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ISBN 9780525570103
Ebook ISBN 9780525570202
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Acknowledgments
The completion of this book would not have been possible without the
help and dedication of several individuals. In particular, we would like
to thank Aaron Lindh, High School Content Director for The Princeton
Review.
Special thanks to Amy Minster, Cat Healey, Sara Kuperstein, and
Cynthia Ward for their expert review and contributions to the content
of the book. Thanks also to Aleksei Alferiev, Kevin Baldwin, Emily
Baumbach, Gabby Budzon, Nicole Cosme, Stacey Cowap, Lori
DesRochers, Elizabeth Evangelista, Anne Goldberg-Baldwin, Brad
Kelly, Jomil London, Scott O’Neal, Danielle Perrini, Sara Soriano, Jess
Thomas, and Jimmy Williams for their contributions to this book. Also

thanks to Kris Oglivie, Kathy Carter, and Sarah Litt for their work on
the production of this book.
Special thanks to Adam Robinson, who conceived of and perfected
the Joe Bloggs approach to standardized tests and many other
successful techniques used by The Princeton Review.


Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Get More (Free) Content

Part I: Orientation
1 Introduction to the ACT
2 ACT Strategy
3 Score Goals
4 Taking the ACT

Part II: How to Crack the ACT English Test
5 Introduction to the ACT English Test
6 Complete
7 Consistent, Clear, and Concise
8 Rhetorical Skills

Part III: How to Crack the ACT Mathematics Test
9 Introduction to the ACT Mathematics Test
10 Fundamentals
11 No More Algebra

12 Plane Geometry
13 Word Problems
14 Graphing and Coordinate Geometry
15 Trigonometry
16 Advanced Math


Part IV: How to Crack the ACT Reading Test
17 Introduction to the ACT Reading Test
18 The 6-Step Basic Approach
19 Advanced Reading Skills

Part V: How to Crack the ACT Science Test
20 Introduction to the ACT Science Test
21 Scientific Reasoning Skills
22 The Basic Approach
23 Dual Science Passages

Part VI: How to Crack the ACT Writing Test
24 Writing

Part VII: Drill Answers and Explanations
25 Drill Answers and Explanations

Part VIII: The Princeton Review ACT Practice Exams
26 Practice Exam 1
27 Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations
28 Practice Exam 2
29 Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations
30 Practice Exam 3

31 Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations
32 Practice Exam 4
33 Practice Exam 4: Answers and Explanations


1 Go to PrincetonReview.com/prep and enter the following ISBN
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Review account. (If you already have one, you can just log in.)


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Part I
Orientation
1 Introduction to the ACT
2 ACT Strategy
3 Score Goals
4 Taking the ACT


Chapter 1
Introduction to the ACT
So you’re taking the ACT. What will you need to do first? This chapter
presents an overview of the ACT as a whole and discusses registration
requirements, when to take the test, how to have your scores reported
to colleges (or how not to), and the ways in which colleges use your
scores.


THE ACT
Welcome to ACT Prep, 2021 Edition. The ACT is a standardized test
used for college admissions. But you probably already knew that. In
this book, we’ll tell you all the things you didn’t know about the ACT,
all to show you how to crack the test and get your best score.
The ACT has traditionally been a pencil-and-paper exam but is now
also available on the computer (what ACT calls the “ACT Online Test,”

which still needs to be taken at a test center and not at home). While
the pencil-and-paper test is usually taken on Saturday mornings, some
states offer a special state-administration during the school day. NonSaturday testing is available but only for students who live in remote
areas or who can’t test on Saturdays for religious reasons.

Where Does the ACT Come From?
The ACT is written by a nonprofit organization that used to call itself
American College Testing but now just calls itself ACT. The company
has been producing the ACT since it introduced the test in 1959 as an
alternative to the College Board’s SAT. ACT also writes ACT Aspire
and PreACT, which are tests you may have taken earlier in your
academic career. The organization also provides a broad range of
services to educational agencies and business institutions.

