why would you care what the average act score by state is? a lot of colleges and universities have admissions officers who focus on a particular region. believe me, they’re more than familiar with what the average score looks like in your area! also, if you’re applying to college in a particular state with a lot of in-state applicants, it’s good to know approximately where you stand in terms of the admissions pool by comparing yourself to local test takers.

so if your score is slightly lower than average for the college—but far above average in your state—it might not hurt your chances as much as you think it might. in fact, it may even help you!

state act score averages

here are the average act scores by state, plus information about the percentage of students who meet national performance benchmarks for the united states. these are composite act scores or scores for the overall act test.

this chart contains data on the percent of high school graduates who took the act, average composite scores, and the average scores by subject. the data is organized by u.s. state.


 
data from act average scores by state (pdf), provided by the act.

that’s a lot of information, so let’s break it down. the table gives us the average composite score for each state, as well as the percentage of students from each state meeting college-readiness benchmarks in english, reading, science, and math.

what’s a readiness benchmark?

if you take a look at the 2023 national act profile report (pdf), the most recent report released by act, you can see that they take another measure into consideration for college readiness.

act has done a lot of research (and i invite you to read it), but for those of you on a tight schedule, this is how the act evaluates college readiness:

• act scores (or other standardized test scores) are a valuable predictor of college success for high school students, taken in consideration with high school grades and other factors.
• the “benchmark” scores for each section show the threshold above which high school graduates can expect to be reasonably prepared for college courses in this subject area. more specifically, the act explains, these indicators show the percentage of students who “have a 50% chance of obtaining a b or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a c or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.”
• in each state, a different percentage of test-takers meets or exceeds the benchmarks every year.

average act scores by the numbers

what do those scores mean in a national context? in 2023, the national average act score was 19.5 (source: 2023 national act profile report). the breakdown looks like this:

however, keep in mind that these numbers come from an incredibly large pool of students (over 2 million, according to the national center for education statistics!) each of whom is taking the act for different reasons.

so the overall averages are really not all that helpful in contextualizing your score. instead, let’s look at how to contextualize average sat scores by state and how you can use them to your advantage.

what average act scores by state mean for everyone

benchmarks are one way of determining college readiness and what constitutes a “good” act score, and they’re more reliable than comparing your score to the 19.5 average. but as we’ve seen, test scores in one state are not perfectly comparable to scores from another state—the 100% test rate in some states shows us that, in places, all students, not just those who are determined to go to college, take this exam. this most likely lowers that state’s act composite score.

a better way to put your score in context

in other words, to get a better idea of how your scores stack up, it can be helpful to look at data from a smaller pool of students—preferably some who have had a similar education.

1. first of all, you can look at average act scores for your state.although you will find that scores don’t vary drastically between states, you may live in a slightly less or more competitive one.
2. next, you can look at average act scores for your high school.many students can access this data on their high school’s “profile” sheet. this might be posted on your school’s website, or you can ask your college counseling department for it. in fact, this is a really crucial piece of paper. did you know that this is the info colleges use to understand how your high school compares to other high schools, as well as how you compare with to fellow students? information is valuable, people!
3. compare them to the average act scores at the colleges or universities you are targeting.if you don’t have a college list yet (or even if you do), i highly recommend doing some exploratory research by reading our comprehensive post on act scores, which has a great table you can use to find the average test scores at the top 100 u.s. universities.

   as you might expect, more selective schools have high average scores (even up to the highest possible score of 36!), while less selective schools have lower average scores. but keep in mind that these are usually ranges–you don’t need to get the maximum score of 36 to get into a highly selective school (though it won’t hurt!).

the magoosh answer

your act score can be a very important factor in determining college admissions. so make sure to arm yourself with all of the above facts and figures before you set your act goals. but, it’s also important to keep in mind that your act scores are only one part of who you are as an applicant, and you have lots of other talents to offer a college or university!

and, don’t forget the most important person to be comparing yourself to is…you.

so, if you studied hard and increased your act score from a 16 to a 20, that is a huge win! you are now way better prepared than “average you” was before. and that—rather than the average act scores by state—is what really counts at the end of the day.

the post average act scores by state (2022-2023 update) appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the ranges of “good scores” vary a lot depending on both your goals and your age. the more competitive your dream schools are, the higher your target score should be. on the other hand, you can expect your scores to increase as you go through high school. for that reason, if you’re a sophomore, 1300 is a good score, while a freshman should be very pleased with scores of 1200 or higher.

want to find out exactly what a good score would be for you and your goals? read on for more information about sat scores—from average sat scores to sat score charts, we have all the data you need.

 

table of contents

• what is a good sat score range for colleges?
• sat score scale: the basics
• what are sat percentiles?
• what is a good score for scholarships?
• how does the adversity index impact my score?
• how can i improve my scores?

what is a good sat score range for colleges?

let’s face it: at the end of the day, there is no “sat passing score.” what is considered a good score depends almost entirely on the colleges that you’re applied to.

keeping in mind the general sat score range to aim for, let’s take a closer look at good scores for your dream school. just to make things a little easier on you, we’ve put together this table of score ranges for the top universities in the united states. the numbers are from the middle 50% score range (meaning 25% of admitted students had lower scores and 25% had higher scores).

type the name of your chosen school in the search box to find its middle 50% sat score range!

sat score scale: the basics

before you send your score report to admissions officers, make sure you understand the sat scoring scale. what is the sat out of? what’s the top sat score? knowing these things can help you figure out what a good score is for you and what your goals should be.

basically, sat test scores are given both by section and overall. here’s a quick breakdown of the sectional sat score scale and how it contributes to the composite score. note that this “new” sat scoring applies to tests from 2016 onwards—scores were different on previous versions of the sat, with a top sat score of 2400!

• you’ll receive two sectional scores, one math and one verbal (combined from the reading and writing sections).
  • math score range: 200-800 points
  • evidence-based reading & writing score range: 200-800 points
  • the average sat score on each section is 500 points, give or take 30 points (in 2020, the average ebrw score was 528 and the average math score was 529).
     
• your math and reading/writing sectional scores add up to a composite (combined) score. the highest composite score you can earn on the sat is 1600 points.
  • composite score range: 400-1600 points
  • the average composite score is about 1000 points (the average overall composite score in 2020 was 1051).
     

what are sat percentiles?

another way of evaluating your scores is to look at percentiles. your sat percentile measures the percentage of test-takers who got a lower score than you did. this means that percentile numbers, much like score numbers, indicate better test performance when they’re higher.

here’s how to find your score percentiles on your online score report.
 

basically, sat percentiles compare your scores to average scores. because the sat is a standardized test, it means that these scores are easily comparable. this information falls along a bell curve:

if you’re in the 91st percentile, for example, it means that only 9% of all other scores are higher than yours. in contrast, in the 30th percentile, 30% of all other test takers would have lower scores than you… and roughly 70% of the scores were higher than yours. this would place you in the bottom half of the year’s test-takers, in terms of performance.

sat percentiles are calculated annually. click the arrows below to see the college board’s most recently released sat user percentiles (meaning only juniors and seniors).

what is a good score for scholarships?

many colleges around the country have what are called guaranteed scholarships. these scholarships are automatically awarded to accepted students who have earned a certain sat score.

a larger number of colleges also have general merit scholarships. these scholarships have the same sat requirements, but you are in competition with other accepted students for a limited number of awards. these scholarships may require a separate application, along with a personal or themed essay.

scholarships based on academic merit often have minimum scores provided in their descriptions. take note of any score requirements you find during your research, then average all those scores. the result is your minimum score goal for scholarships. to see the types of scholarships out there, check out our article what’s a good sat score for scholarships?


 

how does the adversity index impact my score?

if you’ve been paying attention to sat news lately, you may have heard about college board’s new adversity index. this is a measurement that they will give to colleges to contextualize your scores in terms of relative advantage/disadvantage.

by creating this new measure, the college board hopes to show how students from low-income and minority populations perform compared to other students from similar backgrounds. while this has been controversial, the adversity index will not affect scores themselves.

instead, what it will give schools is an understanding of your percentiles based on both your “environmental context” and your “high school context.” again, this won’t change your score at all, but instead give universities one more measure with which to interpret your scores.


 

how can i improve my scores?

check out this video for tips to boost your score, and read on for resources to help you before and during test day! you can also use these tips if you’re planning on retaking the sat.

• make use of a sat study schedule—knowing how to study for the sat is a huge factor in improving your score!
• take a free, full-length sat practice test to establish a baseline score.
• review our tips for pacing yourself during an exam.
• find ways to remain calm when a question flusters you.
• learn how to avoid careless mistakes in the future. (magoosh’s sat study guide has great tips to help with this!)

a final note

“how do my sat scores stack up?” it’s a question that almost every test taker has asked at some point! by taking a look at the score ranges for the colleges you’re applying to, comparing your scores to the national average scores with percentile rankings, and working your test prep to keep improving your score when necessary, you’ll have everything you need to understand how your score will impact your college admissions!

still unsure whether you want to take the sat or act? wondering how your scores stack up to potential act scores? check out magoosh’s sat to act conversion!

all magoosh sat prep plans are digital sat ready! start studying today.

the post sat scores: everything you need to know appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

click the links below to go straight to that section, or keep reading to get everything you need to know act scores!

