<p>I would HIGHLY recommend the Princeton Review’s ACT prep book. Although it’s a bit hefty, they do have little useful facts scattered in here and there that I found EXTREMELY useful when taking the test. For example, they give samples of problems that are commonly missed, like on English, agreement between verbs and objects, misplaced modifiers…but they make it easy to understand. For math, ALL DIAGRAMS ARE TO SCALE!!! This was an INVALUABLE piece of advice, and the folks at Princeton Review actually got their hands on all of the practice tests they could possible and measured them out BY HAND. This can speed up the elimination process when guessing on questions and save valuable time. Buy and large, I’d buy it, and see what you can get out of it.</p>
<p>My first go at the ACT wasn’t that great…I got a 33 (35 English, 30 Math, 30 Reading, 35 Science, 10 Writing). I think my nerves got the best of me. The next time, at the in-school testing, I got a 35 (35 English, 35 Math, 34 Reading, 35 Science, 11 Writing). This is obviously a great jump, but I think the main reason for the difference in my performance was due to the peace of mind I had going into testing. I had a 33 to fall back on if I managed to totally screw things up that day, so I just buckled down and worked. Maybe I got an easier test. I don’t really know, but I’m not complaining.</p>
<p>The interesting thing is, I studied for HOURS before my first test, but didn’t study at all for my second…so I think your mindset is an extremely underestimated factor when taking the test. Relax, ease your mind, and just go. That’s honestly the best advice I can give you. Good luck!</p>