SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Are you scoring in the 26–34 range on ACT Critical Reading? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible—to a perfect 36?

Getting to a 36 ACT Reading score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard work and my strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've consistently scored 36 on Reading on my real ACTs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score—or get very close.

The best way to attack the ACT is to use an ACT study plan. With a study plan, you can manage your prep time more easily, figure out your weaknesses, and hone the skills you need to get the score you want on test day.

We give you four top-notch ACT plans to choose from, based on your ACT score goals. Before we take a look at those, though, let’s go over the benefits of having an ACT schedule and the steps needed to find the right ACT study plan for you.

Deciding when to take the SAT can be stressful because the best test dates aren't the same for everyone. Levels of preparation, goal scores, and other academic conflicts should all be considered in devising the most logical testing schedule for each student. The following is a full description of the pros and cons of each SAT test date in the 2017-2018 school year for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. You can use this guide to come up with a game plan that works for you!

At PrepScholar, we've written the best online ACT prep guides available, covering everything you need to know to improve your score on the ACT. They're all available right here on our blog, and we think they beat any book you can purchase. What's more, they’re completely free!

This guide—our Ultimate ACT Prep Guide—collects all of our most important ACT study guides and articles in one place. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to ace the ACT and improve your college admission chances.

We'll start off by briefly going over how to use this guide. Then, we'll go section by section through the most critical pieces of information you'll need to know to get a high ACT score. Here's an outline of what this free ACT study guide includes:

Choosing an ACT test date can be difficult because what works for one person won't necessarily work for someone else. Ultimately, whether a test date is good for you depends on how soon you want to start prepping, what your goal scores are, and whether you have any obligations around that time.

In this guide, we give you the pros and cons of all upcoming ACT test dates and explain which dates work well—as well as which ones don't work so well—for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

A 30 ACT score is a solid goal to have for test day. But how difficult is it to get a 30? How many questions can you miss? And what kinds of schools can you get into with a 30?

In this guide, we teach you how to get a 30 on the ACT with our nine top tips, covering everything from starting your prep through picking answers on test day. In fact, the tips in this article will help you even if you're shooting for a higher or lower score, like a 32 or a 29.

Getting into college is a great feeling — but having to spend money on SAT/ACT test prep? Not so great. Let’s be honest: most people would rather put their ACT or SAT money toward something a little more exciting.

But the good news is, you don’t need to spend all of your cash on test prep, as long as you know which resources to use and how to spend your money wisely. In this guide, we give you 12 tips and resources that are guaranteed to help you save money on test prep.

If you're an international student or non-native English speaker applying to college in the United States, then this guide is for you! To get into college, you'll likely have to take two admissions tests: the TOEFL and the ACT.

This guide is specifically geared toward students interested in taking the TOEFL and ACT (if you're taking the SAT, then check out this guide instead!). Read on to learn what colleges require, how the TOEFL and ACT compare, and what you can do to prepare for both.

At PrepScholar, we constantly review the best data to inform you about future test dates. If you know the future registration dates and test schedule, you can create your study plan and stay organized, allowing you to lessen your stress and reach your target score.

In this article, I’ll give you the the ACT test dates for 2018-2019 and explain the factors to think about when choosing your test date.

At PrepScholar, we are committed to keeping you informed about future test dates. Knowing the registration and test dates well in advance can help you create your ACT study plan and keep you organized so that you can minimize your stress and reach your target score.

In this article, I’ll give you the ACT test dates for 2017-2018 and explain the factors to think about when selecting your test date.

If you want to do well on the SAT or ACT, keeping track of time and how many questions you have left is extremely important. 

Sections are 35-60 minutes long on the ACT and 25-65 minutes long on the SAT. One of the leading reasons students perform poorly on either test is that they run out of time. And one of the leading reasons students run out of time is not because they're not aware of how much time is left.

We'll go over the best way to keep track of time on the SAT/ACT in this article, including what timekeeping devices are and are not permitted on test day.

Only got a month until the ACT? No worries! In this guide, we offer you our best tips and advice on how to study for the ACT in a month. First, we’ll discuss the feasibility of a one-month ACT prep plan and the four critical steps you must take to get started. Then, we’ll provide you with our best high-impact tips to help you get the ACT score you need for college.

NOTE: This article largely assumes you’ll be studying for the ACT on your own. For additional help, contact our expert ACT tutors or get started with our customizable online ACT prep course!

Whether you've already taken the ACT or are busy preparing for it now, you've likely wondered at some point: is the ACT curved? Does a 32 on one ACT equal a 32 on another?

In this article, we’ll investigate the rumor of the ACT curve and explain what it really means. Then we'll examine the function of this curve as well as how it's changed over time, before finally explaining what the ACT curve means for test takers and how you can use it to your advantage.

You're serious about studying for the SAT. You have a year or more to study, and you want to put a real effort into it.

Is studying this much worth it? What are the payoffs? And most importantly, what's the best way to study for the SAT / ACT on the year-or-more level? This post answers those questions!

Have an ACT date coming up that you can’t make or think you’re not going to do well on? Learn here how to cancel ACT tests or change your ACT test date.

Additionally, we'll also cover some reasons why you might cancel your ACT registration – and help you decide if canceling is truly the best move.