\n*list prices given at time of publication and subject to change<\/p>\n
best act prep books of 2021: book reviews<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"best](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/03\/act-books.png\")
<\/p>\n
below you\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
disclaimer: every book has pros or cons; make sure you pay close attention to what is important to you in a prep book!<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nact prep by magoosh<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"best](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2018\/03\/screen-shot-2018-07-01-at-10.26.51-am.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\neverything you need to know about the act, straight from magoosh\u2019s experts.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
there\u2019s a ton of really important stuff in here, including 300+ practice questions, lessons in all<\/em> act areas, great advice on how to approach each and every section of the exam, an in-depth study schedule\u2026and a full-length practice test<\/strong> 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?!)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe official act prep guide, 2021-2022<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"official](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/officialactprepguide2021.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthe tests in the official act prep guide<\/em> 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.<\/p>\nthe 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.<\/p>\n
check out our full official act prep guide<\/a> review. (if you\u2019re looking for reviews of earlier editions, you can find them here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nact prep black book, 2nd edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"act](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/03\/actprep_blackbook_seconded-232x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthis is a bare-bones publishing job, but its information is pretty awesome. in addition to providing general strategy advice, the act prep black book<\/em> walks students through many of the questions in the act \u201cred book\u201d (the real act prep guide<\/em>) and explains how to strategically answer them.<\/p>\nyes, 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\u2019s a pretty great resource for learning how to get inside the heads of the test-makers.<\/p>\n
check out our full review of the previous edition act prep black book<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s act, 4th edition <\/em>(2019)<\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"barron's](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/03\/barronsact_4th-230x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nas kristin mentioned in her review of the first edition of barron\u2019s act<\/a>, this book is one of the more useful unofficial act guides on the market. but was barron\u2019s able to maintain this quality and build on it in barron\u2019s act, 4th edition? to some extent, the answer is yes.<\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/strong><\/h3>\nas in previous editions, barron\u2019s does a good job of capturing the basic format and \u201cflavor\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\nthe 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nivy global act guide, edition 1.2<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"ivy](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/ivyglobalactguide-213x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nivy 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\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
ivy global\u2019s 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 \ud83d\ude42 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. it\u2019s important to note that full answer explanations are available on the site only, which isn\u2019t a huge deal, but does add an extra step. they offer a test only book<\/a> with four full practice tests but the first three tests are the same tests from their act guide book.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> a-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmanhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"manhattan](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/12\/screen-shot-2016-09-29-at-12.23.52-pm.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthe manhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems may be the best unofficial act practice book, and it\u2019s a great companion to the official act guide<\/a> and official act website<\/a>. still, this book does have some weaknesses alongside its many strengths.<\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/h3>\n
manhattan\u2019s act math questions are excellent. they are 100% consistent with ones you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
there are two other small issues. first, manhattan uses \u201cexcept questions,\u201d 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\u2019t occur outside of act math. you\u2019ll still get good practice, but just keep in mind that it\u2019s not as accurate to the test as the other sections.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skill<\/h3>\n
each answer explanation really acts as a mini-lesson on academic content, and this allows you to walk away with knowledge that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
there is a potential shortcoming, though. unlike the current official act guide, manhattan\u2019s explanations don\u2019t directly address incorrect answers. you aren\u2019t really given any insight into how incorrect answers are designed to trick you.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> a+ for math, b- for english and reading, c for science<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s act 36, 4th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"barron's](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/01\/barronsact36-231x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s offers a smaller, more targeted book called act 36<\/em>. the 4th edition is similar to previous editions, so i would direct anyone interested to kristin\u2019s review of act 36, 2nd edition<\/a>.<\/p>\nbarron\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