• how are act scores calculated?
• what is the highest act score?
• what is a good act score?
• act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities
• how act scores can help you win scholarships
• should i cancel my act score if i get a bad score?

how are act scores calculated?

the act test score range is between 1 and 36. there are two types of scores that fall in this range: your section scores and your composite score.

section scores

the act exam comprises four sections:

• english (with an optional essay)
• math
• reading
• science

the score on each section is calculated by converting the raw score—the number of questions you answered correctly in a given section—to a scaled score in that 1-36 range. (there are no penalties for questions with an incorrect answer).

if you’re thinking “aw man, do i need to know a formula to figure out my practice act results??” — never fear! we actually have this handy dandy score calculator where you can plug in your raw scores to figure out your section scores. you can also check out our act raw score conversation chart for a sense of how many questions you need to answer correctly to get a certain scaled score.

composite scores

to make your composite, or overall, score, the test maker then averages your four scores on all sections. this is also scored using the 1-36 act scale.

so what is a good act composite score? many factors will help you determine what a good act composite score is for you. but before we get into that, know that the composite score is not the only score that matters! the act score report will provide you even more information about your test-taking experience in the form of subscores.

subscores

the reading, writing, and math sections also have categories with their own score ranges, as noted in the table below:

percentiles

finally, last but definitely not least, you’ll see your percentile. or, rather, percentiles.

your act percentiles compare your scores to the scores of other test-takers. in your score report, you’ll be able to see where you stand both in terms of your composite score and your section scores.

if you scored in the 90th percentile, for example, you scored better than 90% (or 90 out of every 100) test-takers. if you scored in the 50th percentile, you scored better than half of your peers.

what is the highest act score?

seeing as the act score range is between 1 and 36, naturally, the highest score that one can receive on the act is a 36. here are some facts to know about the max act score:

• in 2020, only 5,579 students (out of 1.67 million test takers) scored a perfect 36 on the act (source: act.org).
• you can miss up to five questions on the act and still earn a 36 (depending on what sections you miss them in!)
• the 99^th percentile of test takers includes those who earn a 35 or 34 on the act.

getting the highest act score, while an amazing feat, is nothing worth breaking your back over. sure, a perfect score does make your application all the more appealing—colleges love to brag about the percentage of perfect-scoring applicants they’ve admitted each year. and a 36 will definitely get your application moved to the top of the pile at less competitive institutions.

still, a 36 was worth a lot more ten or fifteen years ago. not only have many colleges and scholarships adopted more well-rounded admissions approaches to giving out letters of acceptance and/or monetary awards, but the number of students getting a perfect score on the act is also growing every year—truly an indication of just how competitive the college admissions process is becoming.

my advice? if you end up scoring in the 34 or above range on the act, it might be best if you’re trying to wow admissions committees through other aspects of your application. this advice is particularly relevant to admissions at ivy leagues and other competitive schools; some of these schools have a whopping quarter of their entering class scoring perfectly on the act or sat.

but if you feel like getting the highest act score can help you shine at less competitive colleges, make sure to check out our post on perfect act score stories to know how it’s done!

what is a good act score?

the act, like its cousin the sat, is a standardized test meant to measure both knowledge gained in high school and potential to succeed in a college setting. the higher the score, the more likely you will get into the colleges of your choice.

that being said, there’s no straight answer on what is a good or bad score; it depends entirely on you, your goals, your grades, your extracurriculars, the schools you want to apply to, and a variety of other factors. a passing score on the act for someone else might not be a passing score for you and vice versa.

furthermore, while most schools care about the composite score, some will look specifically for your subject area scores. so even a number isn’t just a single number.

objectively speaking, a score of 32 or higher would put you in a competitive position for any school that you choose apply to. if that’s your goal, check out this video by magoosh expert kristin on how to get the highest act score:

but unless you want to go to super-elite schools, you might find it more useful to focus on your gpa and extracurriculars than aiming for the max score. that’s where it becomes useful to look at school rank when deciding what’s a good score on the act.

good scores by grade level and school rank

we’ve crunched some numbers and come up with what could be considered good scores, based on your ultimate school goals as well as your grade level. after all, a good score for a sophomore (who’s maybe taking the preact instead) won’t be the same as a good score for a senior.

please note that the numbers on the act scoring chart are loose projections— a lot of factors affect how high of a score you need to achieve. act students with lower scores may still get into their dream schools and students with top scores may not (you can skip to the section on act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities to see the competitive score ranges for a given school). still, this is a good place to start as you plan your act test prep. you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.

good scores by section

so those are good composite scores. but what does a good sectional score look like on the act? as we describe in our post on good act english scores, most people would consider any score above the average (around 20 per section, though this varies slightly by year) to be “good.”

however, if you’re applying to very competitive schools, aim for the 90th percentile or higher. this translates to the following scores:

• english: 20.1
• math: 20.4
• reading: 21.2
• science: 20.6

meanwhile, act writing is scored slightly differently. so what makes a good act writing score? here, a 9+ puts you in the range for the most competitive colleges.

the general guidelines for a “good score” by section also apply to preact scoring (though you won’t find an essay on that exam!). however, this is not the case for act aspire, which uses entirely different scoring scales.

average scores

so by now, you know the basic facts and may already have an idea on how you’d score on the act, either because you have taken real or practice act tests or you can convert your sat to act score.

but where do you stand compared to the average test-taker?

the average exam score was 19.9 (composite) in the 2023-2024 school year (source: act.org). basically, if you scored above 21 overall, you’re ahead of the curve.

to see how far ahead of the curve you are, or the points you’d need to score to reach 21, looking at act percentiles is a good place to start.

if you’re feeling super competitive, you can also check out how your score compares locally in average act scores by state.

act scores for the top 100 u.s. universities

though not the only piece in the college applications puzzle, your act score is the first thing most admissions counselors see. if you don’t score in the same range as most of the current students, it is going to be very hard to convince them that you would be the perfect fit. that’s why we provided for you, in the table below, the 25th-75th percentile scores (also known as the “middle 50%” scores) for the top 100 u.s. universities.

what do all those numbers mean? in short, the middle-scoring 50% of incoming students scored within this range. 25% of incoming students scored below the lower number, while 25% of incoming students scored above the higher number. everybody else (the middle 50%) scored between the two.

here’s an approximation of what the distribution of score percentiles could look like:

with all that said, take a look at the score ranges in 2019 below. you can search by school–if your schools of interest rank in the top 100, you’ll find it on this table. if the school’s middle 50% aren’t reported, take a look at the scores at similarly-ranked schools.

act score range for the top 100 u.s. universities

data from the u.s. news & world report: national universities ranking.

what are the score ranges for the ivy league?

ah, the $200,000 (and rising) question! no faffing about. although the ivy league score ranges were featured in the above chart, here they are again for your convenience:

if you’re wondering about the relative “value” of the sat vs. act in ivy league admissions, our act expert, kristin, does a great job of explaining that in this video:

final word? remember that when applying to the ivies, it’s important for your whole application to, well, sparkle.

if you’re scoring slightly below the middle 50% for your dream ivy (or any of your dream schools, really), it’s worth putting in the time to pull it up. maximize those chances!

how act scores can help you win scholarships

yup, a strong score can put you in the running for merit-based scholarships. but just what is that strong score for scholarships? as in the case of college admissions, there’s no one magic number.

if you’re scoring in the 30s (top tenth percentile), that’s a great place to start. on the other hand, you can still get a scholarship even if you’re scoring in the mid-20s. learn more in our post on good act score for scholarships.

should i cancel my act score if i get a bad score?

if you get your scores and find that you’ve scored significantly below your target score, you might be tempted to cancel your scores, worrying that colleges would penalize you for having low scores on your record. but there are a few reasons why you should definitely not cancel your scores.

