ACT Complete Prep System

How the enhanced ACT works, what your score means, and where to begin.

Watch these three lessons first, then take the one-hour diagnostic. Its results tell you which section to open next.

1. M0-1How the enhanced ACT works

   Knowing exactly what the test looks like, section by section, lets you plan your time and practice before test day instead of discovering the format in the room. Every minute you spend confused about the format is a minute not spent answering questions.

   5m1 video

   • How the enhanced ACT works5m

2. M0-2Scores and setting your target

   A clear target tells you how many more points you need and which section is the cheapest place to find them. Without one, you study everything equally and waste time where it pays least.

   5m1 video

   • Scores and setting your target5m

3. M0-3Taking the diagnostic and reading your plan

   Studying without a starting score is like driving without knowing where you are on the map. The diagnostic takes one hour and tells you where your points are hiding, so every hour after it goes where it pays most.

   5m1 video

   • Taking the diagnostic and reading your plan5m

Punctuation and grammar first, then the word choice, tone, transition, placement and purpose questions.

Lessons 1 to 9 cover punctuation and grammar. Lessons 10 to 14 cover the rhetoric questions: word choice, tone, transitions, sentence placement, and add, delete and purpose.

1. E-01Sentence boundaries

   On the English test you will see a comma, semicolon or period underlined between two groups of words. If you cannot tell whether each group is a complete sentence, you will pick a comma splice or a fragment and give away a point you could have banked in ten seconds.

   7m1 video

   • Sentence boundaries7m

2. E-02Commas

   Commas show up all over the English test, and many wrong answers add a comma that does not belong. If you know the few jobs a comma does, you can cut extra commas with confidence and pick up points fast.

   7m1 video

   • Commas7m

3. E-03Colons, dashes and other punctuation

   When the options swap a comma for a semicolon, a colon or a dash, the test is checking whether you know what each mark needs on its left and right. Each mark has one short rule, and knowing it turns these into quick points.

   7m1 video

   • Colons, dashes and other punctuation7m

4. E-04Apostrophes and possessives

   Apostrophe questions give you four versions of the same word, such as city, cities, city's and cities', and ask you to pick one. Two quick questions, "how many?" and "does it own something?", answer almost all of them.

   8m1 video

   • Apostrophes and possessives8m

5. E-05Subject-verb agreement

   The ACT likes to put a plural noun right next to a verb whose real subject is singular, or the reverse. If you match the verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject, you will pick the wrong answer, even though it sounds fine.

   6m1 video

   • Subject-verb agreement6m

6. E-06Pronouns

   Pronoun questions look like tiny word swaps (its or it's, their or they're, it or them), and they are some of the fastest points on the English section once you know the two checks. Students lose them by reading for sound instead of asking what the pronoun points to.

   8m1 video

   • Pronouns8m

7. E-07Verb tense and form

   Verb questions give you four versions of the same verb (lifts, lifted, had lifted, lifting) and ask which one fits. The clue sits in the sentences around the underline, so the students who lose these points are the ones who read only the underlined words.

   7m1 video

   • Verb tense and form7m

8. E-08Modifiers and parallel structure

   These questions often have four grammatical-sounding options, and only one keeps a list in matching form or puts the right person next to a describing phrase. Once you know the pattern to check, they become quick points instead of guesses.

   7m1 video

   • Modifiers and parallel structure7m

9. E-09Comparisons and idioms

   Comparison and idiom questions test small words: better or best, fewer or less, capable of or capable to. The wrong choices usually sound close enough that you will miss them unless you know the rule behind each pairing.

   7m1 video

   • Comparisons and idioms7m

10. E-10Word choice and concision

    Many English questions have no grammar error at all. Several options are correct sentences, and the ACT wants the one that says the idea once, precisely, in the fewest words. If you pick the option that sounds most impressive, you will often lose these points.

    7m1 video

    • Word choice and concision7m

11. E-11Tone and style

    Tone questions ask which choice "most effectively maintains the essay's tone." Every option means roughly the same thing, so grammar will not help you: the only way to win is to hear the writer's voice and pick the words that sound like it.

    7m1 video

    • Tone and style7m

12. E-12Transitions

    Transition questions underline a word like "However" or "Therefore" and ask which one is "most logical in context." The wrong choices are all real transitions that sound fine, so the only way to get the point is to name how the two sentences connect before you look at the options.