in its 4th edition, barron\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill act 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"mcgraw-hill](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/mcgrawhill-act-guide-_thumbnail-234x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\npast 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<\/a>, though it still had flaws. the 2021 edition is a little bit better, but like its predecessors, isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\npractice materials<\/h3>\n
mcgraw-hill\u2019s act 2021 offers four print practice tests and access to four more practice tests online. there\u2019s also a diagnostic test at the beginning of the book, and a set of additional practice questions for every section.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
answer explanations<\/h3>\n
in the past we called out mcgraw-hill\u2019s 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\u2019d still like them to be clearer.<\/p>\n
skills and strategy<\/h3>\n
the good<\/strong><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill has some really nice skills building practice materials for english, math, reading, and science. there\u2019s 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 (\u201clisten to your brain\u201d?!). however, mcgraw-hill has especially good advice for pacing and multiple-choice strategy.<\/p>\n
the bad<\/strong><\/p>\nsometimes 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\u2019s too much focus on easier act math skills like elementary algebra. harder aspects of act math, such as logarithms and trigonometry, are barely explained\u2014and when the math chapter is about three times as long as any of the other chapters, you\u2019d definitely expect more thorough coverage! the writing chapter is better than it\u2019s been in previous editions, but is still a little light. overall, the \u201cadvice\u201d portions of this book are written in a confusing, inconsistent way.<\/p>\n
act 2021 (mcgraw-hill education): grade<\/h3>\n
practice materials (act science): <\/strong>a<\/p>\npractice materials (everything else): <\/strong>c+<\/p>\nanswer explanations:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nskills and strategy: <\/strong>c<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"mcgraw](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/mcgrawhill10acttests_thumbnail-234x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthere are some things i really like about mcgraw-hill\u2019s 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition. but there\u2019s also a lot to dislike. mcgraw-hill\u2019s ability to replicate truly act-like practice varies a good deal, depending on the section of the exam you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
quality of the practice material<\/h3>\n
the act english passages are too long, so they\u2019re 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
quality of the answer explanations<\/h3>\n
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 \u201canswer x is correct because it\u2019s the only answer that makes sense.\u201d not useful!<\/p>\n
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 \u201cthis answer is correct because it follows the rules for quadratics.\u201d but what does that actually mean? moreover, at least half the time, the incorrect answers aren\u2019t addressed at all.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\nact english and act reading practice:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nact math practice:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\nact science practice:<\/strong> a<\/p>\nanswer explanations:<\/strong> d-<\/p>\nprinceton review<\/strong><\/h2>\nprinceton review has many offerings for the act. here, we are going to give our review of princeton review\u2019s 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\u2019ve decided to focus on these because they are both the most popular and fairly representative of the question style and approach in other books.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nact premium prep, 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"act](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/actpremiumprinceton2021_thumbnail-231x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nwe\u2019ll start with act premium prep, something of a flagship for pr\u2019s act prep. it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
the act reading advice is pretty good, although the text is heavily stamped with princeton review\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
but\u2014just like previous years\u2019 editions\u2014the added act reading practice questions themselves are abysmally not<\/em> act-like. most of the new dual passage questions are far too easy, and the \u201chard\u201d questions are only hard because the answer choices are ambiguous. supposedly \u201cwrong\u201d answers could be right. on the real act, there are no \u201cgray area\u201d possibly right answers like this.<\/p>\nthere 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<\/em>, 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\ncrash course for the act 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"crash](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2020\/01\/pton_crashcourse-209x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthe 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.<\/p>\n
bottom line: a source of additional practice questions as well as general test prep tips that can be helpful to those who aren\u2019t getting those tips from another source.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nprinceton review 1,523 act practice questions 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"princeton](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/1523princeton_thumbnail-231x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nprinceton review’s 1,523 act practice questions<\/a> 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\u2019t repeated from other books, which is good to know \ud83d\ude42 the book has three full-length practice tests and gives you access to pr\u2019s online content. the new edition has the same questions as the previous edition<\/a> with the exception of 12 new questions. like the others, good, not great.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nkaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n![\"kaplan's](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2021\/08\/actprepplus2021_thumbnail-231x300.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\njust 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\u2019ll have a very good idea of what the act is all about.<\/p>\n
