Book Preface

Practice Makes Perfect

Don’t be scared of the ACT. Why? Because we know what’s on the exam, and we know exactly how you should prepare for it. Kaplan has been teaching kids how to succeed on standardized tests for more than 75 years—longer than anyone else, period.

This book contains 8 practice exams that mirror the ACT you will face on Test Day—more ACT practice than can be found between the covers of any other book. Practice is one of the keys to mastery, and these 8 exams give you plenty of practice to assess your strengths and weaknesses before you take the real thing.

Just as important as taking practice tests is understanding why you got a question right or wrong when you’re done. The detailed answers and explanations that follow each practice test provide you with a thorough explanation of the correct answer as well as strategic advice, so you will start to learn some ways you can approach similar questions on Test Day. In addition, every answer explanation lets you know the difficulty level of each question. If you’re missing a lot of “Low” difficulty questions, you might need to do some extra review. If you are acing many of the “High” difficulty questions, you’re on the right track.

Every practice question and answer explanation in this book is geared toward one thing—getting you more points on the actual ACT. So don’t stress out—Kaplan’s got you covered.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is filled with over 1,700 practice questions to help you master the ACT. Follow these steps to get the most out of these 8 practice tests:

1. Read about the ACT structure in the next section. This way, you’ll know what to expect—not only as you work through the book but, more importantly, on Test Day.
2. Begin your practice! Buying this book has given you an advantage—after you’ve worked your way through the exams, the format and timing of the ACT will be second nature to you. All you will have to concentrate on is improving your skills in the areas that need work.
3. Keep track. Turn to the Score Tracker on page xi, where you can track your score as you take each exam. Keep a record of your scores and watch how much you improve from test to test.
4. Assess your strengths and weaknesses. After you finish each test, carefully read the detailed explanations—pay attention to the questions you got wrong, but don’t forget to read about the ones you got right. It’s important to note your areas of strength as well as weakness. Take your own personal inventory of the skills you’ve mastered and the skills you need to work on.
5. Watch your scores improve! After you’ve made your way halfway through the book, compare your scores on Test 1 and Test 4. You’ve made progress, haven’t you? See if your strengths and weaknesses have changed. Then work your way through the remaining tests, building skills and ACT competency along the way.

After making your way through these steps, we guarantee that you will have the test expertise and improved skills to tackle the ACT with confidence.

ACT TEST DATES

As a general rule, students take the ACT at least once in their junior year, often taking it for the first time in the early spring. The ACT is administered on select Saturdays during the school year. Sunday testing is also available for students who cannot take the Saturday test because of religious observances. Check the official ACT website at actstudent.org/regist/dates.html for the most up-to-date test dates.

ACT REGISTRATION

To register for the ACT by mail, you’ll need to get an ACT Paper Registration Guide from your high school guidance counselor.

You can register online at actstudent.org/regist/. Note: Not all students are eligible to register online, so read the instructions and requirements carefully.

Register early to secure the time you want at the test center of your choice and to avoid late registration fees.

Students with disabilities can go to actstudent.org/regist/disab/ to learn how to apply for accommodations.

In the United States, the fee for the ACT is $62.50 with the writing test, and $46.00 without the writing test. This price includes reports for you, your high school, and up to four colleges and scholarship programs. To get the most up-to-date information on test fees, please check actstudent.org/regist/actfees.html.

You will receive an admission ticket at least a week before the test. The ticket confirms your registration on a specified date, at a specified test center. Make sure to bring this, along with proper identification, to the test center. Some acceptable forms of identification include photo IDs such as a driver’s license, a school identification card, or a valid passport. (Unacceptable forms of identification include a Social Security card, credit card, or birth certificate.)

Your ACT scores will be available online approximately three weeks after the test.

Remember to check act.org for all the latest information on the ACT . Every effort has been made to keep the information in this book as up-to-date as possible, but changes may occur after the book is published.