    8m1 video

    • Transitions8m

13. E-13Sentence order and placement

    Placement questions number the sentences in a paragraph and ask where one sentence belongs, or which order of sentences is most logical. They look slow and confusing, but each one is solved by a single clue word, and finding it turns a guess into a sure point.

    8m1 video

    • Sentence order and placement8m

14. E-14Add, delete and purpose questions

    These questions ask whether the writer should add or delete a sentence, what a sentence contributes, or whether the essay meets a stated purpose. Each answer comes with a reason, and most wrong choices have the right yes or no with the wrong reason, so you have to judge both halves.

    8m1 video

    • Add, delete and purpose questions8m

Calculator strategy, then number, algebra, functions, geometry, trigonometry, statistics and probability.

Start with M-01 on calculator strategy. After that, open the lessons your diagnostic points to, or work through them in order.

1. M-01Calculator strategy

   A calculator is allowed on all of Math, but it only saves time when you know what to type before you pick it up. With 45 questions in 50 minutes, a minute lost to a wrong keystroke or an unneeded calculation is a minute you do not get back.

   7m1 video

   • Calculator strategy7m

2. M-02Percents, ratios and rates

   Percent change, recipe and map scales, and rates show up in word problems, tables and graphs all through the Math section. The math is short, but the wrong answers are built from the exact slips students make, so one misread base costs the point.

   7m1 video

   • Percents, ratios and rates7m

3. M-03Unit conversion

   Unit conversion questions give you a measurement in one unit and ask for it in another: pounds to ounces, miles per hour to feet per second, square feet to square yards. The wrong options are what you get by multiplying when you should divide, so a clear method is worth more than speed.

   7m1 video

   • Unit conversion7m

4. M-04Exponents and radicals

   Exponent questions look like quick simplifications, but each wrong answer choice is built from a rule used wrong: adding exponents that should be multiplied, or keeping a solution that does not check. Know the handful of rules cold and these become fast points.

   7m1 video

   • Exponents and radicals7m

5. M-05Complex numbers

   Complex number questions ask you to add, multiply or divide expressions like 3 + 2i, or to simplify a power of i. There is one fact to remember, i² = -1, and nearly every wrong option comes from forgetting it at the last step.

   7m1 video

   • Complex numbers7m

6. M-06Matrices and vectors

   Matrix and vector questions often come down to one move: combine them entry by entry, then match entries to solve for an unknown. These look advanced, but most of them are one or two short equations in disguise.

   7m1 video

   • Matrices and vectors7m

7. M-07Linear equations and inequalities

   On linear equations and inequalities, most wrong answers come from one skipped step: an inequality sign that was not flipped, or a term moved the wrong way. Get the moves automatic and these become quick points.

   7m1 video

   • Linear equations and inequalities7m

8. M-08Systems of equations

   A system gives you two equations and two unknowns, and the question asks for one value, or a combination like x + y or xy. Picking the faster method and answering the exact question are what save time and points.

   7m1 video

   • Systems of equations7m

9. M-09Quadratics

   This lesson covers two kinds of quadratic question: solving an equation by factoring and reading a parabola in vertex form. A common wrong answer comes from setting factors equal to zero when the equation does not equal zero.

   7m1 video

   • Quadratics7m

10. M-10Polynomials and rational expressions

    These questions look heavy, with long polynomials and stacked fractions, but each rests on one short idea: a remainder is just a function value, and a fraction is undefined where its denominator is 0. If you know those two ideas, you never do long division on the test.

    7m1 video

    • Polynomials and rational expressions7m

11. M-11Exponential and logarithmic equations

    On the ACT, logs show up as a growth model you must solve for time, or as an equation like log₂(x) = 5 that looks harder than it is. Almost every one of these questions falls to a single move: rewrite the log as an exponent, or the exponent as a log.

    7m1 video

    • Exponential and logarithmic equations7m

12. M-12Function notation and composition

    The ACT writes functions as f(x), g(f(x)) and f⁻¹(x), and it builds wrong answers from reading that notation in the wrong order. Once you read it as instructions, these become some of the most reliable points on the Math test.

    7m1 video

    • Function notation and composition7m

13. M-13Graphs and transformations

    Many ACT math questions hand you a graph and ask for one value, a peak, or a rate of change. Others give you f(x - 2) + 3 and ask where the graph moved. Both reward careful reading more than heavy algebra.