• first and foremost, if you take the act more than once, most colleges only care about the highest act score you earn. and that’s true even if you do a little worse on the second try, so it’s just best to keep all the options on the table by not canceling scores.
• other colleges superscore act results, meaning that if your highest subscores for each section are spread out across different test dates, colleges will only focus on those highest scores. it’s like making a standardized test version of frankenstein, but using only the best parts!
  • for example, maybe you score really well on math and science but not so great on reading and writing. if you cancel your scores, you’d risk those great math and science scores that could potentially be superscored with better future results in reading and writing.
• another reason not to cancel your scores is that you’d be giving up a clear-cut set of results that explains your strengths and weaknesses when your scores come out. even “bad” results are an invaluable tool for getting great scores next time.

a final word

whew! that’s everything you need to know about act test scores (and probably more)! if you’re curious about how to boost your score to hit your ideal range, check out how to improve your act score by 10 points.

as a reward for sticking this post out and filling your head with all kinds of useful act information, check out how your scores compare to those of famous people. now you’ll know!

the post act scores: everything you need to know appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the future is (almost) here! college board, the group of folks who make the sat, has finally decided to switch the format of the exam from paper and pencil to taking the test on a digital device. wow college board, is it 2007 already?

the new digital format will make the sat more accessible to more future college superstars, which is awesome! college board is also taking this opportunity to make some other changes to the test. in this article, we’ll give you an overview of the new digital sat, as well as what’s staying the same and what’s changing from the paper-based sat.

what’s on the digital sat?

the digital sat will test almost the exact same topics and skills that the sat has always tested. that means the digital sat features passages across a range of academic disciplines, and will ask you to demonstrate command of evidence, vocabulary in context, and conventions of written english like sentence structure, usage, and punctuation. the entire reading and writing section is made up of multiple choice questions.

on the math side, the digital sat will include problems covering the topics that matter most for college and career readiness and success. that means plenty of algebra and advanced math, as well as some word problems, data analysis, geometry, and trigonometry. the math section is made up mostly of multiple choice questions with a few of the grid-in style questions (aka “student produced response”) mixed in.

how is the digital sat scored?

the big takeaway here is that your digital sat score report will still use the familiar 200-800 scores for both the reading and writing section and the math section. then, those two scores are added together to get your overall sat score out of 1600.

but since the test will now be digital, college board can get a little more sophisticated about how they come up with your score. the digital sat will be scored adaptively, which means the overall difficulty of your test depends on you! both the reading and writing section and the math section will be broken into two separately timed modules. the first module will have a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. based on how you do, you may see an easier, harder, or more balanced second module targeted to you. this change doesn’t really affect how it feels to take the test, but it does mean they can produce a more accurate score with fewer questions and a shorter test. digital sat for the win!

how to prepare for the digital sat

good news here—preparing for the sat is almost exactly the same as it’s been for years! all the tips, tricks, strategies, and study schedules test prep experts have always recommended will be virtually unchanged from the paper-based test to the digital sat.

one important callout here is that the digital sat students will see mostly the same lesson videos and video explanations of practice questions in magoosh as the paper sat students see. so, for now it’s really important for students studying for the digital sat to be aware of the differences so you’ll know when a magoosh video mentions some info that may not apply to your test.

the novelty of the digital sat also means there’s a lot less data available about the scoring scale. that means score estimates in magoosh may not be as accurate for a little while (but they should still be really close). it also means an official score on the paper sat may be less predictive of your performance on the digital sat. of course, magoosh students can email our test prep experts for answers anytime they have questions about the digital sat!

paper vs. digital sat comparison

long story short…

even though the test itself is changing in a big way, preparing for the sat is barely changing at all! and we can all celebrate that the test will now be shorter, simpler, with no need for a no.2 pencil. if you’re interested in more details about the digital sat, check out the digital sat doc from college board or email help@www.catharsisit.com. happy studying!

the post what you need to know about the digital sat in 2022 appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the act is just days away. like hundreds of thousands of students around the country, you may be getting jitters. that’s normal! you’re probably looking forward to a well-deserved break from studying, too. all in good time. these last few days are an important time, and there are a few commonsense things you can do to improve your test experience and score. let’s take a look at some last minute act tips to help you do your best on the exam!
 

 
now’s the time for a big push to get you to your goal. let’s get started!

last-minute act tips before test day

1. focus on your weaknesses

at this point, you’ve (hopefully) taken plenty of practice tests and reviewed the various act tips for each section. in the last few days, focus solely on your weaknesses, whether it be a whole test (section) of the act, or just a few topics. by using your time wisely, you’re sure to do better in these areas on test day.

it’s a delicate balance, though: don’t try to cram in tons of new concepts at this stage. instead, just review those that you’re rusty on or areas where you may have been scoring low on your practice exams.

2. one final practice test

when you’ve finished studying, take one last time practice test about two days before test day. the results will give you a heads-up on what to expect for your act score. not only will you go into the act feeling confident, you will be able to compare your act score with this result to determine if your performance was off on test day.

as for the day before test day, don’t study or prepare. don’t. your brain needs a little time to decompress and relax. get out there and do something enjoyable.

3. follow your routines

nothing can hurt your act score more than feeling  off on test day. to make sure that you’re prepared both mentally and physically, keep your routine the night before and morning of the act. that means no going to bed extra early or extra late, no chugging energy drinks on the way to the testing center. just do…well, whatever it is you normally do!

4. visualize success

whether it’s going to the doctor or flying on an airplane, there are certain triggers that cause our stress level to skyrocket. for those of you who get sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat even at the thought of the testing room, there are a few things you can do to calm your reaction to that trigger.

even before you start to feel anxiety, imagine that the test is over. you’re walking out of the testing room, and feeling good about how you performed. though the actual act might throw you an unexpected curve ball or two, a positive frame of mind can stop all that energy-sucking anxiety that plagues many test takers.

tips for test day

5. show up prepared

the last thing you want to worry about as you shake yourself awake on test day is what you need to bring:

here’s a complete list:

• admissions ticket (print from actstudent.org)
• photo identification (crucial! you will not be admitted without it. check acceptable forms of identification here.)
• several sharpened soft lead no. 2 pencils (the old fashioned wooden kind; not mechanical.)
• a permitted calculator (did you know that using a ti-89 is the most common reason students are dismissed from the act? check the list of prohibited calculators here.)
• extra batteries
• a watch to pace yourself (you can’t rely on the fact that the test room will have a clock.)
• eraser
• pencil sharpener
• healthy snacks (see below)
• a water bottle
• gum (did you know chewing gum improves accuracy and reaction times? check out this and other test prep lifehacks.)
• an outfit with layers (your test room may be too hot or too cold. it is rarely just right, goldilocks.)

6. keep your focus during the test.

a surefire way to not get the score you want is to constantly pay attention to the test-takers around you. how does that girl in front of you answer math problems so fast? why can’t that kid stop tapping his foot? try to stay in the zone and focus on your particular strategies. everyone is different, and what these other students are doing is irrelevant. and it should go without saying that you should avoid any temptation to peer at your neighbor’s answer sheet. cheating is not a risk you want to run here. and he’s probably wrong anyway.
 

7. eat on your breaks even if you aren’t hungry.

your brain needs fuel just like the rest of your body, even if your nervous stomach doesn’t think so. and the last thing you want is to let a perfectly good snack break go to waste only to regret it later when your stomach is howling halfway through the science section. fruit is great test fuel: the natural sugars help give you energy. make sure to have something with protein too, like a handful of nuts. many of my students swear by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or trail mix with chocolate for the perfect combo of sugar and sustenance. don’t forget the water!
 

8. reward yourself

you worked hard for this, and no matter how you think the test went, afterwards treat yourself to something you enjoy. you need the mental break and relaxation. but as important as an after-test reward is, i think that what is even more important is rewarding yourself during the exam. no, you can’t whip out a cookie in the middle of the english section, but give yourself mental pats on the back when you catch yourself doing something right. so many students beat themselves up during a test for what they think they are doing wrong. put a stop to this destructive mentality and instead congratulate yourself when you find yourself doing something right: sticking to your pacing or recognizing a grammar error you’ve missed before. it’s a long test and a positive attitude is crucial!

bonus: tips on how to get an extra boost on your act score.

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so what will you see in the pdf?

well, 154 questions, to start. but beyond that, the test has…

• sat reading test (65 minutes, 52 questions)
• sat writing and language test (35 minutes, 44 questions)
• sat math section – no calculator test (25 minutes, 20 questions)
• sat math section – calculator test (55 minutes, 38 questions)
• an answer key
• information on grading your test
• links to text and video explanations for every single question on ech section of the test

where to find full-length sat practice tests (even official ones)

there are a few great places to look for full-length sat practice tests! here are our top recommendations:

• khan academy: khan academy has paired up with the college board (they’re the test creators) to offer free online practice sat tests. there are four full exams on the khan academy site, which can also be found on the college board site. after you’ve taken an exam or two, you can then sharpen your skills with practice in different areas with resources on khan academy’s site and elsewhere.
• prep books: but beware! while prep books can be great for lessons, they tend to be better for learning than for full-length practice tests. yes, the college board’s book is awesome, but guess what? those eight tests are the same eight tests you can find on their website, just printed and bound (they’re transparent about this). there are a few great books out there and a few to avoid—you can check them out in magoosh’s post on the best sat books and our review of the princeton review’s practice tests!.
• magoosh prep: you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.

why do i need to take a full-length practice test?

to maximize your score on the sat, you’ll need three things:

• lessons
• practice questions
• practice tests

and despite what a lot of students believe, those last two aren’t interchangeable! lessons are super valuable for reviewing content that you might not have seen for a while—or ever. practice questions are great for making sure you’ve mastered (and continue to remember) the lesson content.

learn it, practice it…why the third step? well, first of all, the official sat won’t have an “algebra” problem set or a “geometry” problem set. it’ll have all kinds of question types mixed together within the three sections. that means that studying different content areas is a very different experience from test day, when you’ll be in front of the exam for at least three hours (more if you’re taking the essay). so you need to get ready with multiple practice tests!

