6 Of The Best ACT Prep Books To Help Your Teen Succeed

Inside: Preparing for the ACT in advance can help your teen get the score they need to get into their top choice colleges. Using ACT Test prep books are an affordable option to give them the tools and tricks they need to succeed on this difficult standardized test.

The ACT exam is widely known one of the required standardized tests high school students need to take as part of the admissions process for getting into most colleges or universities. However, many students don’t do any type of test prep prior to taking this standardized exam and end up with scores that are below expectation and that could reduce the chance of getting into their preferred schools.

The best way to make sure your teen is prepared for the ACT college admission exam is to give them the tools and knowledge to obtain the best score possible for them. The ACT is a challenging exam, but there are many tips and tricks that can help students feel more confident, reducing test anxiety and improving the likelihood of a higher score. There are many options when it comes to ACT test prep from ACT test prep courses, private tutors and books. Here you will find some of the Best Books To Help Your Teen Prepare for the ACT.

6 Of The Best ACT Prep Books To Help Your Teen Succeed

The Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep

This ACT Prep book by The Princeton Review, one of the longest standing leading experts in the industry, is an all-in-one solution to help students reaching their highest possible score with the most practice on the market. It includes 8 full-length practice tests (4 in the book and 4 online) for realistic prep, content reviews for all test sections, techniques for scoring success, and premium online extras.

When it comes to all things standardized test related, The Princeton Review can be relied on to be one of the most trusted sources to help your teen succeed.

ACT Prep Black Book, Second Edition

This is a fantastic book to purchase when you want to know exactly what to expect when going into the ACT. Your student will learn how the ACT is designed in this book and understand the expectations.What does this mean exactly? While the test creators want it to be a challenge, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to crack the code. There are taught methods in this book that help teach the best way to rule out answers while taking the test in the most efficient way possible. I like to think of this as a way to help identify answers by making educated conclusions. (sounds much more fancy than the word “guessing”)

The Ultimate Guide to Math ACT

Is your high schooler ready to buckle down and tackle those pesky hard-to-understand math questions? Even if they aren’t thrilled about the idea, the Ultimate Guide to Math ACT will have them leaving the practice test with a solid understanding of what they aren’t answering correctly.

This book is great if your teen works best when math is broken down into more manageable and understandable sections. (Don’t we all work that way?!)

From one parent to another, prepping for the math section of the ACT can be one of the hardest sections to get ready for. Because of study guides like this book, it really helped my teen know where to put their focus.

The Complete Guide to ACT English

Understanding grammar, spelling, and reading comprehension is vital to excelling at taking the ACT college exams. There is a lot of reading to the test, and the directions and phrasing of questions are important to follow closely.

If your high school student shows the difficulty in these areas, The Complete Guide to ACT English can be a fantastic resource.

Not only does it lay out basic strategies for the ACT, but it also helps break down how the questions on the test work and ways to go about answering them more efficiently.

The Official ACT Prep Guide 2022-2023

The Official ACT® Prep Guide 2022–2023 book includes six authentic ACT tests—all of which contain the optional writing test—so your teen gets maximum practice before their official test date.These tests are also available online and in a mobile app alongside a seventh bonus test via the PIN code inside.

This guide provides clear explanations for every answer straight from the makers of the ACT to help you improve your teen’s understanding of each subject. The student will also get practical tips and strategies for boosting their score on the English, math, reading, science, and (optional) writing tests, 400+ online flashcards, a customizable online test bank and expert advice on how to mentally and physically prepare for the test

Barron’s ACT 36- Aiming For the Perfect Score

Does your student have their sights set on an Ivy League school that requires higher test scores? Don’t worry. There are ACT prep books made for this type of test-taker specifically. Not only does this test prep book offer tips and tricks on how to boost their score, but they also provide more complex questions that your teen might run across while taking the ACT exam.

It’s also important to remind your teen that perfection isn’t the only goal for doing their best. This is something that I’ve talked about with my teen for a few years now, with the understanding that the only real path to success is always trying to do their best.

Having these conversations is a great way to show them that they can relax during the test-taking process and trust their gut that they know the answers without adding in fear of missing a question or problem.

ACT books are one of the less expensive options for helping your teen prepare for the ACT. It’s not uncommon for students to take the ACT multiple times working towards an optimal score. So, if after a first try, your student is still considerably off their target score, you can consider other options likes an ACT Course or Tutor.