this isn\u2019t to say that kaplan act is perfect. there are strong points and weak points within the book\u2019s largely-good framework. note: the \u201cplus\u201d edition gets you two extra practice tests compared with the regular act prep.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies, and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\nthe answer explanations in kaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021 are refreshing in many ways. unlike many act books, this book explains both the right answers and<\/em> the wrong answers! knowing why the wrong answers are wrong\u2013and how the makers of the act are trying to distract you\u2014is a really important aspect of test strategy.<\/p>\nthe explanations are longer and of higher quality than explanations in previous editions, which is another point in kaplan\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n
the strategy and skill portions of the book definitely don\u2019t<\/em> have a problem with incompleteness. here, you get in-depth descriptions of all of the different kinds of questions in each section. there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\nstill, kaplan\u2014much like its competitor the princeton review\u2014sometimes lets its branding and sales tactics get in the way of its advice.<\/p>\n
unfortunately, this edition still includes the smartpoint system. kaplan\u2019s smartpoints system lists each question type in every section as a \u201csmartpoint.\u201d 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 \u201ckaplan method\u201d for each section tends to be fairly obvious. however, the kaplan method for act writing does one thing that\u2019s pretty awesome\u2013it shows students how to brainstorm and write an outline. this is refreshing, since many act prep books don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
finally, the practice materials all have pretty obvious flaws. here\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s corrected some of the over-detailed prompts that plagued previous versions of this (um, \u201ckaplan act\u201d) books. these are a lot more solid than they were in previous editions.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice materials:<\/strong> c-<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b<\/p>\nthe best act prep books that won’t cost you anything!<\/h2>\n
magoosh’s free act ebook<\/em><\/strong>
\n![\"best](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2018\/03\/screen-shot-2018-07-06-at-5.03.22-pm.png\")
<\/a>
\nthat\u2019s right! magoosh has a free<\/em> act ebook<\/a>!<\/p>\nwhat 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.<\/p>\n
it\u2019s written by magoosh\u2019s test experts, meaning that it\u2019s not dense or dry like some books. even better, it\u2019s available in a handy pdf so you can study on the go.
\nmagoosh\u2019s sat math formula ebook<\/em><\/strong>
\n(this ebook was written for the sat, but is equally crucial for the act.)<\/p>\n![\"sat](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/12\/sat-math-formula-ebook.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthe math formulas<\/a> you\u2019ll need on the test, plus strategies and practice problems so you can learn how to use them under pressure!<\/p>\nhigh schooler\u2019s guide to the future<\/em><\/h3>\n![\"high](\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/hs\/files\/2015\/12\/high-schoolers-guide-to-the-future-ebook.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nfor this ebook, magoosh teamed up with collegexpress to combine our test-prep expertise with their college admissions knowledge. this guide to getting into college<\/a> provides a timeline to help you navigate the college prep process year-by-year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
going beyond the best act prep books<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nact prep by magoosh<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\neverything you need to know about the act, straight from magoosh\u2019s experts.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
there\u2019s a ton of really important stuff in here, including 300+ practice questions, lessons in all<\/em> act areas, great advice on how to approach each and every section of the exam, an in-depth study schedule\u2026and a full-length practice test<\/strong> 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?!)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe official act prep guide, 2021-2022<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe tests in the official act prep guide<\/em> 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.<\/p>\nthe 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.<\/p>\n
check out our full official act prep guide<\/a> review. (if you\u2019re looking for reviews of earlier editions, you can find them here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nact prep black book, 2nd edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthis is a bare-bones publishing job, but its information is pretty awesome. in addition to providing general strategy advice, the act prep black book<\/em> walks students through many of the questions in the act \u201cred book\u201d (the real act prep guide<\/em>) and explains how to strategically answer them.<\/p>\nyes, 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\u2019s a pretty great resource for learning how to get inside the heads of the test-makers.<\/p>\n
check out our full review of the previous edition act prep black book<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s act, 4th edition <\/em>(2019)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nas kristin mentioned in her review of the first edition of barron\u2019s act<\/a>, this book is one of the more useful unofficial act guides on the market. but was barron\u2019s able to maintain this quality and build on it in barron\u2019s act, 4th edition? to some extent, the answer is yes.<\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/strong><\/h3>\nas in previous editions, barron\u2019s does a good job of capturing the basic format and \u201cflavor\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\nthe 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nivy global act guide, edition 1.2<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nivy 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\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