how to take an sat practice test

ready to mimic the official experience? fantastic! all students can benefit from taking an sat practice test–unless your test is the next morning, in which case, get your rest! for the rest of you, here’s what to do:

1. set aside approximately four hours of uninterrupted time to take the practice test.
2. take the test in a quiet place where you won’t be distracted.
3. mimic test day conditions by turning off your phone and leaving it in another room.
4. take the test in a quiet place where you won’t be distracted.
5. try to take the entire practice test in one sitting.
6. eat a healthy, energizing snack before taking the practice test.
7. give yourself a brief, 10-minute break after the reading test.
8. give yourself a brief, five-minute break after the math (no calculator) test.
9. use a countdown timer and remember to reset it for each test.

lucky for you, you don’t have to remember half of these steps if you follow our simulated sat practice test below, proctored by magoosh curriculum manager kat.

all you’d need to do is print your test, find a quiet place, set aside a few hours, and press play to simulate a test-day experience in the comfort of your own home!

what to do after practice tests

after the test, it is critical that you check your answers and make note of any questions you missed. in fact, it’s a good idea to spend at least as much time examining your results as you did taking the test. why? well, did you get a question right because you knew the answer, or because you were guessing? did you get a question wrong because you filled in the wrong bubble? (practice tests help a lot with this latter problem, by the way!)

make sure to check the explanations for every question you get wrong, so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes on test day. after you’ve examined your results, do some practice in your weak areas.

signing up for magoosh sat prep is a great way to learn or relearn concepts you need help with and get access to additional practice problems.

after working on your weak areas and brushing up on your strong areas, take another test and do the same process all over again! in the next section, we highlight some resources that will help you structure your sat prep after taking your first practice test.

free practice materials

while free practice resources for the sat may not be as easy to find once you’ve finished the work available here and on the college board site, don’t worry! there are plenty of other online resources–both free and low-cost (including this blog!)–that will allow you to target your weaker areas and keep your strong areas strong.

• magoosh sat ebook
• complete guide to sat scoring
• sat diagnostic test
• sat question of the day
• sat flashcards (prep and vocab)
• magoosh sat 7-day free trial

a final word

you’ve made it this far. congratulations! the sat can have many implications for the college admissions process, which can intimidate students. getting this far shows commitment—the same kind of commitment you need to master the sat.

so what are you waiting for? dig out those #2 pencils, find yourself a quiet corner, and get on it! it’s time to start boosting your test score.

the post free sat practice test with answers and explanations (pdf) appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

*list prices given at time of publication and subject to change. click on the book cover found in each review to see the current price on amazon.

best sat books of 2021-2022: reviews

not all sat prep books are created equal: some you’ll want to use in their entirety (though only a few), others you’ll want to use only parts of, and others you’ll want to steer clear of. this is particularly true now that prices are falling and kindle versions are available—in some ways, that’s awesome, but it can also encourage students to buy a ton of books without seriously evaluating their quality.

to help you maximize your study time (and save your hard-earned cash) i’ve reviewed the options for the best sat books on the market and graded them from most to least helpful. keep in mind that some publishers do a good job on some things (like practice tests or a specific section of the sat) and a sub-par job on other things. this doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t buy the book, but it might mean that you won’t use the book in its entirety.

magoosh’s complete, free sat study guide

i want to start by pointing out that magoosh has a great, free sat study guide! we’ve spent years and years reviewing all of the sat study guides out there. we knew that our experts could cut through all of the unnecessary stuff and give you the best info out there…so that’s what we did! even better? it doesn’t cost you a cent. we even have a free sat practice test you can take after studying!

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sat prep black book: the most effective sat strategies ever published

how the current edition compares to the previous one
this book hasn’t been updated for a while (the most recent version was published in 2017), so steer clear of the first edition: it’s written for a previous edition of the test and won’t help you prepare for the current sat!

things to love

• this book provides in-depth explanations (and we mean really in-depth explanations) of the four official sat practice tests from the college board. the college board’s practice is great—but if you’re struggling to understand why you got questions wrong even after reading their explanations, this is a great place to turn.
• it’s also a great place to get your strategy set for test day. not only does mike barrett give you multiple workable methods to approach questions, but he also goes through possible issues and solutions to every type of everything: passages, questions, answers, even test-taking vocabulary.
• the book even covers what non-native english speakers should focus on (albeit in a slightly perfunctory way).

things to consider
is this the be-all and end-all of sat prep? well, no.

• in the first place, we definitely have some pedagogical (teaching) differences. barrett encourages you not to think about the average time you spend per question, and while we don’t think you should obsess over this, you should definitely be aware of it.
• he also doesn’t encourage taking notes while you read or taking a diagnostic test. those strategies can be helpful for many test-takers.
• in addition, barrett vastly underplays the importance of the sat essay, noting that a lot of test-takers won’t need to take it. while that may be true of some test-takers, more and more schools are requiring the sat essay—particularly the most competitive schools that students aiming for a 1600 are probably targeting.
• finally, you won’t find any practice questions here. barrett has his own arguments for why you should only use college board resources. we definitely disagree with that; for students aiming for top scores, a much deeper pool of questions is important (as long as they’re up to snuff)!

takeaway
at the end of the day, this is a pretty great addition to your sat library, particularly for those students just starting their test prep journey.

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kallis’ sat pattern strategy

how the current edition compares to the previous one
the 2018 kallis book and the previous 2016 edition are similar in many respects, but there have been a few distinct changes. most of these changes are good. the sat reading and sat math practice questions have been updated to better reflect the content of the real sat, with more recently written passages and a more even mix of math topics, respectively. there are a few changes that seem like downgrades though, with less tutorial support for certain topics in sat writing & language and sat math.

things to love

• the content review for each section is thorough, clear, engaging, and most importantly, helpful. of course, many publishers do content review fairly well.
• where most books flounder is in writing the practice tests, but kallis is relatively strong on that front. kallis isn’t perfect—it’s exceedingly difficult to write questions that mimic the real test—but they do a respectable job. and in the newest edition, the quality is more respectable than ever. the sat math practice is much improved–there no more long strings of problems that just focus on one topic, and kallis has added more complex word problems that resemble the college board ones more closely. the sat reading practice also now includes more passages that were written in the last 20 years, compared to the 2016 volume’s disproportionate use of late 1800s/early 1900s readings.
• the amount of practice content is great too: 6 full practice tests!

things to consider

• the writing questions tend to be more difficult than those on the actual test and don’t quite have the feel of those questions.
• the reading passages are sometimes spot-on. other times, they are too stylistic and more reminiscent of the old sat. there’s also slightly more of a focus on trap answers than on the actual test.
• the book does a great job in presenting the content you need to know for the new test. however, it doesn’t do the greatest job of discussing strategies. for instance, it shows you the tedious and not necessarily intuitive way of setting up complex equations rather than the tried-and-true way of plugging in values. likewise, the writing section recommends always reading the question first instead of reading the passage first, or at least a paragraph at a time. i advocate for a nuanced approach, one that takes into account both tactics.
• even with the addition of some more sat-like word problems, most of the word problems in the math section still tend to contain far fewer words than those on the actual exam. the contexts used in the examples are often a little too relatable. gone is the more esoteric fare of the actual test—bacteria in a petri dish, strength of a satellite signal, etc.
• frustratingly, support and advice for certain key writing & language and math topics that were in the 2016 version of kallis’ sat pattern strategy have been removed from the 2018 book. there is noticeably less support and advice for stats and functions, and advice on certain writing features such as passive voice or reporting verbs have been removed altogether.

takeaway
an all-around excellent prep book for the sat, one that is great for the motivated self-studier, especially one who aims to score in the top 20%. i intend to use it to tutor, which is a lofty compliment, given that i say this about very few prep books outside of the official materials.

(quick update: i ended up using this book for my class, and it turns out that quite a few of the writing questions have debatable answer choices or at least wrong answers that aren’t quite wrong enough. for that reason, i’ve lowered the grade from an a- to a b+.)

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ivy global: ultimate sat guide and sat 6 practice tests

ivy global is a lesser-known publisher that produces high-quality practice materials. they have two main books, the ultimate sat guide and sat 6 practice tests, and offer two free practice tests on their website (available to anyone whether you bought a book or not). the ultimate sat guide offers a thorough concept review for each section and three full practice tests. the 6 practice tests book gives a quick run-down of the sections and question types and offers 6 practice tests. each practice test is different from the others from ivy global, so you don’t have to worry about paying for the same material twice. the ultimate sat guide is a more refined version of ivy global’s new sat guide 2.0 but the test material is nearly the same. the only difference is some of the concept reviews and errors from the previous edition were fixed and improved slightly.

things to love

• in both books, the text and layout design are clear and understated. they don’t go for the whimsical or frenetic styles that other test prep books have, which can definitely be a plus if you want something a little more no-nonsense
• in the main book, the new sat guide, the introduction to the sat and test-taking strategies sections are clear and well-formatted.
• the section-specific explanations cover the necessary material and use lots of examples. not enough to teach you a concept if you’ve never seen it before, but definitely enough to help you refresh your memory and fill in any gaps.
• their practice tests are strong. the questions match the difficulty of the real thing, and there’s a good range of difficulty in each section.

things to consider

• the one small weakness is that there are no answer explanations in the back of the book, just the correct answer choices. answer explanations are available online, which isn’t too big of a deal, but it does add an extra step.
• this book might have jumped into the a range if it had more extensive review of strategies and made it clear how they are most advantageous for different topics and situations. similar to the kallis book, this is a great resource, but probably shouldn’t be your only test prep resource.

takeaway
great general-purpose practice source that deserves more attention!

