ACT Kaplan: Choosing the Best ACT Prep Materials to Ace the Test

Most universities and colleges use the ACT as an entrance examination and basis for admission decisions. It is a pencil-and-paper, multiple-choice test that covers four academic areas, including science reasoning, reading, Mathematics, and English. The purpose of the ACT is to measure a student’s readiness to step in college. The ACT provides higher education institutions a common data point that they can use to compare all applicants.

Parents who have kids who are planning to go to college spend a lot of time thinking about the ACT and how to help their children ace the USA’s standardized college admission test. As a mom, you have to remember that the ACT is an entirely different test and is harder than most of the tests that your child might have encountered in high school, so preparation is crucial.

This post looks into the materials you can have for your children’s ACT preparation and some tips on how to correctly choose ones to help them ace the test. Read on below to learn more.

Online ACT Courses

One of the best ways to prepare for the ACT is by taking online courses. ACT online courses give several benefits to students, including the chance to develop their test-taking skills, getting a review in relevant subject areas, and receiving tailored feedback for further improvement.

Below are the things to consider when choosing an online course that fits your kid’s ACT prep needs:

Setup: Delivery style is the first consideration that you have to take when selecting an ACT online course. It depends on whether your child likes a traditional classroom setup or a self-paced one where they can have more control over their time. Live classes offer a live instructor and real-time feedback, which gives your kid the chance to improve their weaknesses immediately.

Self-paced courses, on the other hand, allow them to learn despite having a busy schedule since they can study whenever it’s more convenient for them and when you have free time to assist them.

Online Resources: Different courses for ACT preparation often cover the same materials. So, how do you distinguish one from the other so you can choose the best for your children? Check out some of these questions that you can ask before choosing one:

• Does the course offer an interactive element?
• If your children enroll, what is the total number of lessons they can get?
• Are there practice questions available to improve your kid’s test-taking skills? Practice questions or exams will give you the chance to track their overall progress and determine the areas where your children need to improve.

Tutor or Instructor: Finding an excellent instructor may not be significant in self-paced courses because they focus more on content, but you definitely need to check it out if you are planning to enroll your kid in live classes. So, what are the qualifications that you can check for an ACT online course instructor? Find out below:

• Check the instructor’s score when he took up the ACT. It’s going to be a helpful indicator if the instructor is capable of producing results or not.
• Look into the length of the instructor’s experience teaching ACT prep online courses. This is an indicator if the instructor has the necessary knowledge to help your child pass or ace the test.
• Read the reviews made by previous students and parents about the instructor. Check everything out from the negative to positive ones to help you make a sound decision.

Study Books

Another material worth having is a study book as it can guide you in assisting your kid, and help them be organized by creating a study plan or schedule. Study books are best when combined with an online course, and can serve as your children’s references. 

How do you choose the best books for ACT study? Check out some tips below:

• The book should address all the academic areas that the ACT covers, including Science, Math, Reading, and English.
• Choose books that also review the content of the academic areas that the ACT covers well.
• Getting books that will help you in strategizing for your child’s ACT prep is also a good idea. Books for strategies should help you teach them about speed reading, recognizing the type of a question, and managing their time.

Buy at least two books that are reputable and contain valuable information to help your child ace the test and go back to school, in a college institution this time, with their head held high. The more the references are, the better.

The Benefits of Getting a High ACT Score

So, what’s in store for your child once they get a high ACT score? Do they really have to aim for the top? It depends on your goals for them and the college course that they are planning to take, but most higher education institutions have set a minimum score as a basis for admission. Don’t limit your kid with just the minimum score and encourage them to do their best to get a higher mark to avoid remedial courses so that they can have more freedom with their specific course load.

Getting a good score in the ACT test will help your child have the chance to get into your top choices for a college education. A significantly high ACT mark would also mean scholarship opportunities for them. Choosing the best ACT materials to prepare for the test will help your kid develop the skills that they need to reach their goals.