Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’m a Harvard graduate, SAT perfect scorer and full-time tutor who has taught the ACT for nearly 20 years. This book continues to be the most essential preparation guide for the ACT, because it is the only source of official test questions—the practice ACTs in all other books are nothing more than subpar imitations of the real thing. However, given that that ACT has recently revised the Reading, Science, and Writing (Essay) sections of its exam, I had hoped that this new book would finally reflect those changes, and provide a new set of updated practice ACTs. Unfortunately, as many other reviewers have already noted, it doesn’t. In fact, it’s the same text as the 3rd edition from 2011, only much thicker. Thick paper is usually a good thing, but for a book that runs 928 pages, the added thickness and weight only make it more burdensome to carry and transport. And the "bonus online content" (web address on the back cover) is college admissions related information, which, while somewhat helpful, is only tangentially related to the ACT exam, and in some cases is freely accessible through the ACT website (see the comments below for more information on this). The authors didn’t even bother making a few superficial changes to the book (other than its cover) or including a single new practice test. Again, it’s the same book as this one, page for page, aside from a few typos: The Real ACT (CD) 3rd Edition (Real Act Prep Guide) There is good news, however: the long-rumored 4th edition of the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon: The Official ACT Prep Guide, 2016 - 2017 So, given that the ACT didn’t provide any useful information about the updated test in this most recent printing of its book, I will take it upon myself to do so here instead. CHANGES TO THE NEW ACT: English - exactly the same (45 minutes, 75 questions). Mostly grammar, paragraph structure and punctuation. Math - exactly the same (60 minutes, 60 questions). A broad survey of high-school math, with questions ordered from easy to hard. Reading - almost exactly the same (35 minutes, 40 questions), but the new ACT now includes Dual Passages (google “Preparing for the ACT Practice Booklet”, open the PDF, and scroll to pages 36-38 for an example of what the dual passage looks like). Science - almost exactly the same (35 minutes, 40 questions, mostly data interpretation and graphs/charts), but the exact order and types of questions/passages have been modified slightly. Writing (Essay) section: much different! Instead of 30 minutes to write, you are now given 40 minutes, and instead of being given only a prompt and an assignment, you will now be provided with a prompt, an assignment, and three different perspectives on the essay.  You are then asked to evaluate all three perspectives on the issue, to provide your own perspective, and to explain the relationship between your own opinion and the three opinions provided, using examples, analysis and logic. (In the words of the ACT, students are asked "to develop an argument that puts their own perspective in dialogue with others.") The new essay will be scored out of 36 points instead of 12.  It will also be given a grade of 2-12 in the following areas:  Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, & Language Use and Conventions. ———— These days, many students prefer the ACT to the SAT Official SAT Study Guide (2016 Edition) (Official Study Guide for the New Sat). But the College Board has been fighting back by inflating SAT percentiles and making other efforts to make the SAT more palatable for students. For example, one major reason to consider taking the New SAT instead of (or in addition to) the ACT is that the SAT allows you more time per question than does the ACT. Thus, if time management is a major issue, then the SAT might be a better test for you: SAT Reading = 1.25 minutes per question (75 seconds) ACT Reading = .875 minutes per question (52.5 seconds) SAT Grammar (Writing and Language) = .8 minutes per question (48 seconds) ACT Grammar (English) = .6 minutes per question (36 seconds) SAT Math = 1.4 minutes per question (83 seconds) ACT Math = 1 minute per question (60 seconds) For more information about the changes to the ACT essay, I suggest that you do some research online, and/or google “The New ACT Essay/Writing Test - McElroy Tutoring,” where I have modified the essays from this book to fit the current essay format, as well as the ACT’s official page, “Enhancements to the ACT Writing Test.” Lastly, make sure to google “Enhanced Writing Test Sample Prompt - ACT” to see an example of the new Essay format. You can also print another free practice test from the ACT website by googling “Preparing for the ACT Practice Booklet” (scroll to pages 54 and 55 to read a 2nd sample of the new essay, the only other example of the "enhanced" Writing test format that the ACT has provided thus far) and opening the PDF. In addition, you can google “ACT Action Plan - McElroy Tutoring” to read my personal and frequently updated recommendations for ACT prep. The bad news is that this book is a huge letdown in that it provides nothing in the way of new information or new ACT practice tests. The good news is that if you take advantage of the online and print resources available, then you should be fine. My final recommendation: buy this newer printing of the book. Yes, it is more cumbersome than the previous version, but it is also now significantly less expensive, easier to find and faster to ship than the 2011 version. Despite its flaws, you’re still going to need this book, because it’s the only place where you can buy 5 official ACT tests at retail. If you need more than 5 practice tests, or you need additional help with ACT strategy, then consider buying another book such as this one: McGraw-Hill Education 10 ACT Practice Tests, 4th Edition (Mcgraw-Hill's 10 Act Practice Tests) Or, if you need more help with ACT strategy, then try one of these books-- Barron's ACT, 2nd Edition (Barron's Act (Book Only)) Cracking the ACT with 6 Practice Tests, 2016 Edition (College Test Preparation) --but try to stick to official ACTs whenever possible. Professional ACT tutors like me will often have a collection of additional real ACT exams at their disposal, compiled from past years' exams that were publicly released, but neither sold at retail nor available for download. Lastly: if anyone from the ACT is reading this, then please give us an updated book ASAP, with new practice tests in the current format! Test companies should update their preparation guides first, and then start administering the new tests, not the other way around. Otherwise, unaware students will continue to be left in the dark, especially on the new Writing (Essay) section, which is now significantly different than the one described in this 2016 printing of "The Real ACT Prep Guide," which, as of right now, is not fully deserving of that name.