ivy global\u2019s 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 \ud83d\ude42 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>. it\u2019s important to note that full answer explanations are available on the site only, which isn\u2019t a huge deal, but does add an extra step. they offer a test only book<\/a> with four full practice tests but the first three tests are the same tests from their act guide book.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> a-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmanhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe manhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems may be the best unofficial act practice book, and it\u2019s a great companion to the official act guide<\/a> and official act website<\/a>. still, this book does have some weaknesses alongside its many strengths.<\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/h3>\n
manhattan\u2019s act math questions are excellent. they are 100% consistent with ones you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
there are two other small issues. first, manhattan uses \u201cexcept questions,\u201d 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\u2019t occur outside of act math. you\u2019ll still get good practice, but just keep in mind that it\u2019s not as accurate to the test as the other sections.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skill<\/h3>\n
each answer explanation really acts as a mini-lesson on academic content, and this allows you to walk away with knowledge that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
there is a potential shortcoming, though. unlike the current official act guide, manhattan\u2019s explanations don\u2019t directly address incorrect answers. you aren\u2019t really given any insight into how incorrect answers are designed to trick you.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> a+ for math, b- for english and reading, c for science<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s act 36, 4th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s offers a smaller, more targeted book called act 36<\/em>. the 4th edition is similar to previous editions, so i would direct anyone interested to kristin\u2019s review of act 36, 2nd edition<\/a>.<\/p>\nbarron\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
in its 4th edition, barron\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill act 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\npast 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<\/a>, though it still had flaws. the 2021 edition is a little bit better, but like its predecessors, isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\npractice materials<\/h3>\n
mcgraw-hill\u2019s act 2021 offers four print practice tests and access to four more practice tests online. there\u2019s also a diagnostic test at the beginning of the book, and a set of additional practice questions for every section.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
answer explanations<\/h3>\n
in the past we called out mcgraw-hill\u2019s 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\u2019d still like them to be clearer.<\/p>\n
skills and strategy<\/h3>\n
the good<\/strong><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill has some really nice skills building practice materials for english, math, reading, and science. there\u2019s 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 (\u201clisten to your brain\u201d?!). however, mcgraw-hill has especially good advice for pacing and multiple-choice strategy.<\/p>\n
the bad<\/strong><\/p>\nsometimes 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\u2019s too much focus on easier act math skills like elementary algebra. harder aspects of act math, such as logarithms and trigonometry, are barely explained\u2014and when the math chapter is about three times as long as any of the other chapters, you\u2019d definitely expect more thorough coverage! the writing chapter is better than it\u2019s been in previous editions, but is still a little light. overall, the \u201cadvice\u201d portions of this book are written in a confusing, inconsistent way.<\/p>\n
act 2021 (mcgraw-hill education): grade<\/h3>\n
practice materials (act science): <\/strong>a<\/p>\npractice materials (everything else): <\/strong>c+<\/p>\nanswer explanations:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nskills and strategy: <\/strong>c<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthere are some things i really like about mcgraw-hill\u2019s 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition. but there\u2019s also a lot to dislike. mcgraw-hill\u2019s ability to replicate truly act-like practice varies a good deal, depending on the section of the exam you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
quality of the practice material<\/h3>\n
the act english passages are too long, so they\u2019re 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
quality of the answer explanations<\/h3>\n
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 \u201canswer x is correct because it\u2019s the only answer that makes sense.\u201d not useful!<\/p>\n
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 \u201cthis answer is correct because it follows the rules for quadratics.\u201d but what does that actually mean? moreover, at least half the time, the incorrect answers aren\u2019t addressed at all.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\nact english and act reading practice:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nact math practice:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\nact science practice:<\/strong> a<\/p>\nanswer explanations:<\/strong> d-<\/p>\nprinceton review<\/strong><\/h2>\nprinceton review has many offerings for the act. here, we are going to give our review of princeton review\u2019s 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\u2019ve decided to focus on these because they are both the most popular and fairly representative of the question style and approach in other books.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nact premium prep, 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nwe\u2019ll start with act premium prep, something of a flagship for pr\u2019s act prep. it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
