<p>Hey guys!
I'm going to the store to get an ACT book for the February test.
Which book should I get? Which is the best? Thanks!</p>
<p>Well I used Kaplan online. The practice test were like 20 times harder than the real thing. Even Princeton review is slightly more difficult, but I prefer PR over most books. It’s good to have test slightly more challenging than the real thing, but Kaplan is just way over the top. Especially the reading section.</p>
<p>Hope I helped. :D</p>
<p>But PR has the best books for everything. :P</p>
<p>It’ll depend on where you’re at already. If you’re already scoring quite well then get Barron’s, as its philosophy is to over-prepare you with the hardest questions. </p>
<p>When I was prepping for the test, I bought Barron’s, PR’s practice tests, and Sparknote’s English and Reading Workbook. I found that Barron’s was the most comprehensive, but their English section was nothing like the actual test. Likewise, all of their sections were much harder. </p>
<p>Ultimately though, you can never go wrong with the red book. (This is the book published by ACT.) It includes three previously registered tests as well.</p>
<p>What do you suggest for a student who is below the national average, and well below in the reading section?</p>
<p>If you are below the national average, I recommend getting tutoring. A book may help you if you already have a nice foundation in the subject, but if you have big gaps in your knowledge, you will need a little more than a book. If you don’t mind me asking, what was your ACT score?</p>
<p>Not for me. For a friend’s son who scored an 17 with an 11 in reading. He needs a 21, but would like a 24. Help. Where do I even start? And he is a senior, taking it in February and April if need be. I’ll be tutoring him. I’ve only worked with kids who have much higher stats.</p>
<p>Sorry I’m responding so late!
This is the first time I’ll be taking my ACT (Or any standardized test that is non-PSAT).
I got a 203 on my PSAT. So far, the SAT reviews I’ve done are eh, I’m terrible at reading comprehension.
However, I decided to get the red ACT book and the PR book with tons of practice question, and I worked on the reading section. In a sample section, out of the 45 questions, I only got 2 wrong. (This is the red book)
Is that a good sign? Does that mean I have a chance at an above 30 on reading?
Sorry for the wall o’ text.</p>
<p>I’m an international student and books here in Brazil are kinda’ expensive, so I can only buy one. I haven’t taken the test yet. My practice tests scores range from 29-31. I want a 32-34. What book should I buy? Thanks!</p>
<p>you can get online free test prep if you’re tight on money in brazil. That should provide you with enough practice tests to work with but if you want a hard copy of a book definitely go with the red book in that case since you can only choose one.</p>
<p>Barron’s is great for math; English, WAY to comprehensive. PR is great for English, didn’t check the math part, and the reading review has an awful reputation.</p>
<p>I got three books: PR, Barron’s, and Barron’s 36.</p>
<p>I have a couple of books.</p>
<p>-Princeton Review (Manual/1296 Questions)
-Kaplan
-Red Book
-Barron’s</p>
<p>I won’t rate the Red Book simply because I use it only to check up on myself, making sure I remember what the ACTs are really like. At times, using all these different books can confuse you about how the test is set up.</p>
<p>English:
Grammar wise, PR is the best. PR is pretty much the best because it really shows the nature of the ACT. </p>
<p>DO NOT USE BARRON’s for English. I’ve had many instances where they just try to trick you. For example, one question I recently encountered involved a double negative as an answer choice. Another answer choice wasn’t a double negative, and fit the answer perfectly. The answer was NO CHANGE, aka the double negative. Their justification was that it fit the sentence better. The ACT wouldn’t do that…</p>
<p>Kaplan’s questions aren’t too bad for English, but it is second to PR.</p>
<p>Math:
Barron’s. </p>
<p>Reading:
I thought Kaplan was a bit too easy for this. I like PR, as it is pretty similar. Barron’s is a bit more difficult, so it is good too.</p>
<p>Science:
PR is a bit off on this one.
Barron’s is good for this.</p>
<p>If you had to pick one book, just get the Red Book. It has the most realistic questions, but if you need tricks, tips, etc. --Get PR.</p>
<p>Is the PR book you mentioned the Crash Course for the ACT or Cracking the ACT? I need to score higher on Science, when you said that the PR is a bit off on science, what did you mean?</p>
<p>I have been trying to find some (preferably free) online practice tests and one of my friends recommended McGraw-Hill. However, I thought the math section seemed really strange, so I looked on CC and McGraw-Hill isn’t that great. Should I just study out of my Barron’s 36 and not take a practice test or should I buy The Real ACT Prep Guide too?</p>
<p>All PR comments were based off of their “Manual” and “1296 Questions” books.</p>
<p>I haven’t taken the ACT, however, I have the red book, which I use to compare PR’s tests to the ACT’s.</p>
<p>I was trying to say that the ACTs Science was a little bit harder than the PR’s science sections.</p>
<p>You can gain access to scanned versions of many popular prep books using books.google.com.</p>
<p>Here is some additional information about it, [Hammer’s</a> Blog: How to Find Free Prep Books on the Web](<a href=“http://hammertutoring.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-find-free-prep-books-on-web.html]Hammer’s”><data:blog.pageTitle/>).</p>
<p>Is this the book: “The Princeton Review Manual For The ACT Version 8.0”? Are the “manual” and “1296” the same? Which’s better?</p>
<p>Should I buy the Barron’s book once I have to do better on science, or the Red Book can prepare me well for that? What’s the name of the other Barron’s book Mikesyler mentioned besides the Barron 36? Thanks</p>
<p>is studying for the SAT also beneficial for the ACT test? or should my dtr get a separate ACT test prep book?</p>
<p>Using SAT questions to build test taking skills for the SAT and ACT is best. But it’s important to use the official practice tests to hone skills for a full exam, i.e. don’t take full-length practice SATs if you’re getting ready for an ACT test in a few weeks.</p>
<p>If you could only buy one ACT prep book get the Real ACT Prep Guide (“red book”) for practice with real tests. However, the content review and strategy section in this book is vey poor. For content and strategy my favorite is DISSECTING THE ACT 2.0:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> DISSECTING THE ACT 2.0: ACT TEST PREPARATION ADVICE OF A PERFECT SCORER or ACT TEST PREP WITH REAL ACT QUESTIONS (9780984221219): Rajiv Raju, Silpa Raju: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984221212?tag=a00b9-20&camp=213761&creative=393545&linkCode=bpl&creativeASIN=0984221212&adid=134B3Y4FPVVGEE4PB8F1&]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984221212?tag=a00b9-20&camp=213761&creative=393545&linkCode=bpl&creativeASIN=0984221212&adid=134B3Y4FPVVGEE4PB8F1&)</p>