I messed up the April test a bit. I haven’t got the scores yet, but I know I will have to retake it. Aside from Barron’s ACT 36 and the Red Book, are there any good books for practice tests or questions? And is it still worth buying The Real ACT Prep book? Because I hear the tests are very different now.
I personally know a friend of mine who bought any online study program for the ACT, and saw her scores improve dramatically. I believe there are some books that go along with the program. It might be a little on the pricey side, but her score improved dramatically using this system! Hope that helps, and good luck! http://greensatsystem.com/act-vs-sat
@emmiebells1 Thanks, but it’s really pricey (nearly $550!). May I ask what you did for the ACT? Any prep book, or practice tests from any books or sites?
Something I found was that every time I took the exam my scores improved in the math and science sections. The science section is something that you can really improve just by taking practice exams. Reading, wasn’t something I needed to improve, so I couldn’t help you there. English, I took practice exams in the Kaplan book and The Real ACT Prep book, and whenever I would get a question wrong I looked at the reasoning behind it and took notes. Math, I just looked online for important formulas to know. Depending on which college you are applying for, perhaps its best to focus on one or two sections of the ACT at a time. This only works if your college superscores though, I know for me my highest scores in each section came from four different tests! The ACT can be quite tricky, but my score improved by 4 points with not to much studying. Good luck!
@emmiebells1 Thanks!
Ok, so I am prepping for the June ACT and bought ACT 36 from Barron, PR ACT practice, and PR 1296 question books. I just really need to improve on Math, and the ACT 36 book teaches you everything in math. I bought the online ACT prep program from ACT when I signed up for my first ACT and I think it was around an extra $40? I am not sure, but it really helped me get prepared. You just need to practice and then target what your low points are. Then, go back in the books and figure out what you did wrong.
I have researched a lot about ACT books and have heard the best reviews from the books I got. The Princeton Review ACT book also explains in depth, while it also has 6 practice tests. Just make sure you get the most current editions. In my experience, the ACT red book did help, but I have also heard the the Princeton Review book is more challenging, so when you have learned it, the real ACT seems easier.
Hope this helps!
@madmik Thanks! I have the ACT 36 book. How is the PR 1296 book? If you had to choose between the PR ACT practice and the PR 1296, which one would you choose?
The best way to study for the ACT is to practice with REAL ACT tests. There are 5 tests in the Red ACT Book, 3rd Edition. ACT released several tests in booklet form.
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 school night/with review for 4 nights/week.
Twice per month on a Saturday or Sunday take a full ACT test/with review.
@HereToHelpYou Thanks!
i felt like most prep books are now outdated. None of them includes the dual passages from the reading section. The science science also seems different from the April ACT test
@lofty12345 I think so too, but Reading isn’t something I’m concerned with. Maybe the April test was an outlier?
If you have basic math/grammar knowledge, improving your ACT score does not require learning information as it does learning strategy. Since the ACT is standardized, there is always exactly one answer that is 100% correct without dispute. More importantly, there are always exactly three answers that are 100% wrong without dispute. You need to learn how to “hack” the ACT and exploit the fact that it is standardized.
The ACT Prep Black Book by Mike Barret is the best strategy book. It is relatively recent and packed full of stategy, tricks, and easy rules. It’s easy to read, easy to learn, and easy to remember. It includes answers to preselected questions from the ACT Red Book. The Red Book answers simply explain the correct answer, the Black Book tells you how to adapt what you learned from each question to future questions. As a previous test taker and tutor, I strongly recommend this book.
@made4him1027 Okay, thanks!