What Does the ACT Test?
The nice people who write the ACT—we’ll refer to them as “ACT” from
now on—describe it as an assessment of college readiness, “a
curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool
that assesses students’ academic readiness for college.”
We at The Princeton Review have always been skeptical when any
standardized test makes broad claims of what it can measure. In our
opinion, a standardized test is just a measure of how well you take that
test. Granted, ACT has spent an extraordinary amount of time
analyzing data and providing the results of their research to various
educational institutions and agencies. In fact, ACT has contributed to


the development of the Common Core Standards Initiative, an
educational reform that aligns diverse state curricula into national
uniform standards.

With all due respect to ACT and the various state and federal agencies
working on the Common Core, we still think the ACT is just a measure
of how well you take the ACT. Many factors other than mastery of the
“curriculum-based” content determine your performance on a
standardized test. That’s why we’ll teach you both the content you
need as well as crucial test-taking strategies.
Focus!
If you were getting ready to take a history test, you’d
study history. If you were preparing for a basketball
game, you’d practice basketball. So if you’re
preparing for the ACT, study the ACT!

What’s on the ACT?
The ACT consists of four multiple-choice, timed tests: English, Math,
Reading, and Science, always given in that order. The ACT Plus
Writing also includes an essay, with the Writing Test given after the
Science Test. (ACT calls them tests, but we may also use the term
“sections” in this book to avoid confusion.) In Parts II–VI, we’ll
thoroughly review the content and strategies you need for each test.

For video instructions to each of the major ACT
sections, watch the Section Overview segments in
your free Student Tools. You can find a video about
the Optional Writing Test on your Premium Portal,
too.

1. English Test (45 minutes—75 questions)


You will be given 5 essays total with some words or phrases

underlined. The essays will be situated on the left side of the page,
while on the right side of the page you will be asked whether each
underlined portion is correct as written or whether one of the three
alternatives listed would be better. The English Test is a test of
grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills.
Throughout each essay, commonly known as a passage, there will also
be questions about overall organization and style or perhaps about
how the writing could be revised or strengthened.
2. Math Test (60 minutes—60 questions)
These are the regular, multiple-choice math questions you’ve been
doing all your life. The easier questions, which test basic math
proficiency, tend to come first, but the folks at ACT can mix in easy,
medium, and difficult problems throughout the Math test. A good
third of the test covers pre-algebra and elementary algebra. Slightly
less than a third covers intermediate algebra and coordinate geometry
(graphing). Regular geometry accounts for less than a quarter of the
questions, and there are typically four questions that cover
trigonometry.
3. Reading Test (35 minutes—40 questions)
In this test, there will be four reading passages of about 800 words
each—the average length of a magazine article but maybe not as
entertaining to read. There is always one prose fiction (or literary
narrative) passage, one social science passage, one humanities
passage, and one natural science passage, and they are always in that
order. One of these passages will consist of a dual passage in which the
total length of the two passages will still be about 800 words. Each
passage will be followed by 10 questions.
4. Science Test (35 minutes—40 questions)
No specific scientific knowledge is necessary to do well on the Science
test. You won’t need to know the chemical makeup of hydrochloric

acid or any formulas. Instead, you will be asked to understand
scientific information presented in graphs, charts, tables, and research


summaries, and you will have to make sense of one disagreement
between two to four scientists.
5. Optional Writing Test (40 minutes)
The ACT Plus Writing contains an “optional” writing test featuring a
single essay. We recommend you take the “ACT Plus Writing” version
of the test because many schools require or recommend it. On test day
you may think that you don’t need it, but you might later decide to
apply to a school that requires a writing score. The last thing you want
is to be forced into taking the whole ACT all over again…this time with
the Writing test. The essay requires that you consider a socially
relevant prompt and three perspectives on that prompt. The essay is
scored by two graders who will each assign four scores of 1–6 that are
then averaged and combined for a total score of 2–12. This score will
NOT factor into your composite score.

