ACT, or American College Testing, is a comprehensive, standardized examination conducted for college admission in the United States.
Good ACT scores will definitely help to boost the chances of getting into one of the top colleges, so most students often turn to study guides and books to help them prepare for ACT.
There are dozens of ACT preparation books available in the market, but if you are in search of holistic and best ACT exam preparation material, then you have landed in the right place.
In this article, I have compiled the 9 best ACT preparation books that will definitely provide the best bang for your buck.
Top 9 ACT Prep Books: In A Nutshell (2024)
| Sr. No. | Name Of Book | Price |
| 1. | The Official ACT Preparation Guide | $29.60 |
| 2. | Kaplan ACT Prep Plus | $28.99 |
| 3. | ACT Study Guide Premium by Barron | $32.99 |
| 4. | The Princeton Review’s “ACT Premium Prep” | $26.99 |
| 5. | ACT Prep Black Book | $26.99 |
| 6. | Lb. Book of ACT Practice Problems | $18.01 |
| 7. | McGraw Hill Education 10 ACT Practice Tests | $20.00 |
| 8. | Ultimate Guide to the Maths ACT | $24.95 |
| 9. | The Complete Guide to ACT English | $30.78 |
If you are looking for an exclusive collection of books to help you prepare for your ACT examinations, then below are some of the options to help you out.
1. The Official ACT Preparation Guide
The Official ACT Preparation Guide is a comprehensive bestselling book covering a wide range of topics and is often referred to as the “Red Book.”
The Guide walks you through the complete experience of testing and also provides effective test strategies, providing six full-length practice exams that are available online and offline.
You can access the book online on Kindle for $32.
Author: The book is created by the makers of ACT.
Key Learnings.
- Six full-length tests that cover around 12 hours of practice and provide answers to all the questions.
- Access to the Wiley Efficient learning platform.
- Offers more than 400 digital flashcards.
- Short and easy online assessments and lessons.
- It provides several strategies for testing.
- Offers additional 400 questions for practice.
2. Kaplan ACT Prep Plus
Kaplan’s ACT Prep Plus is a comprehensive guide and is one of the longest ACT preparation books with good and easy explanations to help you brush up on your fundamental concepts.
The Book offers practice questions with detailed explanations of the answers, exam content review, full-length practice tests, strategies to help you raise your ACT score, etc. The online material is led by the instructor and expert tutors of Kaplan.
You can purchase the Book offline for $28.99 or can access it online on Kindle for $16.99.
Author: The Guide is offered by Kaplan Test Prep.
Key Learnings.
- It offers up-to-date information and current information.
- Covers five full-length tests with complete explanations of the answers.
- It provides a one-year membership\ to the online centre of Kaplan; along with that, it also offers videos and additional quizzes.
- Efficient strategies and expert guidance are also offered.
- Provides a Smartpoint system to determine the popular topics and question types.
3. ACT Study Guide Premium By Barron
ACT Study Guide Premium by Barron boasts customizable study plans along with advice on test-taking strategies.
The Guide will provide you with a clear and concise explanation of all the important concepts and allow you to tailor your preparation to your areas of improvement and skill levels.
It starts with an introduction to the ACT, along with the diagnostic tests to determine your initial level. It covers the explanations of all the sections with tactics, skills, practice questions, etc.
Author: Brian W. Stewart
Key Learnings
- The Guide covers seven full-length tests similar to the actual ACT tests.
- It provides one online test and six practice tests.
- Detailed analysis and explanation of all the questions and answers.
- Hard, medium, and easy passages for practice.
- Tips and strategies for all the test sections, i.e., English, Mathematics, Science, Reading, and optional writing.
4. The Princeton Review’s “ACT Premium Prep”
The Princeton Review’s “ACT Premium Prep” is one of the extensive traditional test preparation books that provides you with a comprehensive range of strategies, content, and practice tests.
It helps you to brush up your skills on basic grammatical rules and mathematical concepts and is best for students in grades 10th to 12th.
The book is available on Kindle at $12.99 and is the perfect one to opt for as it offers strategies and proven techniques to help you score high.
Author: The book is offered by The Princeton Review.
Key Learnings.
- Provides eight full-length tests for practice, i.e., four online and four in the book.
- It offers instant score reports for online tests.
- The online student tools provide access to video tutorials together with the expert’s advice.
- Complete review of the content.
- It allows you to customize multi-week study plans.
5. ACT Prep Black Book
The ACT Prep Black book offers step-by-step instructions for all the practice questions and provides the most effective ACT strategies.
It helps you to address your weak points or the timing issues in your test strategies. The ACT Prep Black Book can be used with The Official Guide as it forms a great companion.
The fully up-to-date ACT Prep Black Book provides exceptional and unique techniques and covers detailed explanations of the answers, and can be accessed on Kindle at $17.99.
Author: Mike Barrett and Patrick Barrett.
Key Learnings.
- The book offers individualized strategies to help students with test preparation.
- It provides a great overview of all the contents.
- Offers explanation and advice on all the sections of the exam.
- Provides general tips for the examination.
6. Lb. Book of ACT Practice Problems
The Lb. Book ACT Practice Problems is packed with around 1,800 practice problems covering all the sections included in the exam.
