I took the April ACT and I got a 31 composite, with 31 subscores in Eng, Math, and Sci, and a 30 subscore in Reading. I took several practice tests from the Red Book, as well as the annual ACT prep guide, and I scored between 30 and 34 composites.
So what prep should I be using to bring my score up? I’m aiming for a 35 or 36, but I’d settle for a 34. Many people on CC say that the Red Book is very accurate in simulating real test questions since its developed by the ACT, but I did not find this to be the case since I ran out of time and encountered many questions on the test which I didn’t know how to do. The Red Book tests by comparison were very straight forward (including test 4, which I took prior to taking the ACT and is supposedly one of the harder newer tests).
I want to stay away from Barron’s when it comes to SAT/ ACT because many people have complained about the unrealistic difficulty of the tests, and how it covers a lot of irrelevant content.
I know about Princeton Review ACT ELITE 36, which is advertised as being specifically for people with relatively high scores who want to push them the final notch. I’m assuming I fit into this category, so to what extent does this book help?
I plan on getting the Princeton Review 1296 which is just a bunch of practice problems.
What about Princeton Review Cracking the ACT? How does this compare with the ELITE 36 or the 1296? Will it be helpful or is it aimed more toward people with mid range scores?
I plan to take the ACT in June. I would appreciate any help and advice. Thank you.