    7m1 video

    • Graphs and transformations7m

14. M-14Modelling with functions

    The ACT describes a situation in words, such as savings that grow by a percent or data that roughly follow a line, and asks you to predict a value. The math is short once you decide which kind of model the words describe.

    8m1 video

    • Modelling with functions8m

15. M-15Sequences

    Sequence questions give you a few terms or a rule and ask for a later term, an earlier term, or a missing one. The wrong answers are often one step off, so the skill is counting steps correctly.

    7m1 video

    • Sequences7m

16. M-16Angles, lines and triangles

    Angle and triangle questions often come with a figure and one missing measure. They are fast points if you know three facts cold, and easy points to lose if you guess from how the picture looks.

    7m1 video

    • Angles, lines and triangles7m

17. M-17Right-triangle trigonometry

    Many trig questions are right triangles in disguise: a ramp, a map, a ladder. If you can name the opposite side, the adjacent side and the hypotenuse from one angle, you can answer nearly all of them in under a minute.

    7m1 video

    • Right-triangle trigonometry7m

18. M-18Circles

    Circle questions come in two kinds: a slice of a circle (arc length or sector area) and a circle's equation on the coordinate plane. Each kind has one method that works every time, and the wrong answers are built from the usual slips.

    7m1 video

    • Circles7m

19. M-19Area and volume

    Area, perimeter and volume questions are some of the most direct points on the Math section: a figure, some measurements and a formula. Points are lost to mixing up formulas, using a diameter as a radius, or counting a face twice.

    7m1 video

    • Area and volume7m

20. M-20Coordinate geometry

    Slope, midpoint and distance questions give you two points and ask for one number or one point. They reward setting up the subtraction carefully, since every wrong option comes from a sign slip or a skipped step.

    7m1 video

    • Coordinate geometry7m

21. M-21Center and spread

    Averages show up on the ACT as a missing number, a combined group, or a dot plot you have to read. Each one is quick points if you work with totals instead of averages, and a trap if you try to average the averages.

    6m1 video

    • Center and spread6m

22. M-22Data displays

    The ACT hands you a box plot, dot plot, histogram or two-way table and asks one precise question about it. The math is easy; the points are lost by reading the wrong part of the display.

    7m1 video

    • Data displays7m

23. M-23Probability and counting

    Probability questions on the ACT come as two-way tables, "how many ways" counts, and expected values. Each has a short method; the points go to the student who picks the right denominator or the right counting rule.

    7m1 video

    • Probability and counting7m

24. M-24Factors, multiples and primes

    Factor questions often come as short word problems: packages that must come out even, events that repeat on a schedule, items split into identical groups. The work is quick once you know whether the question wants the GCF or the LCM.

    7m1 video

    • Factors, multiples and primes7m

A plan for reading a passage fast, then each question type from main idea to passages with a figure.

Start with R-01. Every later Reading lesson builds on its reading plan.

1. R-01How to read an ACT passage fast

   Reading gives you 36 questions in 40 minutes, about 67 seconds per question, and that time has to cover the passage too. Students who read every line slowly run out of time; students who skim carelessly miss details the questions ask about. The fix is a plan for reading.

   8m1 video

   • How to read an ACT passage fast8m

2. R-02Main idea and purpose

   Main idea and purpose questions ask what the whole passage is about or why the author wrote it. The wrong options are built to be tempting: each one is true of some part of the passage, or goes one step too far.

   7m1 video

   • Main idea and purpose7m

3. R-03Details and evidence

   "According to the passage" questions have an answer printed in the text, so they are points you can count on if you go back and check. They cost points when students answer from memory or pick an option that reuses the passage's words in the wrong way.

   7m1 video

   • Details and evidence7m

4. R-04Inference

   Inference questions say "it can reasonably be inferred" or "the passage most strongly suggests". They feel like guesswork, so students either pick the most interesting option or the one that goes furthest. The right answer is the one the text almost says outright.

   7m1 video

   • Inference7m

5. R-05Words in context

   "As it is used in the passage, the word ___ most nearly means" questions test meaning in one sentence, not the dictionary. The trap option is often the word's most common meaning, which is exactly the one the passage is not using.

   7m1 video

   • Words in context7m

6. R-06Function and structure

   Some Reading questions ask what a sentence or paragraph is doing, not what it says: "the main function of the fourth paragraph is to." These cost points because students pick an option that describes the content accurately but names the wrong job.

