What Are the Best ACT Review Resources?
tl;dr: It can be overwhelming to know where to start when preparing for the ACT, but we're here for you! This is a quick overview of the best resources to help you get ready for the big day. Fiveable's ACT hub has tons of resources to help you build your foundational skills, and CrackACT offers 20 free practice tests. Additionally, there are other free resources such as Varsity Tutors and Princeton Review, as well as paid resources like Erica Meltzer's Complete SAT/ACT Grammar Rules and The College Panda's ACT Math Guide & Workbook. Good luck; we're rooting for your success!
ACT Preparation: A Quick Overview
What’s poppin’? If you’re looking for a quick list of the best resources you can use to help you prepare for the ACT, you’re in the right place! There are so many ACT-based tutoring sites and books📚 scattered over the internet 👩💻 and on shelves in bookstores—it can be overwhelming to know where to start! We are here to simplify your search by breaking down the best resources you can use to make your studying as efficient and effective as possible. For a quick overview on how the ACT exam works, check out this article!
The Best ACT Resources for Review
When reviewing for the ACT, it is best to study with a combination of practice tests and resources to boost conceptual understanding.
The best place to access ACT practice tests is CrackACT, with 20 completely free practice tests since the ACT last updated the exam in September 2015 ✅
On CrackACT, you’re able to focus your ACT studying efforts on specific sections. You can access hundreds of different passages or example questions across the English, math, reading, science, and essay sections, sharpening your skills in each section before test day ✏️
Make sure to practice on paper since that is how the ACT is typically administered!
Practice tests are only effective if you have solid foundational skills in place. Fiveable’s ACT hub will help you build that conceptual understanding you need for rock 🔥 the ACT. This hub has resources for all five sections of the ACT as well as blogs with answers to common questions related to the ACT.
Fiveable's Resources:
We have a wide variety of articles and guides that'll help get you to a 36! Our ultimate guides are in-depth to every subject and provide you with practice ACT questions!
Other Free ACT Resources
There are numerous other free ACT resources that you can use to succeed on your next ACT! 🙌
- Varsity Tutors—Varsity Tutors offers free unofficial diagnostic tests and practice tests with explanations. While these resources will not be as reliable and precise as the ACT’s official test forms, this resource is still helpful if you want even more practice.
- Princeton Review—Princeton Review offers certain free ACT review products, including practice tests that you can take virtually with a proctor or individually without a proctor.
- Reddit’s r/ACT Wiki—Written by students who recently took the ACT, this Reddit page is a gold mine 💰 of advice and answers to FAQs!
- Erica Meltzer’s Complete SAT/ACT Grammar Rules—This page has a pretty self-explanatory name--it is a guidebook to the grammar rules you will need for the ACT and SAT. It may seem boring, but memorizing 🧠 the grammar rules on this website will help you significantly on test day.
- Mathchops—Join the seven-day free trial and free tier for access to ACT math practice for you to complete!
For those who prefer video tutorials 💻:
- SupertutorTV—SupertutorTV offers tips and tricks for the ACT and goes over the more challenging problems in each section. Moreover, their YouTube channel also includes content covering topics like AP exams.
- Supertutor offers a great ‘practice proctor’ video, which you can play in the background when you take complete practice tests!
- BestACTPrep—While inactive for the last three years, the vast free content on this website (and its corresponding YouTube channel) can be helpful for review.
Paid ACT Resources
While it’s definitely not necessary for you to pay for comprehensive ACT review, you can also benefit from these paid ACT resources:
- Official ACT Prep Guide for 2021-22—With 6 full-length practice tests, a study guide, and online flashcards, the ACT’s official prep book may come in handy for your practice needs! Pro tip: You can probably purchase a cheaper book from the past 3-4 years and still get excellent preparation.
- Erica Meltzer’s The Critical Reader for Reading & English—These two books are helpful if you are specifically struggling in either section and need assistance with raising your scores within those sections.
- The College Panda’s ACT Math Guide & Workbook—This book can be helpful if you need to focus specifically on the ACT math 🧮 section.
- For the Love of ACT Science—For those of you who can’t stand all the graphs 📈 tables, and charts 📊 this book breaks down the science section on the ACT.
- UWorld ACT Practice—After your seven-day free trial expires, you’ll have to pay to get access to performance tracking and thousands of practice questions. Most of these questions come from tests that are on CrackACT, so get UWorld if you want to track your progress on practice tests and analyze your mistakes rather than wanting access to more practice tests.
Wrap-Up
All the work you’ve done will pay off on your test date. Through the use of the resources above, you are on track to succeed and to get your dream 💭 score. Remember: practice is most effective when you consistently reflect and correct your errors! Therefore, when you grade 💯 your completed practice tests, take notes on what you missed and the types of questions you need to work on in the future.
For more college entrance exam tips and other college advice, check out these top Twitter threads!
Here at Fiveable, we want to make sure that you succeed and know that we’re all rooting 🙌 for your success on the ACT!
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