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princeton review: sat premium prep, 2022 (formerly cracking the sat, 2020)

how the current edition compares to the previous one
the 2022 sat premium prep is the new evolution of the cracking the sat series. although it is presented as an update, the 2022 edition matches the 2020 edition aside from a few minor edits. previous reviewers have noted that the 2020 edition is also a near reprint of older editions from 2018/2019 so you may want to consider buying any version since they’re essentially the same over the last 3 years. the benefit of the premium version is that it gives you eight practice tests (four in the book and four online) whereas the conventional version gives you five practice tests (four in the book and one online). the rest of the content is the same.

things to love

• hey, want to learn a lot about sat math? this book has almost 300 pages of material to review, strategies to learn, and practice sets to, well, practice. if you want a total math review with lots of practice, this is a great place to start.
• the verbal sections are really strong in how they introduce the test format, then walk you through progressively more difficult (and sat-like) examples.
• unlike a lot of other books, the verbal here is pretty solid as well. in particular, the princeton review seems to actually understand the college board’s incorporation of graphs into the verbal section on the new sat—a nuanced concept that few publishers get right.
• also, the practice tests here are different than those included in the princeton review’s 10 practice tests for the sat, so if you’ve bought both books, you’ll really get your money’s worth.

things to consider

• what’s that you say? seems overwhelming? it is, a little.
• if you’re looking for practice on reading or writing and language, the book does offer good advice and practice sets—just not very much advice and not many practice sets (think 50-75 pages).
• yes, students do struggle with sat math, but there’s no need to push it on them to the exclusion of the other sections. after all, you need to look at that composite score, too!
• meanwhile, other parts are unnecessarily confusing, mainly because they use a ton of acronyms (including the unfortunate “pood”).

takeaway
a great place to overhaul your math scores if you have a lot of time before the exam. also worth looking into for the use of graphs in the verbal sections.

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pwn the sat: math guide

how the current edition compares to the previous one
the most recent edition of this book is from 2016, when the sat changed—so definitely don’t get earlier editions! they won’t prep you for the current test.

things to love

• many test prep books make the mistake of being dry—really dry. and that’s a problem when your subject matter is already dry to begin with. mike mcclenathan steers clear of any such aridity, injecting a “hey-we’re-in-this-together” voice as he takes you through all the important parts of the sat.
• you never feel like he’s writing this book to meet some deadline. it’s clearly a labor of love. his affection for the material and the test comes across in nearly every page. but it isn’t that he just wants to geek out on the material—he genuinely seems to care that students improve their score.
• luckily, the book gives us a clean breakdown of every question type in the official guide. that way, you can practice a concept on real sat questions and have a rough idea of how difficult they are (the difficulty of these questions depends on where the question shows up in the section—easier questions are at the beginning; harder questions at the end).
• overall, a strong book for the self-studier who needs an accessible refresher of the math tested on the sat.

things to consider

• this book alone isn’t enough to improve your score—though it is a good start. you’ll want to make sure to complement it with the official guide (as the author encourages). even then, i recommend a book like barron’s 1600 math book so you can get lots of extra practice questions.
• the questions in the pwn book, while okay, don’t quite impart the flavor of the current test. it seems that some of them are still steeped in the old-sat-style of asking questions.
• another issue is there is no indication of whether a question in a practice set is ‘easy,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘difficult.’ this is problematic because, often, the section that introduces the topic uses clear, easy-to-follow examples. then there’s a jump in difficulty in the problem sets, often because what you learned at the beginning of the chapter isn’t enough to answer the harder questions. for students who are just starting out, they might get easily frustrated and think, as they are wont to do, that they aren’t good at math. the problem sets would have been improved had they included easier questions and broken up the questions into discrete difficulty levels.

takeaway
on its own, this book isn’t enough to prepare you for test day. in combination with a few other resources, though (namely, the official guide), it’s a great resource for students aiming for top math scores.

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500+ practice questions for the new sat

how the current edition compares to the previous one
this book hasn’t been updated since 2015, but it does focus on the “new” (i.e. 2016-onwards) sat. so don’t get earlier editions, but this one is geared towards the current test.

things to love

• the princeton review has created questions that, while perfectly legitimate, aren’t quite as complex and nuanced as those found on the actual test. and you know what? that’s not necessarily a bad thing—if you are just starting off.
• unlike kaplan’s books, for instance, which—at least for verbal—are much easier than the real test in an inaccurate way, the princeton review mostly stays true to the underlying subtleties of the questions and answer choices. it just doesn’t have the hard-level questions that make up 15-20% of the actual test.

things to consider

• you’ll have to pick up another book to help you with strategies and to review the fundamentals.
• you’ll need a book that also has practice tests, since this book is made up of just one drill after another.

takeaway
as a companion guide to a book of strategies and fundamentals, this book is a great place to start.

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10 practice tests for the sat, 2022 edition

note: the practice tests in this book are not the same ones that appear in the princeton review’s cracking the sat (reviewed above). all commentary here applies to the 10 practice tests book alone.

how the current edition compares to the previous one
there are no changes from the 2020 edition (which had four new practice tests added and some older passages updated) to the 2022 edition. tests 1-6 are the exact same six tests seen in the 2017 book. the two new passages were written in 2008 and 2014, while the older essay prompt readings were from the early-to-mid 20th century.

things to love

• the verbal sections here are pretty strong, and there are also great medium- and low-level math items. the science passages in the reading section are outstanding, and so is the princeton review’s use of graphic stimuli in these sections. these types of problems are going to be a new kind of challenge for many students on test day, and here we have difficult, test-like problems! woohoo!
• answer explanations are also pretty good. the explanations of wrong answers are brief or even missing, but the clear explanations of why the right choice is right make this a relatively small issue.
• the upgrades from the previous edition are nice. 10 practice questions are literally greater than 6! and the two modernized essay prompts a minor but nice improvement.

things to consider

• the math here verges on the easy side, but not so much so that it’s unfaithful to the test. it’s just missing those tough problems that you’ll need to answer correctly for a 700+ sectional score. if you’re looking to get your score up in the top percentiles, you’ll want to supplement the tests with practice problems from books like the college board’s official guide.

takeaway
a good book for most students. if you’re hoping to score in the stratosphere (90th percentile or above), you might begin here, depending on where you are now, and move on to more challenging materials as you master these problems.

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barron’s sat, 31st edition

how the current edition compares to the previous one
the 2021 edition has been updated with few new changes compared to the 2020 edition. the most major change is the removal of all guides related to the sat essay that has been recently removed from the test. the second update that might prove more meaningful is the addition of an index at the end of the book. the index allows you to go straight to the page for nearly every concept on the test which is helpful if you’re looking for targeted practice. aside from the essay removal and index addition, the book is nearly identical to the previous edition.

things to love

• the math is great! the strategies are solid and helpful, the concepts are broken down well, and it hits that goldilocks sweet spot of around 200 pages—enough to help you enormously without being overwhelming.
• answer explanations are great on the practice sets (though less so on the practice tests…see below).
• there’s a flashcard app! this is exciting.
• the index makes it easier to find the content you want to review.

things to consider

• how long do you think it would take you to memorize 74 pages of word definitions in teensy-tiny type? is there enough time before test day? if not, and you’re looking for verbal help, you’d better look elsewhere. other than those 74 pages, there are only about 60 pages of reading test help here, and ditto for writing and language. furthermore, writing and language is full of lists that made even my eyes glaze over. how helpful is a list of conjugated irregular verbs when you’re studying for the sat? well…sorry, i just fell asleep there for a moment. those lists are not helpful at all.
• practice test answer explanations are really weak (“a is the right answer because xyz. b is not the right answer because it is not xyz”).
• yes, there’s a flashcard app…but is your time going to be best spent studying the 3,000 words the book claims are on that app? definitely not.

takeaway
this is great for math practice and really, really not student-friendly for the verbal.