   8m1 video

   • Function and structure8m

7. R-07Point of view

   A point of view question starts "The point of view from which the passage is told is best described as that of a." Each option packs three or four claims into one line, and one wrong word makes the whole option wrong.

   7m1 video

   • Point of view7m

8. R-08Paired passages

   When a Reading set gives you two shorter passages, Passage A and Passage B, some questions ask about one passage and some ask about both. Students lose points by answering a Passage B question with a line from Passage A, or by missing that a "both passages" option has to be true twice.

   7m1 video

   • Paired passages7m

9. R-09Passages with a figure

   Some Reading passages come with a table, a graph or a diagram. Questions about the figure are some of the fastest points in the section, but only if you read the labels, find the right row or line, and describe the trend in the exact words the options use.

   7m1 video

   • Passages with a figure7m

Answering from the figures, reading tables and graphs, experiments, conflicting viewpoints and timing.

Science is optional on the enhanced ACT. S-10 helps you decide whether to take it; check the requirements of the colleges you apply to.

1. S-01Answer from the figures, not the text

   Many Science questions begin with "According to Figure 1" or "Based on Table 1", and the answer is sitting in that figure. Students lose these easy points by reading the whole passage first, or by answering from what they think should happen instead of what the data show.

   6m1 video

   • Answer from the figures, not the text6m

2. S-02Reading tables and graphs

   Science passages are built around tables and graphs, and many questions are a single lookup from one of them. These are the fastest points on the section, and they are lost to misread rows, wrong curves and skipped units.

   6m1 video

   • Reading tables and graphs6m

3. S-03Trends, interpolation and extrapolation

   Some Science questions ask how one variable changed as another increased, with four options like "increased only" and "increased, then decreased". Close behind are questions about a value between the tested ones or beyond them. All three have a fixed method, and guessing from the first two points is how they are missed.

   7m1 video

   • Trends, interpolation and extrapolation7m

4. S-04Experimental design

   Some Science questions ask why researchers did something: why they kept a bottle in the dark, why they added a control, what they changed between trials. You answer these with the same three questions every time, and you do not need to understand the science topic to do it.

   6m1 video

   • Experimental design6m

5. S-05Research summaries

   A research summaries passage describes two or three studies or experiments, each with its own table or figure. Questions ask you to read one study's data, explain a step in the method, or connect a result from one study to a result from another. Knowing where each kind of answer lives saves both time and points.

   7m1 video

   • Research summaries7m

6. S-06Conflicting viewpoints

   Some Science passages give you two or more scientists, students or models who explain the same result in different ways. The questions ask who said what, who assumed what, and which data fit whom, and most points are lost by mixing up the speakers.

   6m1 video

   • Conflicting viewpoints6m

7. S-07The math inside Science

   Many Science questions hide a small calculation: a difference, a ratio, an average or a value between two rows. The math is easy, but the question words decide which operation you need, and reading them wrong costs points.

   7m1 video

   • The math inside Science7m

8. S-08Reasoning with hypotheses and models

   Science questions often hand you a hypothesis and ask if the data support it, or ask which viewpoint depends on a hidden assumption. These questions look hard because they are long, but they follow a small set of moves you can practice.

   7m1 video

   • Reasoning with hypotheses and models7m

9. S-09Timing a Science section

   Science gives you 40 questions in 40 minutes, so you have about one minute per question, passage reading included. Students who read every passage slowly run out of time on questions they could have answered in seconds.

   6m1 video

   • Timing a Science section6m

10. S-10Should you take Science?

    On the enhanced ACT, Science is optional: 40 questions in 40 minutes, with its own score. Deciding whether to take it is a real choice, and the right answer depends on where you are applying and what you plan to study.

    7m1 video

    • Should you take Science?7m

Pacing and guessing across every section, and a plan for the final week.

Watch these two lessons in the last week before your test.

1. T-1Pacing and guessing across all sections

   Most students lose points not on questions they cannot do but on questions they never reach. A pacing plan and a guessing rule turn those lost points into answered questions.

   5m1 video

   • Pacing and guessing across all sections5m

2. T-2The final week

   The last seven days will not teach you a new section of the test, but they can protect the points you have already earned. The goal this week is to arrive sharp, rested and sure of your plan.

   4m1 video

   • The final week4m