the act reading advice is pretty good, although the text is heavily stamped with princeton review\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
but\u2014just like previous years\u2019 editions\u2014the added act reading practice questions themselves are abysmally not<\/em> act-like. most of the new dual passage questions are far too easy, and the \u201chard\u201d questions are only hard because the answer choices are ambiguous. supposedly \u201cwrong\u201d answers could be right. on the real act, there are no \u201cgray area\u201d possibly right answers like this.<\/p>\nthere 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<\/em>, 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material:<\/strong> c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\ncrash course for the act 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe 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.<\/p>\n
bottom line: a source of additional practice questions as well as general test prep tips that can be helpful to those who aren\u2019t getting those tips from another source.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nprinceton review 1,523 act practice questions 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\nprinceton review’s 1,523 act practice questions<\/a> 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\u2019t repeated from other books, which is good to know \ud83d\ude42 the book has three full-length practice tests and gives you access to pr\u2019s online content. the new edition has the same questions as the previous edition<\/a> with the exception of 12 new questions. like the others, good, not great.<\/p>\ngrade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nkaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/a><\/p>\njust 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\u2019ll have a very good idea of what the act is all about.<\/p>\n
this isn\u2019t to say that kaplan act is perfect. there are strong points and weak points within the book\u2019s largely-good framework. note: the \u201cplus\u201d edition gets you two extra practice tests compared with the regular act prep.<\/p>\n
answer explanations, strategies, and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\nthe answer explanations in kaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021 are refreshing in many ways. unlike many act books, this book explains both the right answers and<\/em> the wrong answers! knowing why the wrong answers are wrong\u2013and how the makers of the act are trying to distract you\u2014is a really important aspect of test strategy.<\/p>\nthe explanations are longer and of higher quality than explanations in previous editions, which is another point in kaplan\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n
the strategy and skill portions of the book definitely don\u2019t<\/em> have a problem with incompleteness. here, you get in-depth descriptions of all of the different kinds of questions in each section. there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\nstill, kaplan\u2014much like its competitor the princeton review\u2014sometimes lets its branding and sales tactics get in the way of its advice.<\/p>\n
unfortunately, this edition still includes the smartpoint system. kaplan\u2019s smartpoints system lists each question type in every section as a \u201csmartpoint.\u201d 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 \u201ckaplan method\u201d for each section tends to be fairly obvious. however, the kaplan method for act writing does one thing that\u2019s pretty awesome\u2013it shows students how to brainstorm and write an outline. this is refreshing, since many act prep books don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
finally, the practice materials all have pretty obvious flaws. here\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s corrected some of the over-detailed prompts that plagued previous versions of this (um, \u201ckaplan act\u201d) books. these are a lot more solid than they were in previous editions.<\/p>\n
grade<\/strong><\/p>\npractice materials:<\/strong> c-<\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b<\/p>\nthe best act prep books that won’t cost you anything!<\/h2>\n
magoosh’s free act ebook<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/a>
\nthat\u2019s right! magoosh has a free<\/em> act ebook<\/a>!<\/p>\nwhat 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.<\/p>\n
it\u2019s written by magoosh\u2019s test experts, meaning that it\u2019s not dense or dry like some books. even better, it\u2019s available in a handy pdf so you can study on the go.
\nmagoosh\u2019s sat math formula ebook<\/em><\/strong>
\n(this ebook was written for the sat, but is equally crucial for the act.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nthe math formulas<\/a> you\u2019ll need on the test, plus strategies and practice problems so you can learn how to use them under pressure!<\/p>\nhigh schooler\u2019s guide to the future<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nfor this ebook, magoosh teamed up with collegexpress to combine our test-prep expertise with their college admissions knowledge. this guide to getting into college<\/a> provides a timeline to help you navigate the college prep process year-by-year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
going beyond the best act prep books<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\neverything you need to know about the act, straight from magoosh\u2019s experts.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
