<p>I'm planning to take the ACT and I'm going to be a senior after this summer. I'm not familiar with this test at all and I recently purchased the Red ACT book. I've opened it and I'm pretty clueless right now. Since I have the summer, I'm wondering when should I start prepping for it. I've taken the SAT and I scored a 1940 on it. My real focus for this summer is the SATs, but I've been told to try the ACT. My goal is to get a decent score, maybe something similar to my SATs. How many weeks or months before the test should I start preparing?</p>
<p>Also, do you recommend any other sources or any good study plan?</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>I took all five tests in the Red Book the week of the real test and that’s all.</p>
<p>From my experience, it’s best to take about three days off between the last practice test and the actual test date. I honestly don’t think you should have to study constantly unless you want to do so; however, your SAT is close to the “magic” ACT scores of 32 and 34, so you may need to study regularly. The ACT has a free practice booklet online; I’d recommend you take a practice test and gauge where you are in relevance to where you’d like to be. I honestly can’t tell you how often to study, since most of my improvements came through schoolwork, but I suggest you talk over your finances with your parents; if they can easily afford a practice book or two, then you can work with those. The big key to the ACT is timing; it’s not a hard test, but it’s high-pressure, especially when trying to score in the 30s. Familiarize yourself with the format, brush up on your math formulas, and try to work out a few patterns.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don’t burn yourself out. The best time to study is a week (maybe two) before the test.</p>