Studying for the ACT doesn’t have to include sitting in a library and flipping through piles of prep books. You can find lots of ACT study resources online! From official practice tests to short, targeted quizzes that make it easy to hone specific skills, you can study for the ACT whenever you have an internet connection.
However, if you find an ACT practice test online, it isn't guaranteed that it's a great resource. Some online ACT practice tests very different than the actual ACT, and using them won’t help you raise your score. Fortunately, in this guide, we’ve found all the best official and unofficial online ACT practice resources for you to use. We also end with tips to help you get the most out of these resources.
There are many online ACT practice tests out there, and, if you choose good resources and use them wisely, they can be a great study resource.
What are the main benefits of ACT practice online?
However, online ACT practice tests aren’t always a perfect study tool. Here are some of their most important drawbacks:
So, how can you be sure you’re using the best online ACT practice tests that will actually help you raise your score? We’ve compiled a list of the best online ACT resources in this guide, and at the end we explain how to get the most out of them. For now, here’s a list of the key factors the best online ACT practice tests have.
Official practice ACTs are the absolute best resource to use when studying for the exam since you can rest assured they’ll have each of the qualities we discussed above. There is currently one full-length official ACT available for free online, in two different formats.
One format is a printable practice ACT that you can download, print, and take with pencil and paper. Since you'll be taking the actual ACT with pencil and paper, we recommend taking this version of the practice exam to get the most realistic testing experience.
There is also a computer-based version of the same ACT practice test that you can access through your MyACT account. Once you receive your scores for a question set, you'll move on to the next batch of questions. Unfortunately, these features make it impossible to take this ACT test under realistic timing conditions, but at least you can get some helpful practice with it.
This official practice test should be your #1 resource to use when you need to take a full-length practice test. See the final section of this guide for tips on how to best use the test.
The ACT also publishes official practice questions (separate from the official practice tests) on its website. These questions are great for working on strategy and content prep when you’re trying to boost your skills.
In addition to the above, Kaplan, a test prep company that has partnered with the ACT to provide free official prep materials including a half-length practice test, a short pop quiz, and an ACT question of the day.
In general, you need to be much warier when using unofficial practice materials since they can vary widely in quality. Some are a great additional resource to official ACT practice tests online while others bear very little resemblance to the ACT and could cause you to study the wrong topics and types of questions.
Fortunately, we’ve compiled the best unofficial online ACT practice tests for you below. You should still use official materials as your main ACT study resources, but these unofficial sites can be helpful if you run out of official practice questions or want to have a shorter practice session.
Ivy Global has both a complete practice ACT and additional sample questions. The sample questions are organized by category, and both they and the complete practice test include answer explanations. There are also guides to help prepare you for the Science and Reading sections of the ACT. This is a good unofficial source to use since its questions are high-quality and similar to real ACT questions.
Sophia.org offers two to three practice tests each for ACT Math, Science, English, Reading, and Writing. Each practice test has about 60 questions and comes with an answer key and scoring guide. You’ll need to set up a free account in order to access the tests, and you need to opt in to making your profile private.
The quality of these practice questions is not quite as good as Ivy Global in terms of how similar they are to actual ACT questions, but it can still be a helpful resource. The website also includes tips on how to get the most out of their practice tests, like taking the tests timed and how to set up a study plan (we go over this info as well in the next section).
If you register with Kaplan, you can sign up for a free ACT practice test. They have them scheduled in advance, so this will only work if one of their ACT test times fits within your schedule. Taking the test timed will help you get used to taking a complete ACT all at once though. Kaplan’s practice tests are known for being somewhat easier than the actual ACT, but this is still a solid practice test, especially if you’re just starting your studying.
Like Kaplan, Princeton Review also offers a free practice ACT if you register with them. These tests are also offered only at set times. Again like Kaplan, Princeton Review practice tests are known for often being easier than the real ACT.
Our blog also has a ton of great resources to help you with your ACT studying. Our guides cover everything you need to know about preparing for the ACT, from creating a study plan, setting a score goal, tackling different topics you’ll be tested on, choosing the best ACT test date, and more. Use these early on in your studying to make sure you’re studying the right topics and creating a solid ACT study plan.
Some of our most popular guides include:
In order to get the most out of your ACT practice tests online, follow these three guidelines.
Whenever you take a full-length practice online ACT (especially official ones), you should try to take it in one sitting with accurate timing and realistic testing conditions. This means you’ll need to block out about four hours of time, so you’ll probably need to plan ahead for that.
As mentioned above, some of the unofficial online practice ACTs, like those from Kaplan and Princeton Review, must be taken at a certain time and all at once. Taking practice ACTs under realistic testing conditions means your practice scores will be more accurate. This means you’ll have a better idea of how well you’re scoring on the ACT, how much you’ve improved, and which areas you still need to work on.
After every practice test or quiz for the ACT you take, you should go through each of the answers you got wrong or guessed on and review them until you understand how to get the correct answer. This can be time consuming, but taking practice ACTs will only help you raise your score if you learn from your mistakes, so be sure to do this! If you’re feeling burned out, take a break between finishing a practice ACT and reviewing your answers, but make sure to complete both steps.
There are many resources listed in this guide, from official practice ACTs to short quizzes with just a few questions on a specific topic. Be sure to alternate among the different ACT materials and use the resource that works best for each individual study session.
For example, if you’re short on time or not on your A-game for studying that day, take a quiz or shorter practice test. You should reserve full-length practice ACTs (especially the official ones) for when you can set aside a few hours at a time and really concentrate. Switching between different resources can also keep your studying from becoming routine and monotonous and help you stay motivated.
Online ACT resources can be convenient and helpful ways to study for the test, but finding a high-quality ACT practice test online can also be challenging because there are many sub-par resources out there.
Your #1 ACT online practice test source should always be official, full-length ACTs. These have the highest-quality practice questions of any online resource, so you should be sure to use them. There are also good unofficial ACT online practice tests, but you should be careful about which ones you use to make sure you’re using your study time wisely.
When you’re doing your ACT practice online, follow these three tips to get the most out of the materials:
What score should you be aiming for on the ACT? Learn what a good ACT score is and how to set a goal score.
Want to know more about the ACT Syllabus? Our guide explains exactly which subjects the ACT covers so you can be completely prepared for the test!
Khan Academy can also be a great study resource for the ACT, but only if you know how to use it correctly. Read our guide to learn exactly how you can use Khan Academy to ace the ACT.
