SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

The 5 Best ACT Prep Games

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Posted by Ellen McCammon

ACT

 
There’s a new craze in test prep: games. Vocab games, math games, reading games— you might think you could study for the entire ACT with just ACT prep games!
 

Unfortunately for you, this is not really true. The majority of ACT practice games are either downright bad or just far less helpful than completing actual ACT practice questions.

In this article I’ll discuss the prep game trend, explain why most prep games aren’t so great, present some criteria on what makes a good ACT prep game, offer some game recommendations, and lend advice on how to incorporate them into your studying.

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ACT Exact Start Time and End Time

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Posted by Rebecca Safier

ACT

In addition to all your ACT studying, you need to prepare for test day. When exactly does the ACT start? What time will you hand in your scantron sheet, gather your arsenal of No. 2 pencils, and leave the test center? Is timing the same for all students, or does it vary by location?

This guide will go over the exact start and end time of the ACT so you can plan your Saturday morning. Assuming you haven't arranged an alternative testing date or other accommodations, what time do you need to arrive?

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The Best SAT Score Predictor

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Posted by Dora Seigel

SAT

The SAT can be mysterious and nerve-inducing; your score on this never-before-seen test will play a huge role in your college applications. When I took the SAT for the first time, I didn’t do any preparation and wasn't sure I could reach my target score.

The best way to lessen your fear is to try to predict your SAT score. How can you estimate your SAT score? What are the effective methods? Do the SAT score predictor quizzes really work? This guide will walk you through the different methods of estimating your SAT score and will tell you how to use that prediction.

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ACT Rules and Regulations: What You HAVE to Know

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Posted by Justin Berkman

ACT

Because the ACT is such a high-stakes test, the folks at ACT, Inc. have implemented a series of rules to ensure that there is no cheating and that all students have as close to the same test-taking experience as possible.

Before you take the ACT, you should familiarize yourself with these important rules. You don’t want to start using some scratch paper that you brought and then be dismissed from the test and have your score canceled. Know the rules so you don’t find yourself in such a situation.

In this article, I’ll explain the rules for the ACT and the consequences for breaking them.

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What's the Highest New SAT Score Possible?

Understanding how the SAT scoring system works is an important part of preparing for the test. After all, how else are you supposed to measure your progress and set goals?

The SAT underwent some big format changes in 2016, which means that the scoring system most people were familiar with was radically overhauled. Here, I’ll cover how the scoring system has changed on the SAT, how this has affected the highest possible SAT score, and what this means for test takers.

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How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Math

The SAT is designed to be taken by every high school student in the country, which means it can only test math concepts that every student has had experience with. The way the creators of the test make it hard is by presenting questions in unusual ways—ways that you never see in your math classes—and by putting you on a strict time crunch.

If you've ever started freaking out at the end of an SAT Math section, unsure how you're ever going to get through the entire section, you know exactly what we mean.

But don't despair! In this guide, we'll walk you through the timing of the test and teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your time on the SAT.

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What You Must Bring to the ACT on Test Day

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Posted by Rebecca Safier

ACT

Picture this: you’ve studied for months, you confidently sit down to your ACT test booklet, and on the first question your pencil breaks! You can’t ask anyone around you for a pencil since the test has already started. What do you do?

Luckily, this disastrous scenario won’t happen to you. In this guide, we'll look at what you need to bring to the ACT, some extra materials that could be helpful, and what you should leave behind when you head out the door. After reading this, you'll know all the things you need to bring on test day so your ACT testing experience can run as smoothly as possible.

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How Long Should I Study for the SAT? 6 Step Guide

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SAT

In planning your SAT prep, you probably want to know how long you need to study. Is it weeks or months? Is it dozens of hours or hundreds?

The answer to these questions depends on a variety of factors, including the scores you are hoping to get and how comfortable you already are with the test material from your general experiences in school and life. There’s no reason to torture yourself with endless SAT studying if your scores are already in the target range for your top choice schools. On the other hand, if you are still pretty far away from the scores you are looking for, you may have to work harder than you think.

In this guide, I'll show you how to figure out how much you need to improve on the SAT, how many hours you need to spend to get there, and how you should build a study schedule before your next real test. Below are the six steps you need to follow to figure out your SAT study plan.

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The 3 Best Extracurricular Activities for Your College App

Extracurricular activities are an important part of your college application. The things that you choose to do outside of the classroom help college admission officers understand your personality in a way that your grades and test scores can’t show.

With so many activities to choose from, how do you know which ones are going to make the biggest impact on your application? Do colleges prefer students with traditional activities like sports and student council, or are you better off if you have something unconventional on your activity list?

If you're unsure about how to strategize a list of activities that will make an impact on your application, read on to see the three best extracurricular activities that will really get you noticed.

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What's Actually Tested on the ACT Science Section? Skills and Topics

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Posted by Halle Edwards

ACT

Are you studying for the ACT? Not sure what to expect from the science section? You might be surprised to know that the science section one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of the ACT.

So what exactly is tested on the ACT science section? And how much science do you need to know to do well? We'll break down this section for you with example questions so you know exactly what to expect.

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No Extracurricular Activities? Here's What You Should Do

Extracurricular activities are one of the most important parts of your college application. After your test scores and grades, they are the best way for a college to get to know more about you and to understand what kind of student you might be on campus.

But what if you have no extracurricular activities? Is all hope lost?

Read on to find out why things might not be as bad as they seem and what you can do to make up for not having extracurriculars.

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ACT Aspire Practice Tests: Where to Find Free Tests

Has your school district started using ACT Aspire? Because Aspire only rolled out a few years ago (2014), it's possible you have a lot of questions about what the test will be like.

Want to get some practice before you take it for real? We'll give you links to free practice tests for each section of Aspire and explain how to best prepare for the test.

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The Ultimate Study Guide for ACT Science: Tips, Practice, and Strategies

We've written the best ACT Science guide available anywhere. This is not an exaggeration—we've studied dozens of ACT prep books and online resources, both paid and free, and we believe this is the best resource available right now, by far.

In this guide, we cover every question type on the ACT Science section and give you strategies to attack them. In addition, we provide you with our best ACT Science tips and teach you how to get the most out of your ACT Science practice and ACT prep.

If you're serious about raising your ACT Science score, read through every link. By mastering all the key concepts, engaging with realistic practice questions, and reviewing your mistakes, you'll dramatically improve your ACT Science score.

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Complete Plan: When Should I Start Studying for the ACT?

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Posted by Halle Edwards

ACT

If you’re a high school student, you’re probably already feeling the pressure to take the ACT and do well on it – even if you’re just a freshman or sophomore.

So when exactly should you start studying for the ACT? If you wait too long to study, you won’t get the highest score you’re capable of. But if you start too early, you might struggle because you don’t know all the content on the ACT yet. Or you might just forget things if you study over too long a period.

So what’s the perfect balance? We will introduce you to the content you have to know to do well on the ACT and then give you a study plan based on your college goals.

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When Should I Take the SAT for the First Time?

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Posted by Rebecca Safier

SAT

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. — Zig Ziglar

It can be hard to decide when to take the SAT for the first time. Should you wait until junior year? Is the fall better than the spring? Should you only take it if you've studied geometry or read the top 100 classics in English literature?

Since everyone's different, there's no blanket answer to the question, "When should I take the SAT for the first time?" Let's consider the most important factors in this decision so you can determine when to sign up for your initial test. First, what do most students do?

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