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the official sat study guide 2020

how the current edition compares to the previous one
there are a few small, inconsequential changes to the math support in the official sat study guide (2020), compared to the previous 2018 version. a few example problems have been changed, with one algebra equation replaced by another, a geometry question replaced with a different geometry question on a similar topic, and so on. again, very minor changes, likely due to feedback or analysis that the college board received regarding the prior version of the book. the truly big change here is the eight practice tests: two of the practice exams are brand new, while the other 6 also appeared in the 2018 sat og.

things to love

• the questions in this book are mt. sinai level. the sat gods part the skies and give us a taste of what to expect when the test debuts in a couple of months. all the nuances, all the traps, all the idiosyncrasies are there for us to behold, and the more you understand them, the better prepared you’ll be come test day

things to consider

• the practice questions in this book are available for free online, and, since the questions are by far the best thing about this book, you might rightly start to wonder whether you need to actually purchase this book. what follows might indeed make you think you don’t need the book at all.
• the explanations are really weak. how weak? well….hi, i’m going to play pretend today. i’m going to pretend i’m the person or people who wrote the explanations for the questions.choice (a) is the best answer because the information in the passage best supports (a). lines 11-13, <insert quote here> show this.(b), (c), and (d) do not specifically answer the question.to be fair, the explanation of the right answer is often more thorough. as for why the wrong answer is wrong, forget about it. that is about as specific as it gets. in the end, you are likely to find these explanations laconic to the point of infuriation. this is problematic, since understanding your mistakes is one of the best ways to improve.as a result, i’ve put together video explanations to the official sat study guide questions. you can check them out for free in our magoosh sat youtube channel.
• the strategy tutorials leave a lot to be desired. admittedly, i like the way the book breaks down the test so and covers all its components and aspects. however, there is so much terminology that i imagine students getting bogged down thinking they have to know what nonrestrictive and parenthetical elements are, or that these needlessly complicated terms are known as “conventions of punctuation.”as indicated in my example above, the strategy support for sat writing & language is particularly frustrating. what we don’t get is a solid explanation of grammar concepts and how they relate to the test. nor do we get strategies on how to approach these questions. in fact, i feel like the first few hundred pages are more for people like me—people who want to understand how the test is constructed—and less for students, who need help understanding how to solve the actual questions.

takeaway
in sum, you don’t need to buy this book. for review, you are much better off going with any of the major publishers on the market. for practice questions, there is no better source than the college board, but the fact that they have made this content available for free online makes this book unnecessary, if not unhelpful. now let’s hope the clouds don’t part and the college board strikes me down with lightning. (my alternative grade for this book? ‘r’ for redundant.)

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using the best sat books in your studies

there you have it, the best sat books to use in your prep. for more information on how to put the best sat books to use in a complete study plan, check out our study schedules for the sat!

questions, comments, concerns? leave me a comment, and let’s get this discussion on the best sat books started!

the post best sat books 2021-2022 | book reviews appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

let’s start out with a quick overview of the books and their quality before getting into greater detail with in-depth reviews below.

*list prices given at time of publication and subject to change

best act prep books of 2021: book reviews

below you’ll find even more information on the best act prep books we recommend for students as well as links to all of our act book reviews.

disclaimer: every book has pros or cons; make sure you pay close attention to what is important to you in a prep book!

act prep by magoosh

everything you need to know about the act, straight from magoosh’s experts.

it feels a bit awkward to promote our own book here, but the truth is that we made it because we realized that there wasn’t a great book out there that was up-to-date and comprehensive. our experts poured all of their knowledge about the act into this book and have made it available in act prep by magoosh.

there’s a ton of really important stuff in here, including 300+ practice questions, lessons in all act areas, great advice on how to approach each and every section of the exam, an in-depth study schedule…and a full-length practice test to help you gauge your progress! basically, everything you need to start your act prep is right here. (so, knowing all that, how could i not promote it?!)

the official act prep guide, 2021-2022

the tests in the official act prep guide are real former act tests. and there is no better way to hone your act skills than using actual questions crafted by the writers of the test.

the main differences between the 2020 and 2021 versions is the addition of a diagnostic exam at the end of chapter three. other than that the other 5 tests are almost identical to the 5 exams in the 2020 edition. the only other difference is that the 2021 version comes with access to 400 flash cards online.

check out our full official act prep guide review. (if you’re looking for reviews of earlier editions, you can find them here!)

act prep black book, 2nd edition

this is a bare-bones publishing job, but its information is pretty awesome. in addition to providing general strategy advice, the act prep black book walks students through many of the questions in the act “red book” (the real act prep guide) and explains how to strategically answer them.

yes, the red book gives you answer explanations, but the black book gives you strategic advice on how to answer them: which questions should be back-solved using the answer choices, for example, or how to use the english section answer choices to find the right answer without needing to understand the grammar. it’s a pretty great resource for learning how to get inside the heads of the test-makers.

check out our full review of the previous edition act prep black book.

barron’s act, 4th edition (2019)

as kristin mentioned in her review of the first edition of barron’s act, this book is one of the more useful unofficial act guides on the market. but was barron’s able to maintain this quality and build on it in barron’s act, 4th edition? to some extent, the answer is yes.

quality of the practice questions

as in previous editions, barron’s does a good job of capturing the basic format and “flavor” of real act practice materials. but once more, most of the practice questions are easier than the real test. the act writing prompts are top-notice, and there are multiple score sample essays for each question. the act english questions are a little too easy on average and largely unchanged from past editions. act reading questions are mostly the same and a little bit too easy. act math has too few data interpretation questions, though there are questions with figures which will give you some practice. finally, act science in this edition, two of the three science sections have six passages and the third has seven. this ratio of six passages and 40 questions is a better reflection of the current act. in fact, on the new act, you will pretty much always see six passages instead of seven.

answer explanations, strategies and skills

the start of the book gives a thorough account of what the act is and what it contains. the sections of strategy advice for act english, math, reading, and science are near-identical to the material in the previous version, all of which was excellent. still, this lack of change makes the new barron’s act book a not-so-appealing option if you already have the last edition. the act writing portion of the book is fully updated. this completely new content is really amazing, and it includes some extra practice questions and sample responses, with scorer commentary. the answer explanations are well-written and complete, just as they were in the last book.

grade

practice material: b+

answer explanations, strategies, and skills: b+

ivy global act guide, edition 1.2

ivy global is a less well-known name for test prep, but they continue to produce high-quality practice materials that are worth your attention. while they’re more commonly known in the realm of sat prep, they came out with an act guide in 2019 that is very good. they also released an updated act guide in 2020 but it is nearly the same as the 2019 version with only a few minor edits.

ivy global’s style is minimal and no-nonsense. it is a real breath of fresh air after other test prep books with a more cluttered and energetic style or format they offer a clear and concise introduction to the test and test taking strategies that are easy to understand. their section-specific review is great. not exactly enough to teach you a topic you’ve never seen before, but definitely enough to help you refresh or fill in any gaps. thankfully, they use lots of act-style questions and examples to help teach the concepts, rather than just rushing through a review.

the book offers three practice tests, and these are a good representation of the topics and difficulty on the real test. there are also free practice tests available to anyone on the ivy global site. it’s important to note that full answer explanations are available on the site only, which isn’t a huge deal, but does add an extra step. they offer a test only book with four full practice tests but the first three tests are the same tests from their act guide book.

grade

practice material: a-

manhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems

the manhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems may be the best unofficial act practice book, and it’s a great companion to the official act guide and official act website. still, this book does have some weaknesses alongside its many strengths.

quality of the practice questions

manhattan’s act math questions are excellent. they are 100% consistent with ones you’ll see on the real sat, and follow the same format and difficulty. the act reading and english are definitely act-like, but the sections as a whole are a little easier than the real thing. that’s because the real act will test you on more than one skill on each question, such as knowledge of vocabulary and literary devices. manhattan has a little too many one-skill prompts, which makes the sections easier on average. act science is also a little easier than it should be.

there are two other small issues. first, manhattan uses “except questions,” where you need to identify the one idea that is not in the passage. this is common in act reading but not in act science. second, there are some pre-algebra math operations that wouldn’t occur outside of act math. you’ll still get good practice, but just keep in mind that it’s not as accurate to the test as the other sections.

answer explanations, strategies and skill

each answer explanation really acts as a mini-lesson on academic content, and this allows you to walk away with knowledge that’s applicable to other similar act questions. as an added bonus, questions in this book are organized by subject. that way, you can focus your practice on the question types you find most challenging.

there is a potential shortcoming, though. unlike the current official act guide, manhattan’s explanations don’t directly address incorrect answers. you aren’t really given any insight into how incorrect answers are designed to trick you.

grade

practice material: a+ for math, b- for english and reading, c for science

answer explanations, strategies and skills: b

barron’s act 36, 4th edition

barron’s offers a smaller, more targeted book called act 36. the 4th edition is similar to previous editions, so i would direct anyone interested to kristin’s review of act 36, 2nd edition.

barron’s 36 has always been unusually short by test prep standards. this book is designed as a short introductory course for the act. key ideas and small sets of practice questions are much more clearly marked than before. certain content has been slightly re-ordered so that the organization of each chapter is more logical. and most of the answer explanations have been edited to be more short and to-the-point.

in its 4th edition, barron’s act remains a very basic book. the book makes for a good introductory warm-up before you move on to longer, more advanced prep books. i may recommend this as a source for students hoping to break into the 30s because they can still practice problem solving strategies and time and stress management. they’ll just need to make sure that they use other sources of questions as well to make sure that they give themselves time to get used to the full range of difficulty. for all sections, the explanations have a good level of detail, which many test prep books do not have.