there\u2019s a ton of really important stuff in here, including 300+ practice questions, lessons in all<\/em> act areas, great advice on how to approach each and every section of the exam, an in-depth study schedule\u2026and a full-length practice test<\/strong> 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?!)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n the tests in the official act prep guide<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n check out our full official act prep guide<\/a> review. (if you\u2019re looking for reviews of earlier editions, you can find them here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/em> walks students through many of the questions in the act \u201cred book\u201d (the real act prep guide<\/em>) and explains how to strategically answer them.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s a pretty great resource for learning how to get inside the heads of the test-makers.<\/p>\n check out our full review of the previous edition act prep black book<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n as kristin mentioned in her review of the first edition of barron\u2019s act<\/a>, this book is one of the more useful unofficial act guides on the market. but was barron\u2019s able to maintain this quality and build on it in barron\u2019s act, 4th edition? to some extent, the answer is yes.<\/p>\n as in previous editions, barron\u2019s does a good job of capturing the basic format and \u201cflavor\u201d 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b+<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n ivy global\u2019s 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 \ud83d\ude42 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\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. it\u2019s important to note that full answer explanations are available on the site only, which isn\u2019t a huge deal, but does add an extra step. they offer a test only book<\/a> with four full practice tests but the first three tests are the same tests from their act guide book.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material:<\/strong> a-<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n the manhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems may be the best unofficial act practice book, and it\u2019s a great companion to the official act guide<\/a> and official act website<\/a>. still, this book does have some weaknesses alongside its many strengths.<\/p>\n manhattan\u2019s act math questions are excellent. they are 100% consistent with ones you\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n there are two other small issues. first, manhattan uses \u201cexcept questions,\u201d 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\u2019t occur outside of act math. you\u2019ll still get good practice, but just keep in mind that it\u2019s not as accurate to the test as the other sections.<\/p>\n each answer explanation really acts as a mini-lesson on academic content, and this allows you to walk away with knowledge that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n there is a potential shortcoming, though. unlike the current official act guide, manhattan\u2019s explanations don\u2019t directly address incorrect answers. you aren\u2019t really given any insight into how incorrect answers are designed to trick you.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material:<\/strong> a+ for math, b- for english and reading, c for science<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n barron\u2019s offers a smaller, more targeted book called act 36<\/em>. the 4th edition is similar to previous editions, so i would direct anyone interested to kristin\u2019s review of act 36, 2nd edition<\/a>.<\/p>\n barron\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n in its 4th edition, barron\u2019s 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a>, though it still had flaws. the 2021 edition is a little bit better, but like its predecessors, isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n mcgraw-hill\u2019s act 2021 offers four print practice tests and access to four more practice tests online. there\u2019s also a diagnostic test at the beginning of the book, and a set of additional practice questions for every section.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n in the past we called out mcgraw-hill\u2019s 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\u2019d still like them to be clearer.<\/p>\n the good<\/strong><\/p>\n mcgraw-hill has some really nice skills building practice materials for english, math, reading, and science. there\u2019s 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 (\u201clisten to your brain\u201d?!). however, mcgraw-hill has especially good advice for pacing and multiple-choice strategy.<\/p>\n the bad<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s too much focus on easier act math skills like elementary algebra. harder aspects of act math, such as logarithms and trigonometry, are barely explained\u2014and when the math chapter is about three times as long as any of the other chapters, you\u2019d definitely expect more thorough coverage! the writing chapter is better than it\u2019s been in previous editions, but is still a little light. overall, the \u201cadvice\u201d portions of this book are written in a confusing, inconsistent way.<\/p>\n practice materials (act science): <\/strong>a<\/p>\n practice materials (everything else): <\/strong>c+<\/p>\n answer explanations:<\/strong> c<\/p>\n skills and strategy: <\/strong>c<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n there are some things i really like about mcgraw-hill\u2019s 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition. but there\u2019s also a lot to dislike. mcgraw-hill\u2019s ability to replicate truly act-like practice varies a good deal, depending on the section of the exam you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n the act english passages are too long, so they\u2019re 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201canswer x is correct because it\u2019s the only answer that makes sense.\u201d not useful!<\/p>\n 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 \u201cthis answer is correct because it follows the rules for quadratics.\u201d but what does that actually mean? moreover, at least half the time, the incorrect answers aren\u2019t addressed at all.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n act english and act reading practice:<\/strong> c<\/p>\n act math practice:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\n act science practice:<\/strong> a<\/p>\n answer explanations:<\/strong> d-<\/p>\n princeton review has many offerings for the act. here, we are going to give our review of princeton review\u2019s 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\u2019ve decided to focus on these because they are both the most popular and fairly representative of the question style and approach in other books.