the real ACT (but not by much), so I’d say it’s pretty accurate.
Barrons isn’t as good as PR but still much better than Kaplan (in my opinion ofc).
Besides books, you can find practice tests online for free. I think McGraw hill offered a few. Those helped.
When you do practices, you don’t necessarily need to go through every subject. A lot of people recommend it, but in my opinion, there’s no point in practicing one section over and over if you know you’ll do well in it. When I was studying, I would always skip math in practice tests because I knew I could do well in it.
Regarding essays, just write super big. I kept getting 8s on my essays, but then I wrote super big (like 2x my normal writing size) and scored an 11. I didn’t change anything about my method, but just the size of my writing bumped me up to double digits. Try to write three pages. Spew your mind onto paper- you’ll get into double digits.
Good luck!!!
Barron’s rocks
The best way to study for the ACT is to practice with REAL ACT tests. The 3rd edition of the Real ACT Book (Red Book) has 5 tests to get you started. They are old, but you will get a feel for most of the concepts. Then move on to released tests from 2013/2014/2015. Using the work throughs in the Black book is also very helpful.
*****DO NOT USE THE READING PROMPTS IN THE RED BOOK. Use the materials a at this link instead: http://www.actstudent.org/writing/enhancements/
TIME each practice session to simulate the real test.
English 75 questions in 45 min.
Math 60 questions in 60 min.
Reading 40 questions in 35 min.
Science 40 questions in 35 min
Score your test, and then review only what you got WRONG after each practice session.
I suggest the following schedule:
Take 1 section each week night/with review for 4 nights/week.
Twice per month on a Saturday or Sunday take a full ACT test/with review.
Track your progress!
Here is a detailed sample schedule to get started, modify it to meet your needs:
Mon: English section with review
Tues: Math section with review
Wed:. Reading Section with review
Thu. Off
Fri: Science Section with review
Sat: FULL ACT with review
Sun: Off