How Is the ACT Scored?
Scores for each of the four multiple-choice tests are reported on a scale
of 1 to 36 (36 being the highest score possible). The four scores are
averaged to yield your composite score, which is the score colleges and
universities use to help determine admission. An average ending in .5
or .75 is rounded up, whereas an average ending in .25 is rounded
down. Next to each score is a percentile ranking. Percentile ranking
refers to how you performed on the test relative to other people who
took it at the same time. For instance, a percentile ranking of 87
indicates that you scored higher than 87 percent of the people who
took the test, and the other 13 percent scored equal to or higher than

you.
Some of the scores have subcategories. For instance, English is broken
down into Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills. In these
subcategories, scores are reported on a scale of 1 to 18 (18 being the
highest score possible). They are also reported as percentiles.
ACT will also give two cross-test scores called “STEM” (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and “ELA” (English,


Language Arts). Your STEM score is simply an average of your Math
and Science scores. Your ELA score is taken from your English,
Reading, and Writing scores. (If you don’t take the Writing test, you
won’t receive an ELA score.) Neither score has any influence on your
composite, nor, frankly, as far as we can tell, on your college
admission.
On your score report, ACT also indicates if you met their “College
Readiness Benchmark Scores”: 18 in English, 22 in Math, 22 in
Reading, and 23 in Science. ACT maintains that these benchmarks can
predict college “success,” defined as a “50 percent or higher
probability of earning a B or higher in the corresponding college
course or courses.” These scores and their meaning have been
determined by ACT’s own research and data, not by any studies done
by colleges and universities themselves.

When Should You Take the ACT?
If you haven’t already, go to ACTStudent.org and create your free
ACT Web Account. You can register for tests, view your scores, and
request score reports for colleges through this account. You can also
view the specific test dates and centers for the upcoming academic
year.

The ACT is given seven times a year: September, October, December,
February, April, June, and July. The February and July
administrations are not available in New York.
Many states also offer an additional ACT as part of their state testing.
Check with your high school to see if and when your state offers a
special ACT. Your school will register you automatically for a state
ACT. You must register yourself for all other administrations.
Traditionally, most students wait until the spring of their junior year
to take the ACT. Many high schools still recommend the spring of the
junior year because the content of the Math test includes topics some
curricula do not cover before then. However, these topics appear in


only a handful of questions, and many juniors take their first ACT in
the fall or winter.
We recommend that you consider your own schedule when picking
your test dates. Do you play a fall sport and carry a heavier load of
extracurricular activities in the fall? Is winter a quiet time in between
semesters? Do you act in the spring musical and plan to take several
AP exams? Have you been dreaming of attending Big State University
since you were a toddler and already plan to apply for early decision?
Let the answers to these questions determine your test dates. But we
recommend taking your first test after you’ve done some prep and feel
comfortable that you’ve learned enough in school to achieve your goal
score. For most students, this is sometime in junior year (grade 11).

How Many Times Should You Take the ACT?
For security reasons, ACT will not let you take the exam more than 12
times in your lifetime. But we certainly hope no one is dismayed by
this restriction. There are certainly better things to do with your time

on a Saturday morning, and we don’t believe any college will accept
“taking the ACT” as an extracurricular activity!
The Princeton Review recommends that you plan to take the ACT two
to three times. If you achieve your goal score in your first
administration, great. Take the money and run. On the other hand, if
after three tests you have reason and motivation to take the ACT again,
do it. On your first day of college, you will neither remember nor care
how many times you had to take the ACT.
In fact, at many colleges, the median number of times admitted
students took the ACT (or SAT) is 3. In other words, it’s perfectly fine
(and normal!) to retake the ACT.


Looking for more help on the ACT? Check out
princetonreview.com for information on self-paced
courses, live courses, and tutoring!