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n we\u2019ll start with act premium prep, something of a flagship for pr\u2019s act prep. it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n the act reading advice is pretty good, although the text is heavily stamped with princeton review\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n but\u2014just like previous years\u2019 editions\u2014the added act reading practice questions themselves are abysmally not<\/em> act-like. most of the new dual passage questions are far too easy, and the \u201chard\u201d questions are only hard because the answer choices are ambiguous. supposedly \u201cwrong\u201d answers could be right. on the real act, there are no \u201cgray area\u201d possibly right answers like this.<\/p>\n 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<\/em>, 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material:<\/strong> c<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies and skills:<\/strong> b-<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n bottom line: a source of additional practice questions as well as general test prep tips that can be helpful to those who aren\u2019t getting those tips from another source.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n princeton review’s 1,523 act practice questions<\/a> 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\u2019t repeated from other books, which is good to know \ud83d\ude42 the book has three full-length practice tests and gives you access to pr\u2019s online content. the new edition has the same questions as the previous edition<\/a> with the exception of 12 new questions. like the others, good, not great.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice material: <\/strong>c<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies and skills: <\/strong>b-<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019ll have a very good idea of what the act is all about.<\/p>\n this isn\u2019t to say that kaplan act is perfect. there are strong points and weak points within the book\u2019s largely-good framework. note: the \u201cplus\u201d edition gets you two extra practice tests compared with the regular act prep.<\/p>\n the answer explanations in kaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021 are refreshing in many ways. unlike many act books, this book explains both the right answers and<\/em> the wrong answers! knowing why the wrong answers are wrong\u2013and how the makers of the act are trying to distract you\u2014is a really important aspect of test strategy.<\/p>\n the explanations are longer and of higher quality than explanations in previous editions, which is another point in kaplan\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n the strategy and skill portions of the book definitely don\u2019t<\/em> have a problem with incompleteness. here, you get in-depth descriptions of all of the different kinds of questions in each section. there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n still, kaplan\u2014much like its competitor the princeton review\u2014sometimes lets its branding and sales tactics get in the way of its advice.<\/p>\n unfortunately, this edition still includes the smartpoint system. kaplan\u2019s smartpoints system lists each question type in every section as a \u201csmartpoint.\u201d 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 \u201ckaplan method\u201d for each section tends to be fairly obvious. however, the kaplan method for act writing does one thing that\u2019s pretty awesome\u2013it shows students how to brainstorm and write an outline. this is refreshing, since many act prep books don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n finally, the practice materials all have pretty obvious flaws. here\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s corrected some of the over-detailed prompts that plagued previous versions of this (um, \u201ckaplan act\u201d) books. these are a lot more solid than they were in previous editions.<\/p>\n grade<\/strong><\/p>\n practice materials:<\/strong> c-<\/p>\n answer explanations, strategies, and skills:<\/strong> b<\/p>\n magoosh’s free act ebook<\/em><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n it\u2019s written by magoosh\u2019s test experts, meaning that it\u2019s not dense or dry like some books. even better, it\u2019s available in a handy pdf so you can study on the go. the math formulas<\/a> you\u2019ll need on the test, plus strategies and practice problems so you can learn how to use them under pressure!<\/p>\n 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<\/a> provides a timeline to help you navigate the college prep process year-by-year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nthe official act prep guide, 2021-2022<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nact prep black book, 2nd edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nbarron\u2019s act, 4th edition <\/em>(2019)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n
ivy global act guide, edition 1.2<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nmanhattan 5 lb. book of act practice problems<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nquality of the practice questions<\/h3>\n
answer explanations, strategies and skill<\/h3>\n
barron\u2019s act 36, 4th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nmcgraw-hill act 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\npractice materials<\/h3>\n
answer explanations<\/h3>\n
skills and strategy<\/h3>\n
act 2021 (mcgraw-hill education): grade<\/h3>\n
mcgraw-hill 10 2022世界杯入门名单s, 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nquality of the practice material<\/h3>\n
quality of the answer explanations<\/h3>\n
princeton review<\/strong><\/h2>\n
act premium prep, 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\ncrash course for the act 6th edition<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nprinceton review 1,523 act practice questions 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nkaplan\u2019s act prep plus 2021<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nanswer explanations, strategies, and skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n
the best act prep books that won’t cost you anything!<\/h2>\n
\n<\/a>
\nthat\u2019s right! magoosh has a free<\/em> act ebook<\/a>!<\/p>\n
\nmagoosh\u2019s sat math formula ebook<\/em><\/strong>
\n(this ebook was written for the sat, but is equally crucial for the act.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nhigh schooler\u2019s guide to the future<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\ngoing beyond the best act prep books<\/h3>\n