This guide is created by expert instructors and helps you build fundamental skills. It also covers the diagnostic test that helps you to determine your strengths and weaknesses.
You will also gain access to online content comprising vocabulary help and additional practice questions. Although the book was published in 2015, today, it is still the go-to source for many students.
The book covers 50% easy questions and 50% complicated questions and is the best option for the students of 11th and 12th grades.
Author: The book is offered by Manhattan Prep.
Key Learnings
- Provides in-depth guidance and description of the answers.
- Allows access to additional practice questions and online resources.
- Offers complete coverage of all types of ACT questions.
- It provides topical result analysis.
7. McGraw Hill Education 10 ACT Practice Tests
McGraw Hill Education 10 ACT Practice Test book comprises ten exclusive practice tests together with the online practice exams and scoring worksheets to help you calculate the total score of all the tests.
It provides a detailed, in-depth explanation of the test structure and provides tips regarding the evaluation of questions and enhancement of efficiency.
Written by renowned experts, the book is updated so as to match the current test requirements.
Author: Steven Dulan
Key Learnings
- Updated content as per the new test requirements.
- Offers 10 sample ACT tests with a comprehensive explanation of all the answers.
- You will also learn how to sharpen your skills, reduce stress and boost your confidence.
- An in-depth explanation of the answers.
8. Ultimate Guide To The Maths ACT
Written by the expert, The Ultimate Guide to the Maths ACT is one of the perfect options if you are looking for an exclusive book to help you with the basics of mathematics.
This in-depth guide covers around 38 well-crafted lessons and more than 550 homework problems.
The book provides a comprehensive review of early maths, such as averages and percentages, along with topics from Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, statistics, and pre-calculus. You can access the book online on Kindle for $ 4.95.
Author: Richard F. Corn.
Key Learnings.
- It offers customizable training to both advanced-level learners and beginners.
- Provides calculator tips.
- Offers practice tests along with test-taking techniques.
- Provides you with tips and advice on how to pace your mathematical skills.
9. The Complete Guide To ACT English
If you are looking for a book to ace your English and Grammatical skills, then “The Complete Guide to ACT English” is a great option.
The guide covers a comprehensive review of all the Grammatical as well as rhetoric topics that are tested on ACT.
All the practice questions are grouped together so that it provides a better understanding of all the rules. The updated version of the book offers 350 additional explanations.
Author: Erica Lynn Meltzer.
Key Learnings.
- The book provides you with a step-by-step explanation of the important grammatical rules.
- You will gain insight into the most common testing errors as well as the important strategies required to ace the English section of the ACT.
- The book comprises thorough writing along with a breakdown of all concepts.
ACT Study Preparation Tips
In order to ace your ACT examination, below are a few tips and tricks that you can check out.
- Determine the baseline score.
Before planning your study schedule, it is beneficial to determine the baseline score so that it will help you to determine your areas of strengths and weaknesses.
You can do it simply by taking the practice tests for ACT, and with the score report, you can decide which section requires improvement.
- Set objectives and goals.
Once you have determined the baseline score, you can set the objectives and the target score you want to achieve so that you can start working in that direction.
- Make a study schedule.
Prepare an appropriate study schedule such that you dedicate more time to the areas of improvement. The plan should be effective, and make sure that you stick to the same schedule.
- Practice efficiently.
You can take up practice tests so as to determine the format of the test and brush up on your skills for the different test sections. Determining the weak areas and conducting practice tests to improve them will definitely help you to increase your ACT score.
In order to improve time management skills, you can set a timer before conducting the test and can complete it within the allotted time.
- Explore different study materials.
A wide range of study materials is available to help you prepare for the ACT examination. Make sure that the study material you use is completely accurate and reliable.
You can look for different ACT preparation books and online resources, such as the video content available on several websites.
- Brush up on your Mathematical and Grammatical skills.
As ACT is divided into four different sections (English, Mathematics, Science, and Reading) along with an optional section (Writing), it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the terms and formulas included in the sections.
Hone your basic mathematical and Grammatical skills and get the basic concepts cleared with the help of different study materials available.
Related Read:
Which Is Best ACT Prep Books?
In order to make sure you have prepared effectively for your ACT examination, explore all the ACT preparation materials.
As the old saying goes, “Practice Makes Man Perfect,” Get enough practice required to reach your desired target.
All the above-provided books are the exclusive ones, but coming to the top three options, then the official ACT Preparation Guide, Kaplan ACT Prep Plus, and ACT Study Guide Premium by Barron are the best ones to go for.
So which books are you opting for? Let us know in the comments section below.
FAQs
You can buy the ACT preparation books from local bookstores, or you can purchase them online from Amazon. While purchasing them, make sure to look for the latest edition of the books.
In order to purchase ACT preparation books, here are a few criteria that should be taken into consideration.
The quality of the review content is the crucial part.
The book should comprise practice tests and questions.
Along with the questions, the books should also provide a detailed explanation of the answers.
It should provide tips and test-taking strategies.
The most important part is the cost of the book. If you have enough budget, then you can opt for the book with more practice questions. As more test practice questions a book has, the more is the price of the book.
The ACT preparation books are really worth purchasing as a good preparation book will help you clear your basics, will provide practice test questions, and offers strategies that will definitely help you to enhance your ACT scores.
