SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

An ACT diagnostic test is an important part of your ACT prep, but there’s a lot more to it than just answering a few questions and seeing how you score. A diagnostic test can be one of the best tools for shaping your ACT study plan, but you need to know where to find the right ones and how to take them properly.

In this guide, we explain what an ACT diagnostic test is, why it’s such an important study tool, where you can find the best diagnostic tests, and every step you should take to get as much valuable info from your diagnostic test as possible.

Need to take the ACT on the next test date but missed the late registration deadline? Luckily, even if it's already past the late registration deadline for an ACT test date, you might still be able to take the test by signing up for standby testing. But what exactly is standby testing? How do you sign up for it? Read on to learn how to request standby testing for the ACT and why you might do it.

Did you graduate from college years ago and now a prospective employer is asking for your ACT scores? Or perhaps you took time off after high school and now have to send your ACT scores to colleges. In either case, you'll need to know how to access your old ACT scores.

In this article, I'll explain how to get and use old ACT scores. I'll walk you through the process of retrieving old scores and sending score reports for any ACT tests you took long ago.

Think you did horribly on the ACT? Need to cancel your scores? Or are you just wondering what you would do if you ran into an emergency on test day?

In this guide, we'll cover three actions you can take to deal with a bad ACT score: canceling scores, stopping college score reports, and deleting existing scores. Likely you would only need to use one or two of these methods if you run into trouble, but we will cover all three to make sure you know all of your options.

If you've registered for the ACT, you may have noticed that you'll need to enter a school code. But what code do you put if you're homeschooled? How can you make sure your scores get to you? We answer your questions in this guide!

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Or is there?

When you register for the ACT, you have the option to send your score reports to four colleges for free. So doesn’t it make sense to send them? Especially since the rest of the college admissions process can be so costly, shouldn’t you save money where you can?

Maybe, but it could actually hurt your applications if you're not careful. We will examine this issue in-depth and help you make a smart decision in regard to whether to use the four free ACT score reports or not.

If you’re planning to take the ACT, it’s a good idea to take the PreACT, too. This test is essentially a practice ACT for high school sophomores. But exactly when is the PreACT? Are there multiple PreACT test dates you can choose from? We answer these questions and more in this guide. In addition, we give you a few key tips on how to prep for the PreACT.

Everyone knows that, when guessing on a multiple-choice test, the best answer to choose is C...right? A friend of a friend swears by it, it’s served you well in the past (maybe?), and it’s become such a commonly known “fact,” such an undisputed strategy, that you may feel as if you were born knowing it—”when in doubt, pick C and move on.”

But does this time-honored tradition of picking C when in doubt actually work on the ACT? And if not, what can you do to improve your odds when guessing? Let’s look at the facts.

Disclaimer: we are not going to tell you how to cheat on the ACT. What we will tell you about are things you can get in trouble for, along with high-profile cheating scandals that have happened recently and in past years. We do not advocate cheating by any means!

Let's take a look at some of these scandals, as well as make sure you're aware of all the rules and regulations of test day so you don't inadvertently jeopardize your scores or chance of college admissions.

Wondering what you can do to boost your performance on the ACT with only a couple days to prepare?

Here are some last minute ACT tips that will help raise your scores and keep you at your best during the test.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.