ACT Test Preparation
ACT Online Prep
Prepare for the ACT anytime, anywhere
Your coursework already prepares you to take the ACT—but additional practice can help you be ready to do your best. ACT® Online Prep provides additional practice wherever and whenever you want it.
ACT Kaplan Online Prep Live
Live online prep from the experts
ACT and Kaplan bring you the new ACT® Kaplan® Online Prep Live—a virtual classroom experience that delivers all the benefits of live instruction at home or on the go.
The Official ACT Prep Guide
The only test prep book from the makers of the ACT test
By the pool. At your sister’s soccer game. On a long family road trip. If you have the time, we have the study guide.
The Official ACT Prep Guide includes:
- Three practice tests
- Explanations for all correct and incorrect answer choices
- Test-taking strategies for each test section
- Hundreds of additional practice questions in the online bonus content area
Download a Free Study Guide
Get a taste of the ACT test with practice questions
Familiarize yourself with the instructions and format, then review, analyze, and answer the questions to see if you’re correct—and why.
Download this free preparation booklet for access to test information, complete practice tests with scoring keys, and a writing prompt.
Question of the Day
More than 100 practice questions - for free
Want to know what to expect on the ACT test? Sign in to ACT Profile to get free practice questions and answers from past tests. Explanations and tips are provided to help you solve each question. You also can sign up to receive a weekly email that provides each week's questions.
Plus, ACT has partnered with OpenEd to make free educational resources available. Strengthen your knowledge and skills by watching short instructional videos and taking quizzes.
Sample Essays are provided as study aids for the optional writing test. Get more information about preparing for the writing test and how the writing test is scored.
General Test Tips
Carefully read the instructions on the cover of the test booklet.
Read the directions for each test carefully.
Read each question carefully.
Calculators may be used on the mathematics test only. Calculator policy (PDF)
Pace yourself—don't spend too much time on a single passage or question.
Pay attention to the announcement of five minutes remaining on each test.
Use a soft-lead No. 2 pencil with a good eraser. Do not use a mechanical pencil or ink pen; if you do, your answer document cannot be scored accurately.
Mark only one answer to each question, and for each question, make certain that you mark in the row of ovals with the same number as the question.
Fill in the oval completely, and make your marks heavy and black. If you change your mind about an answer, erase your first mark completely without smudging.
For each question, decide which answer is best.
Answer the easy questions first, and then go back and answer the more difficult ones if you have time remaining on that test.
On difficult questions, eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess among those remaining.
Answer every question. Your scores on the multiple-choice tests are based on the number of questions you answer correctly.You will not be penalized for guessing. It is to your advantage to answer every question even if you must guess.
If you complete a test before time is called, recheck your work on that test. Do not look back to a test on which time has already been called, and do not go ahead to another test. To do so will disqualify you from the examination.
When time is called on any test, lay your pencil down immediately and do not mark or alter any ovals on the test or continue writing the essay. If you do, you will be dismissed and your answer document will not be scored.
Writing test tips:
- Before you begin working on the writing test, read all material in the test booklet to understand what you are being asked to do.
- You may plan your essay on the unlined pages provided. They will not be scored. Only your writing on the lined pages of the answer document will be scored.
Test Descriptions
Get detailed information about each test section and what is covered
The ACT measures the knowledge, understanding, and skills that you have acquired throughout your education. The test contains multiple-choice tests in four areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. Each of these tests contains questions that offer either four or five answer choices from which you are to choose the correct, or best, answer. If you register for the optional ACT with writing, you will take the writing test after the four multiple-choice tests.