grade

practice material: b-

answer explanations, strategies and skills: b-

mcgraw-hill act 2021

past reviews have observed that the 2018 book was better than the 2014 version of their book, 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, though it still had flaws. the 2021 edition is a little bit better, but like its predecessors, isn’t perfect. the 2021 edition includes a short section about the new updates to the act test. these updates include the shift to online exams, the retakes of individual sections and the new superscoring policy. the new edition retains the updated explanations from the 2020 version but is otherwise almost a page for page copy of the 2020 edition.

practice materials

mcgraw-hill’s act 2021 offers four print practice tests and access to four more practice tests online. there’s also a diagnostic test at the beginning of the book, and a set of additional practice questions for every section.

so you get a lot of act practice with this book, but is that practice good? act english in the 2021 edition is better than in past editions. the questions are a little on the easy side, but overall are the right length and contain the right mix of topics. act math is similar. it’s a little too easy but will help you learn the topics. not all of the act reading passages are the correct length, and the difficulty is too high. act science is excellent, as it was in past editions. this is the closest you can get to the real thing in a third-party act prep book. finally, the act writing is good, but not great. the essay prompts are good, but the opinions are too long. just something to keep in mind if you use act writing practice from this book.

answer explanations

in the past we called out mcgraw-hill’s answer explanations for being too short and unhelpful. some are still that way, but the explanation quality is also a little better. more explanations go into detail, which is a step in the right direction, but we’d still like them to be clearer.

skills and strategy

the good

mcgraw-hill has some really nice skills building practice materials for english, math, reading, and science. there’s some basic advice throughout their chapters on skills and strategy too, but certain strategies are not going to work for everyone, such as speed reading, or are too obvious to be of much help (“listen to your brain”?!). however, mcgraw-hill has especially good advice for pacing and multiple-choice strategy.

the bad

sometimes the activities are too short, and equal attention is not given to each section and skill. the chapter on act science prep is shorter than the other chapters. and there’s too much focus on easier act math skills like elementary algebra. harder aspects of act math, such as logarithms and trigonometry, are barely explained—and when the math chapter is about three times as long as any of the other chapters, you’d definitely expect more thorough coverage! the writing chapter is better than it’s been in previous editions, but is still a little light. overall, the “advice” portions of this book are written in a confusing, inconsistent way.

act 2021 (mcgraw-hill education): grade

practice materials (act science): a

practice materials (everything else): c+

answer explanations: c

skills and strategy: c

mcgraw-hill 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition

there are some things i really like about mcgraw-hill’s 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition. but there’s also a lot to dislike. mcgraw-hill’s ability to replicate truly act-like practice varies a good deal, depending on the section of the exam you’re dealing with. and their answer explanations leave much to be desired. it is worth mentioning that the 6th edition is the same as the fifth edition aside from a few reworded explanations.

quality of the practice material

the act english passages are too long, so they’re harder to complete in the time limit. the wrong answers are a little too ambiguous, which can make the questions harder in a confusing way, rather than harder in terms of harder material. also, grammar questions are over-represented in this book, so you don’t get as much practice with other question types. the act reading sections are too short, and are a little harder to understand than those on the real test. the act math questions are a little too easy, and favor pre-algebra and elementary algebra more than on the real test. the act science questions are very good. finally, the act writing is much better than it was in past editions.

quality of the answer explanations

here, mcgraw-hill falls really flat with their 10 practice tests. the answer explanations are maddeningly inconsistent and unhelpful. some answer explanations simply say something like “answer x is correct because it’s the only answer that makes sense.” not useful!

other answer explanations give a little bit of extra information on why an answer is correct, but they usually just reference a concept, without really explaining it. for example, an answer explanation might say “this answer is correct because it follows the rules for quadratics.” but what does that actually mean? moreover, at least half the time, the incorrect answers aren’t addressed at all.

grade

act english and act reading practice: c

act math practice: b-

act science practice: a

answer explanations: d-

princeton review

princeton review has many offerings for the act. here, we are going to give our review of princeton review’s materials in general, and then dive into the specific differences between their main books to help you decide which, if any, will help you in your prep. you may notice that princeton review has even more offerings than we review here, but we’ve decided to focus on these because they are both the most popular and fairly representative of the question style and approach in other books.

act premium prep, 2021

we’ll start with act premium prep, something of a flagship for pr’s act prep. it’s pretty similar to previous versions, so if you happen to have an older version, we would not recommend buying the updated edition. also, the difference between premium and regular is that premium has 8 practice tests whereas regular has 6.

the act reading advice is pretty good, although the text is heavily stamped with princeton review’s branding in the form of specialized terms and acronyms. (the awful acronym pood is back with a vengeance!) the passage itself thankfully has no princeton review buzzwords, and is comparable enough to a real act test.

but—just like previous years’ editions—the added act reading practice questions themselves are abysmally not act-like. most of the new dual passage questions are far too easy, and the “hard” questions are only hard because the answer choices are ambiguous. supposedly “wrong” answers could be right. on the real act, there are no “gray area” possibly right answers like this.

there are a few other flaws in the act writing advice. the sample act writing prompts are slightly more complicated than real act writing prompts, with more complex perspectives. one good update this year is that the princeton review has made some steps towards covering prewriting, a step it previously ignored. the advice about the new act essay is good in some respects. however, once again some branding creeps in. pr gives a pretty strict template for writing the essay, specifying phrases, the structure of individual paragraphs, and the order of content. this princeton review method for this essay isn’t bad per se. but it may not work for everyone. lighter guidance that helps students find their own voice and style would be more helpful.

grade

practice material: c

answer explanations, strategies and skills: b-

crash course for the act 6th edition

the crash course for the act is a shorter offering from pr that focuses on strategies and drills. the strategies are solid, though fairly standard for test prep in general, rather than being act-specific. if you are feeling rusty on standardized tests, this may be a good option for you. the questions are different from cracking the act, so it can be used in combination as well as on its own. the question quality is decent, but not the best, just like with other pr books.

bottom line: a source of additional practice questions as well as general test prep tips that can be helpful to those who aren’t getting those tips from another source.

grade

practice material: c

answer explanations, strategies and skills: b-

princeton review 1,523 act practice questions 2021

princeton review’s 1,523 act practice questions has topic-specific mini drills that would be a useful resource for students who want to focus on one topic at a time. the practice questions aren’t repeated from other books, which is good to know the book has three full-length practice tests and gives you access to pr’s online content. the new edition has the same questions as the previous edition with the exception of 12 new questions. like the others, good, not great.

grade

practice material: c

answer explanations, strategies and skills: b-

kaplan’s act prep plus 2021

just like the 2018 edition, the best part of kaplan’s act prep plus 2021 book is its structure. it lays out act content, question types, skills, and strategies in a complete and straightforward way. by the end of it, you’ll have a very good idea of what the act is all about.

this isn’t to say that kaplan act is perfect. there are strong points and weak points within the book’s largely-good framework. note: the “plus” edition gets you two extra practice tests compared with the regular act prep.

answer explanations, strategies, and skills

the answer explanations in kaplan’s act prep plus 2021 are refreshing in many ways. unlike many act books, this book explains both the right answers and the wrong answers! knowing why the wrong answers are wrong–and how the makers of the act are trying to distract you—is a really important aspect of test strategy.

the explanations are longer and of higher quality than explanations in previous editions, which is another point in kaplan’s favor.

the strategy and skill portions of the book definitely don’t have a problem with incompleteness. here, you get in-depth descriptions of all of the different kinds of questions in each section. there’s also a thorough overview of the major grammar rules and math principles on the exam. similarly, the book gives a very complete explanation of content and strategy in act reading and act science.

still, kaplan—much like its competitor the princeton review—sometimes lets its branding and sales tactics get in the way of its advice.

unfortunately, this edition still includes the smartpoint system. kaplan’s smartpoints system lists each question type in every section as a “smartpoint.” these smartpoint labels can be confusing and inconsistent. some smartpoints are said to be related to other smartpoints, but the connections are vague at best. similarly, the “kaplan method” for each section tends to be fairly obvious. however, the kaplan method for act writing does one thing that’s pretty awesome–it shows students how to brainstorm and write an outline. this is refreshing, since many act prep books don’t cover prewriting sufficiently. regrettably, however, kaplan again applies a flawed, time consuming method. the kaplan method for putting together an act essay includes a prescriptive, highly detailed outline structure that students will have trouble following within the test time limits.

finally, the practice materials all have pretty obvious flaws. here’s a quick rundown, section by section. the act english and reading questions are easier than the real thing. some are way too hard because of ambiguous answer choices, where multiple answers could have been right. real act questions won’t necessarily be easy, but you should be able to narrow down the choices to one. questions on the act math and science are a little easier than the real thing. as for act writing, kaplan’s corrected some of the over-detailed prompts that plagued previous versions of this (um, “kaplan act”) books. these are a lot more solid than they were in previous editions.