Does ACT “Super Score”?
Starting in September 2020, ACT will “superscore” students’ results
upon request. What’s a superscore? A superscore is a new score report
(including a new composite score) that takes the best results in every
section (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (if you took it))
over any number of test dates. In other words, if you did better on
Reading and Science in February, but better on English and Math in
April, ACT will take your February Reading and Science scores and
combine them with your April English and Math scores to create a
new, higher superscore. This is also how single-section tests (see the
following page) will be incorporated into your scores.
In addition, many schools (and the Common Application) will ask you
to list the score and test date of your English, Math, Reading, and

Science and then calculate a superscore based on these scores,
separate from ACT. Therefore, if you worry that some scores will rise
as others fall when you take the ACT again, the superscore will reflect
your best results.
However, not every college will accept ACT superscores. Therefore,
The Princeton Review strongly recommends that you research each
school you’re applying to. While ACT will send the results only from
the test dates you request or ACT’s generated superscore, you should
decide which and how many dates to send based on your scores and
the school’s guidelines about superscoring. Moreover, some schools
require that you submit all test scores from every administration, and
you should abide by any such requirements.


WHAT IS THE ACT ONLINE TEST?
The ACT Online Test is the ACT that you take on a computer, rather
than with pencil and paper. Despite the name, you can’t take the ACT
from the comfort of your own home; rather, you’ll have to go to a
testing center (possibly your high school) and take the test on the
center’s computer.
The ACT Online Test has the same overall structure, timing, and
number of questions as the pencil-and-paper ACT. The scoring, score
range, and scoring method are also the same. If the ACT Online Test is
basically the same as the pencil-and-paper ACT, who would take the
ACT Online Test?

WHO TAKES THE ACT ONLINE TEST?
ACT has been offering versions of the ACT on the computer since
about 2016. The first group of students to take the ACT on the
computer were students taking the test at school. Schools and school

districts decided whether to give the test on the computer.
As of September 2018, all students taking the ACT outside of the
United States take the test on a computer (except for those students
with accommodations requiring the use of a traditional pencil-andpaper test).
Starting sometime in 2021, students in the United States will have the
option to take the ACT Online Test instead of the traditional penciland-paper version. Students choosing this option will get their scores
in about two to three business days (e.g., take the test on Saturday,
have your score the next Wednesday). In addition, any students taking
advantage of the Single-Section Retesting must do so on the computer.

Single-Section Retesting
Students who have already taken the full ACT may choose to take one,
two, or three sections again using Single-Section Retesting. ACT will
then produce a superscore consisting of your best results in all tests


(English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing took it)). Note that not
all colleges accept a superscored ACT, so do your research before
taking advantage of this option. ACT had originally planned to roll out
this option along with the ACT Online Test and Superscoring;
however, Single-Section Retesting has been delayed until 2021 to
allow more students to take the full-length ACT in the fall of 2020.
Single-Section Retesting will be an incredible option
for students in 2021. However, colleges still have
the the option as to whether to accept these new
scores. Research your target schools early so you
know your options!

ACT ONLINE TEST FEATURES
So, then, besides the obvious “it’s on the computer,” what are the

differences between taking the ACT on the computer and taking it on
paper? Let’s start with what you can’t do on the ACT Online Test. You
can’t “write” on the screen in a freehand way. You’re limited in how
you’re able to mark the answer choices, and each question appears on
its own screen (so you can’t see multiple questions at one glance). You
will also be given a small “whiteboard” and dry erase pen with which
to make notes and do work.
The ACT Online Test will have some useful features and some you may
never use. You can flag questions to come back to them later, eliminate
answers on the screen, or even hide the answers until you are ready for
them. You will also be able to highlight the text, magnify it, or cover
part of the screen to focus on one relevant window. To see all these
features
in
action,
go
to
ACT’s
website
at
If you are registered for a Princeton
Review course or tutorial, you will also have access to more ACT
Online Tests on our website, .


HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE ACT ONLINE
TEST
If you are going to take the ACT Online Test, you will want to
incorporate some computer-based practice into your prep plan. ACT’s
website has practice sections for each of the four multiple-choice parts

of the test and for the essay. We recommend that you do those sections
toward the end of your preparation (and close to your test date) to give
you an opportunity to practice what you’ve learned on a platform
similar to the one you’ll be using on the day of the test.
Remember!
Your goal is to get the best possible score on the
ACT. ACT’s goal is to assign a number to you that
(supposedly) means something to colleges. Focus
on your goal!

If you are planning to take the ACT online, you should practice as if
you’re doing all your work on the computer, even when you’re working
in a physical book. Use a highlighter, but don’t use the highlighter on
any figures (as the ACT Online Test won’t let you do so). Use your
pencil to eliminate answer choices and have a separate sheet of paper
or a whiteboard to do any work you need to do, instead of writing on
the problem itself.
Also, remember that our approaches work. Don’t get misled by ACT’s
instructions on the day of the test–their way of approaching the test
won’t give you the best results!

How Do You Register for the ACT?
The fastest way to register is online, through your ACT Web Account.
You can also obtain a registration packet at your high school guidance
office, online at ACTStudent.org/forms/stud_req, or by writing
or calling ACT at the address and phone number below.
ACT Student Services


2727 Scott Blvd

PO Box 414
Iowa City, IA 52243-0414
319.337.1270
Registration Tip #1
The registration includes ACT’s survey on your
grades and interests, but you are not required to
answer these questions. To save time, you can
provide only the required information, marked by an
asterisk.

Bookmark ACTStudent.org. You will start at this portal to view test
dates, fees, and registration deadlines. You can also research the
requirements and processes to apply for extended time or other
accommodations. You will also start at ACTStudent.org to access your
account to register, view your scores, and order score reports.
Check the site for the latest information about fees. The ACT Plus
Writing costs more than the ACT (No Writing), but ACT also offers a
fee waiver service. While you can choose four schools to send a score
report to at no charge, there are fees for score reports sent to
additional schools. As of July 2019, students with ACT waivers are able
to send scores to up to 20 schools.
Registration Tip #2
If you take the December, April, or June test, sign
up for the Test Information Release. Six to eight
weeks after the test, you’ll receive a copy of the test,
the answer key, and your answers. This service
costs an additional fee and is available only on
these test dates. You can order the Test Information
Release up to 3 months after the test date, but it’s
easier to order it at the time you register. It’s a great

tool to help you prepare for your next ACT.


Test Security Changes
As part of the registration process, you have to upload or mail a
photograph that will be printed on your admissions ticket. On test day,
you have to take the ticket and acceptable photo identification with
you.
Standby testing is available, but you have to register in advance,
usually before the prior Monday. Check ACTStudent.org for more
information.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE ACT
The Princeton Review materials and test-taking techniques contained
in this book should give you all the information you need to improve
your score on the ACT. For more practice materials, The Princeton
Review also publishes 1,523 Practice ACT Questions, which includes
more than six tests’ worth of material.
Other popular coaching books contain several complete practice ACT
exams. We strongly advise you not to waste your time taking these
tests. In some cases, the questions in these books are not modeled on
real ACT questions. Some of them cover material that is not even on
the real ACT. Others give the impression that the ACT is much easier
or more difficult than it really is. Taking the practice tests offered in
these books could actually hurt your score.
Cynics might suggest that no one else can license ACT exams because
ACT sells its own review book called The Official ACT Prep Guide. We
think The Official ACT Prep Guide is well worth the price for the three
real tests it contains (make sure you buy the most recent edition). We
recommend that you either buy the book or ask your high school to

send away to ACT for actual ACT tests. You should get a copy of
Preparing for the ACT Test from your counselor. It’s free, and it
contains a complete, real ACT. The same test can be downloaded for
free from ACT’s website.