SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

Taking the ACT is stressful—some test you've never seen before will affect where you go to college. As a high school student, I felt anxious taking the ACT because I hadn't done any practice and had no idea whether I'd reach my target score.

One way to mitigate nerves surrounding the ACT is to try to predict your ACT score. If you find out your estimate is close to your target score, you'll feel relieved. If it's low, at least you'll know you need to do more preparation before taking the test.

What is the best ACT score predictor? What should you do with your estimated ACT score? In this guide, I'll walk you through the different ways to predict your ACT score and explain the pros and cons of each. I'll also let you know how to use your estimated score to your advantage.

There's one thing that every student studying for the ACT definitely needs: practice tests that are almost identical to what you will face on test day. No matter how you study, we've found that most students really benefit from taking a full ACT practice test several times in as close to official test-taking conditions as possible. This is the best way to get comfortable with the pace, timing, and format of the exam, and to work on both your endurance and stress-management techniques.

So how do you get your hands on enough ACT tests to put yourself in the hot seat for practice? In this article, we'll link to all the official tests and question sets released by ACT, Inc. and give you suggestions on where to find others so that you have more than enough practice materials to get ready for this important college admissions test.

So you need to take the ACT, but you don't anything about it. What now? How do you go about preparing for the test?

Are you concerned that, as a result of the novel coronavirus, you won't be able to take an SAT or ACT this fall? Multiple spring and summer exam dates have already been cancelled as a result of COVID-19, and there's no guarantee that in-person exams will be safe to hold in the fall. What does that mean if you were planning to take one of those tests, especially if you're a high school senior who needs standardized test scores to apply to college?

In this article we go over everything we know about potential online SATs and ACTs, as well as our expert opinion on what online standardized tests will be like, how they'll be viewed by colleges, and if this means the exams will move online permanently.

The ACT can be a slog. First you have to do all that studying, then spend a bunch of hours taking the test, then wait weeks for your scores to get back. Do you know what makes it better? Memes. This guide contains 21 of the most relatable ACT 2020 memes out there, from the frustration at not being able to use a mechanical pencil to finding out your scores have been delayed. And yes, there is a baby Yoda ACT meme too.

If you've ever come across a table listing all the ACT score percentiles, you may have seen the ACT standard deviation listed at the bottom for composite and section scores. Sadly, there is no explanation for what the standard deviation being that value means; instead, the tables just throw the data out there and move on.

So how does knowing the mean and standard deviation of ACT help you? We'll discuss what standard deviation is and what it means for you and your ACT score in this article.

Getting into nursing school can be pretty competitive, so you might be wondering how your ACT score will affect your chances of getting accepted into your dream school. The answer to this question can vary depending on what kind of nursing program you choose, what schools you apply to, and how your other application materials look. 

Different nursing programs handle ACT scores differently, so it’s important to find out as much information as possible about the significance of ACT scores in nursing school admissions. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand how ACT scores affect your nursing school admissions chances by covering the following: 

• The different types of nursing programs you can apply to 
• The general application process for four-year bachelors of nursing programs 
• How your ACT score factors into your nursing school application, and what a "good" ACT score is for nursing school admission
• Explaining how ACT scores fit into the admissions process at six of the best nursing programs in the United States 
• Giving you five expert tips for achieving an ACT score that will help you stand out in the nursing school admissions process

So keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the ACT score needed for nursing school! 

Are you building up your vocabulary to get ready for the ACT? While memorizing obscure words won't get you too far, learning medium-level words in multiple contexts will help you out a great deal on ACT Reading and English. Besides "multiple-meaning" words, you also want to review scientific terms to be prepared for the ACT Science section.

This guide tackles the "one word a day" strategy and how you can use it effectively to prepare for the ACT. First, how useful is studying just one word a day?

One of the first thoughts you might have after getting back your ACT or SAT score is how well you would have done on the other test. Luckily, SAT to ACT conversion (and ACT to SAT conversion) is possible!

In this post, we provide conversion charts from the test makers themselves to help you with score conversions between both the current and old versions of the SAT and the ACT. We also look at whether certain colleges go easier on the SAT or ACT—and what you can do about it.

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1-36. But how exactly do you end up with a composite score on this scale when you answer a lot more than 36 total questions? In this article, we'll walk through the steps needed to calculate your ACT composite score, including how to calculate your raw scores and convert these into scaled scores.

You’ve taken the SAT/ACT and are ready to send your scores to colleges. But did you know that not all colleges require official score reports? That's right—many colleges are now letting applicants self-report their scores directly on their applications (and only requiring an official score report if they choose to enroll).

But what does self-reporting test scores mean? We answer this critical question here and also give you a list of popular colleges that allow self-reporting. Additionally, we'll go over how to self-report scores using the Common Application and Coalition Application.

If you've taken an ACT practice test, you've probably wondered how the questions you answer on each test section translate to a final score out of 36 points. What is a raw ACT score? What about a scale score? How does one score affect the other?

In this article, we explain what the equating process for the ACT is and give you info on how your raw scores translate to scale scores for each section of the test.

Just like the ACT has four different sections, the ACT Reading section has four different types of passages for you to read. This article breaks down exactly what's on this section of the ACT so you can plan your best approach.

First, let's consider how the ACT Reading section is formatted.

Are you starting to ask yourself, When should I take the ACT for the first time? The answer to this is a little more complex than the question. There are several factors to consider here, so let's review them so you can make an informed decision.

First, when do most students take the ACT for the first time?

Even though the English language is complex, ACT English tests a specific set of grammar rules. Furthermore, it tests these rules the same way, over and over again.

In this complete guide, we've compiled the comprehensive list of ACT English grammar rules you need to know to ace the ACT English section. If you master all these rules and practice them with realistic ACT questions, you'll have a huge advantage on the English section.