grade

practice materials: c-

answer explanations, strategies, and skills: b

the best act prep books that won’t cost you anything!

magoosh’s free act ebook

that’s right! magoosh has a free act ebook!

what will you find in here? strategies for the exam, practice questions, detailed explanations for those practice questions, explanations of the act format and details of all question types.

it’s written by magoosh’s test experts, meaning that it’s not dense or dry like some books. even better, it’s available in a handy pdf so you can study on the go.
magoosh’s sat math formula ebook
(this ebook was written for the sat, but is equally crucial for the act.)

the math formulas you’ll need on the test, plus strategies and practice problems so you can learn how to use them under pressure!

high schooler’s guide to the future

for this ebook, magoosh teamed up with collegexpress to combine our test-prep expertise with their college admissions knowledge. this guide to getting into college provides a timeline to help you navigate the college prep process year-by-year.

going beyond the best act prep books

our best act prep books list grows all the time, so be sure to check back for new reviews! (or send us a request for one!) if you’re interested in adding some online practice to your act prep, complete with videos and interactive tutorials, check out magoosh act prep.

happy studying!

the post best act prep books of 2021 – which book is best for you? appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

the act writing test, or essay section, tests your ability to read different perspectives on a topic and present your own opinion in writing. it’s the optional last section of the exam, meaning that you don’t have to take it if you don’t want to–although there are many colleges and universities that require or recommend it for admissions. here’s what you need to know about act writing in a nutshell!

what is the act writing section?

here are the need-to-know facts about the act writing section:

• it’s a 40-minute test to complete with pencil and paper
• you’ll get one essay prompt about a debatable topic and three different perspectives on it
• you have to:
  • evaluate the three different perspectives
  • present your own perspective (which may agree in part or in full with any of the provided viewpoints)
  • explain the relationship between your viewpoint and the provided ones.

do i have to take act writing?

nope! it’s not a required part of the exam. you can think of it as an add-on that, yes, also costs a little bit more. but whether the test requires the essay and whether colleges do are two separate issues. while you can submit the act without writing to many colleges and universities, others (including most super-competitive colleges) will ask you for it. because the list of which colleges require act writing is constantly changing, it’s best to check with the individual schools you’re thinking of applying to before you register.

with that said, some students do take the exam before they know where they’ll be applying to college. so in this case, is it better to do the act test with or without writing? if you’re really uncertain, take it with writing. this will ensure that you don’t have to go back to the test center because you’ve decided to apply to a college that does require it in a few months! yes, it requires some extra prep–but it’s worth it to keep your options open.

how does act writing scoring work?

if you’ve been prepping for the act overall, you’re probably very (overly?) familiar with the 1-36 scoring scale by now. but this isn’t how the act essay is scored! because it’s not a multiple-choice section, the essay has its own unique scoring. take a look!

how act writing is scored

the writing portion of the act is scored by two graders, each of whom will assign you a writing score of 1 to 6 on four different writing “domains.” these domains include:

• ideas and analysis: does your thesis statement and writing examine the implications of the issue with clarity and nuance?
• development and support: do you use well-developed and specific examples to support your thesis?
• organization: does your essay have a strong structure and a logical flow?
• language use and conventions: do you use correct grammar, word usage, mechanics, punctuation, and sentence structures?

your total points added up between these two graders are converted from these domain scores to a scaled score of 2 to 12, which is the final score you will see on your score report.

getting your act writing scores

so you’ve done it! you sat down, you wrote your essay…now what? when will act writing scores be available? well, you’ll get your multiple-choice scores in around two weeks, and you’ll get your act writing scores (and full score report) about two weeks after that. so anticipate waiting around a month to get the total view of how you did on the act essay.

can act writing hurt your score?

no! not, that is, if you’re talking about the composite act score on the 1-36 scale. this is an average of your 1-36 scores in each of the four multiple-choice sections (reading, math, english, and science). it doesn’t take your essay score into account. in other words–does the act writing score affect composite scores? it doesn’t.

with that said, the essay score will affect your ela subscore on the exam. (you can see what this looks like on a score report here.) but colleges and universities are far more interested in your sectional and composite scores.

what essay score is good?

generally, an 8+ is an excellent act writing score, but it depends on where you’re applying. ivy-league-bound students should aim for 9 or above!

can act writing be superscored?

nope! the act superscore is a way of combining your highest multiple-choice scores from different sections and different test dates to give you the highest possible combination. but it only affects your composite score. because the essay isn’t part of your composite score, it’s not part of the superscore, either.

what happens if i mess up on the writing section?

if you’re wondering if you can cancel the section after they’ve taken it, unfortunately, the answer is no. once you’ve written the essay, your score will appear on your score report. but if you change your mind about taking the writing section of the act, you can cancel it before you get into the testing room.

if you feel that you didn’t do your best, or you get a lower score than you’d like, can you retake act writing? definitely! but for the moment, act sectional retesting is on hold—and it may or may not include the act writing test being taken separately. to retake act writing, in other words, you’ll need to retake the entire exam…for now.

how to improve your writing score

so how do you boost your act essay score? take a look at these tips!

practice planning and writing essays on practice act essay prompts. although writing full essays (preferably as part of 2022世界杯入门名单s) is the best practice, ten-minute outlining sessions in which you plan out your essay (like you will do on the test) can go a long way in helping you learn how to quickly generate and organize your ideas.

if grammar is not your strong suit, check out our post on act grammar rules. not only will this help you improve your grammar for the act essay, but it also will help you with the act english section!

share your writing with the strong writers you know and get feedback from them. have them score your practice essays using the act rubric.

review the sample essays on actstudent.org so that you can get a sense of what kinds of essays get which scores. this can be incredibly helpful!

learn about current events and form your own opinions on them. engage in lively debates with your friends and family so that you can practice supporting your opinions and anticipating opposing arguments!

want even more? read your magical guide to scoring a perfect 12 on the act essay, which will guide you through all the basics (if you’re a beginner) and how to improve your score (if you’ve already taken the test). there, you will find lots more writing tips and strategies that will help you show the act writing test who’s boss. happy studying!

the post everything you need to know about act writing appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

when you sit down for the official act exam, act math is the second section you’ll see on the test. so just what does this section test? the act math test assesses the mathematical skills students are expected to obtain before grade 12 (meaning through advanced algebra and basic trigonometry, but not calculus). here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know:

• you have a 60-minute time limit
• you will face 60 multiple choice math questions
• you get to use a calculator for the whole test (but it must be an approved one)

still curious? read on for everything you need to know about the act mathematics test!

what kind of math is on the act?

the act is a standardized test–and that’s great news for test-takers! it means that the test makers aren’t just pulling questions out of thin air: there’s a standardized list of topics that questions can cover. in the mathematics section on the act, an act math question could come from any category below:

pre-algebra

• decimals, fractions, integers, number properties, positive and negative numbers, square roots, scientific notation, factors, ratios, proportions, percents, averages, charts and graphs of statistics

algebra

• elementary algebra
  • exponents, evaluating algebraic expressions through substitution, using variables to express relationships, algebraic operations, and factoring quadratic equations
• intermediate algebra
  • quadratic formula, rational and radical expressions (including some logarithms), absolute value equations and inequalities, sequences and series, systems of equations, quadratic inequalities, functions, matrices, roots of polynomials, probability, and complex numbers

geometry

• coordinate geometry
  • evaluating points and lines on a graph, polynomials, circles and other curves, graphing inequalities, slope, parallel and perpendicular lines, distance, midpoints, and conics
• plane geometry
  • angles and relationships among perpendicular and parallel lines, properties of circles, ellipses, rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, transformations, area, volume, three-dimensional geometry

trigonometry

• trigonometric relations in right angles, values and properties of trig functions, graphing trig functions, using trig identities, solving trig equations

is sat or act math harder?

at the risk of sounding wishy-washy, it depends. it really does. the two exams test math differently (take a look at this act vs sat comparison to see exactly how!). however, you’ll generally find act math easier than sat math if:

you’re good at mental math, including finding shortcuts.
you have some familiarity with algebra ii/trig, or are willing to learn
you prefer using a calculator (there’s a no-calculator math section on the sat–but not on the act!)
you like multiple-choice questions, rather than grid-ins

still not sure? magoosh’s test prep expert, kristin, breaks down the differences in the math sections even more here!

how do you get a 36 on the act math?

have you set your sights high when it comes to your act math score? awesome! we love it. here are a few essential skills to get your math score into that stratospheric range. then, for more advice, check out our guide to getting a perfect 36 on the math test!

1. pacing is key. check out our tips for improving your timing on the act!
    
2. focus on high-frequency topics. familiarize yourself with the most frequently tested math concepts as well as other key concepts for act math to make sure you have them down pat by test day!
    
3. balance hard and easy problems. practice with hard math problems–but don’t forget to practice easy and medium problems, too! after all, they’re just as common on the exam.
    
4. practice using formulas. ensure you don’t just memorize math formulas–work on using them in context by applying them to act math practice questions!

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