<p>Hey everyone! So in March I took the SAT (after months of prep, including classes and tutoring) and was pretty dissatisfied by my score; even though it was OK (2100), I'm shooting for pretty ambitious colleges and would like to try the ACT as well to see whether its format and "style" of testing suits me better for attaining a higher comparable score. So... I'm registered for the ACT in June and am wondering, since I've never even seen a practice ACT and know very little about it (almost all students at my school take only the SAT), which prep books are the best for sufficiently preparing students to get a 34+.</p>
<p>In general I like Princeton Review's format (used 3 of them for the subject tests in May), but are their included practice tests accurate? Ideally practice tests would be a bit on the hard side, or at least a conservative estimate for the actual ACT, but not unrealistically difficult (for instance, REA's practice tests for the APUSH exam... ridiculous). </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>PR’s cracking the ACT is most recommended in here, due to its helpful tips and such. (although there are some mistakes in the practice test) It’s just a teensy bit harder then the real exam
If you want an unrealistically difficult exam, you should get barron’s… but many people said that even though they got mid-20s in their barron’s, they got low-30s in their real test.</p>
<p>Also, one book that is NECESSARY for the ACT prep is the red book (“The Real Act Prep Guide”) it’s from the makers of the ACT exam and uses three of the real exams (old exams, but accurate nonetheless)</p>
<p>Thanks for your help! I’ll hit up Barnes & Noble soon to get the red book and Princeton Review.</p>
<p>I agree with Killersdeat0, get the Real ACT and Princeton Review. Good luck.</p>
<p>I’m currently studying with PR, Barron’s, and Real ACT. I think they all have good things about them. Princeton Review provides the reader an understandable, relaxed read. Barron’s, on the other hand, challenges the reader, especially in M. Real ACT makes me feel comfortable because it’s from the test maker, but I feel as if they are more focused on practice tests and explanations, rather than explaining each section itself. Echoing what others said, I think that if you have enough time, you should use all. Good luck!</p>