I currently have a 30 composite on the ACT (35 english, 29 math, 30 reading, and 25 science) and I am aiming for a 32. My main choices right now are Barron’s ACT, 2nd Edition or or Cracking the ACT 2016 edition by Princeton Review. Can anyone tell me which would be the most beneficial for my score? I am open to buying books other than the ones I mentioned.
You should use the book the ACT publishes, as well as the practice tests they publish. Nothing can prepare you for the test as well as the people who made it.
The Real ACT book is only good for the official practice tests with answer explanations. I haven’t found the other information that helpful. People buy The Real ACT for the official tests, and the ACT knows this.
I’m currently using Barron’s Math and Science Workbook and Barron’s ACT 36. I am a big fan of Barron’s and would highly recommend them. I strongly feel that the commentary, review, advice, and answer explanations in Barron’s are much more helpful than in The Real ACT. I haven’t used the regular Barron’s ACT that you mentioned; since you’re in the 30s range, you might want to consider the Barron’s ACT 36 (which I have heard is more detailed). I also haven’t used Princeton Review for ACT. If math is harder for you, The Ultimate Guide to ACT Math by Richard Corn is also excellent.
In direct answer to your question, I would buy The Real ACT if you don’t already have it only for the official practice tests. I would pick with the Barron’s just from experience, but buying more than one guide can certainly help!
Good Luck!
@SuperGymnast_04 Does “The Ultimate Guide to ACT Math” cover new topics such as matrices/vectors??
@aznboi4981 yes it does! I’m really trying to raise my math ACT and I’ve found this book to be super helpful.
@SuperGymnast_04 And let me ask you, is it easy to understand? I’ve been using the Barron’s SAT Math II book, and it’s sort of complex in the language used.
@aznboi4981 I think everything is very well explained. The instructions for doing problems or topics are well defined and examples are given. The only thing is that the answers do not have detailed explanations. The answers simply consist of the problem being doing correctly. I find this sufficient, but sometimes I have to work harder to find out my mistakes.