Although less well-known than the SAT, the ACT is another college admissions exam accepted by the vast majority of American colleges. For some students, this test may even be preferable to the SAT! There are many ACT books on the market to help you prepare, but choosing the right practice material can be incredibly important. Having accurate practice tests and solid, well-tested strategies gives you the best chance of improving your scores.
Below, you can find FLS Tutors’ list of our 10 favorite ACT preparation books, their pros and cons, and when you should use them.
1. The Official ACT Prep Guide
The Pros: Also sometimes called the “Red Book,” this is the only prep book released by the test makers. It contains 5 authentic ACT tests that were used during previous administrations of the test as well as some baseline strategies for improving your scores. You also can access up to 400 additional questions online!
The Cons: Although these tests are authentic, they are older tests. Many test prep experts agree that the Reading section has become faster-paced and the Science section has become more difficult. Additionally, the explanations are somewhat scarce and the strategies lack detail. We absolutely recommend this book for its authentic tests, but you ought to supplement it with at least one of the test prep books below as well.
2. Barron’s ACT Premium Study Guide
The Pros: Barron’s premiere ACT prep book offers a diagnostic test first before breaking down each section with test-taking strategies, question types, practice questions, and coverage of the content that you need. Beyond the diagnostic test, this provides three additional practice tests in the book as well as two more you can access online. If you’re only going to buy one ACT prep book, this provides a strong overview of everything you’ll need.
The Cons: Barron’s practice tests can be more difficult than the actual test, which may give you unnecessary stress. Students who are studying for an extended period of time may also need additional practice material. Barron’s offers an ACT 36 and Math and Science Workbook to supplement this book.
[Related: SAT vs ACT: Which Test is Best for You]
3. ACT Prep Black Book
Pros: Mike Barrett, of the classic SAT Prep Black Book, has also produced a similar book for the ACT. Barrett focuses specifically on strategies and tactics that take advantage of the way the ACT is structured. He discusses question types and patterns in an easily approachable way before re-explaining all of the practice questions in the Official ACT Prep Book according to these particular strategies. You will need to purchase that book as well.
Cons: This book must be used in conjunction with the Official ACT Prep Book in order to benefit from Barrett’s careful explanations. This book also provides no practice tests of its own and only covers content areas very lightly. Although the strategies provided here are strong ones, this book only works in combination with others.
4. Princeton Review Cracking the ACT
Pros: Cracking the ACT is a conventional test prep book, covering content and strategies, and providing practice tests. They clearly cover important grammar rules and math concepts as well as strategies to follow on test day. There are four practice tests provided within the book and more online. This prep book provides a clear and comprehensive approach to the ACT, especially with the math and science sections.
Cons: Where the Barron’s test prep errs on the side of being too difficult, the Princeton Review practice tests can be too easy, a more dangerous failing. We recommend supplementing this book with official practice tests from the Red Book or online.
5. Up Your Score: ACT: The Underground Guide to Outsmarting the Test
Pros: The Underground Guide takes more of a fun approach to ACT Prep and is especially good for students who suffer from test anxiety. It covers the format, major concepts of the test and some test-taking strategies with stories from real-life test takers. It even addresses ways to deal with the stress and pressure of preparing for and taking such an important test, as well as offering a “Game Face Quintuple Sugar Blast Bars.”
Cons: The Underground Guide is not the most rigorous test-preparation book available on the market. Although it may help alleviate test anxiety, if you feel up to tackling a more rigorous book, we would recommend it.
(Also, for the record, FLS Tutors would recommend a more balanced breakfast than anything called Quintuple Sugar Blast!)
[Related: The 10 Best SAT Prep Books]
6. Ivy Global’s ACT Guide
Pros: Ivy Global first released an ACT guide in 2019. This is a lesser-known company even for the SAT, but they produce clear and streamlined preparation. Their content review is clear and specific, with plenty of ACT style questions. The book offers three practice tests that are relatively authentic, as well as additional tests online.
Cons: There are no explanations provided for the tests within the book. You can access them online, but this makes review a little more complicated. Their content review is strong, but might not be enough for someone who needs to learn a topic from scratch.
7. Manhattan Prep 5 lb Book of ACT Practice Problems
Pros: If you are looking for a massive number of practice questions, you’ve come to the right place. This prep book offers over 1,800 questions, along with such comprehensive answer explanations that they become a sort of mini-lesson in their own right. These questions are fairly authentic, especially the math section.
Cons: This book is fairly light on covering content outside of the answer explanations, and although their math questions are especially good, other sections can be shakier.
8. McGraw Hill Education ACT
Pros: The McGraw Hill prep book has four practice tests, with the ability to access four more online. The practice tests are relatively authentic, especially the ACT Science section. They also cover content and strategies in a clear and thorough way, especially lower level math.
Cons: Although the ACT Science sections in the practice tests is one of this prep book’s strong suits, they skew too difficult in the Reading section and too simplistic in the math. This pattern continues in their content coverage as well. The book offers strong coverage of lower-level math, but not enough for upper-level.
9. The Princeton Review Crash Course for the ACT
Pros: This is a shorter book from the Princeton Review, with a strong focus on strategies and drills. It is designed as a last-minute prep course, with drills but no dedicated practice tests. It may also provide additional material for the student who has exhausted their current preparation material, as the questions are different from the Princeton Review’s Cracking the SAT.
Cons: These strategies are good ones, but they aren’t necessarily ACT-specific. If you have prepared for other tests, such as the SAT or PSAT, this book may be too simplistic for you. There are no dedicated practice tests, so you’ll quickly exhaust this book if you are doing more than last-minute prep.
10. Kaplan’s ACT Prep
Pros: Kaplan offers another very comprehensive test prep book. It covers the most important bases as well as basic strategies. The book contains one practice test and access to four tests online. For those students who thrive better with multimedia, the book also gives you access to online drills, video tutorials and in-depth walk-throughs with Kaplan’s instructors.
Cons: Questions are often a little too straightforward and do not use the same phrasing as the
ACT. Although the strategies are clear and useful, they are relatively basic and may not be the best resource for a student hoping to score above a 24.
Wrap up
One final note: using only a test preparation book can be difficult! Here at FLS Tutors, we are dedicated to ensuring you have the best resources available. If you’re self-motivated, these books can be a great way to learn skills and strategies as well as taking practice tests. However, these books will not be custom-tailored to your needs. Working with a tutor through FLS Tutors allows your program to directly play to your strengths and address your weaknesses as well as providing accountability and direct feedback. You can reach out to us for a diagnostic test any time!
