The 4 Best ACT Apps
If you want to use ACT apps in your studying, here are four apps that can provide some benefit to you. All are free of charge, except the official ACT app.
Many of the other ACT apps not mentioned here offer an unhelpful basic version and then make you pay to upgrade to a premium version, which has more practice questions and content instruction.
#1: ACT Online Prep
This is the ACT’s official prep app, and it advertises itself as the only prep app that can help you accurately predict your ACT score. It’s definitely helpful, but it costs $39.95 and comes as part of the purchase of the ACT Online Prep program.
The app is customized to your skill level, has practice questions and a test with real ACT questions, and offers comprehensive content review. Also, there are gaming features that allow you to test your knowledge and compete with your friends. That's not to mention the fact that this ACT app is official, so you know you're getting the best information and practice possible.
On the negative side, some users have noted that the app can get a bit buggy every now and then. But by far the biggest drawback to this app is the price.
#2: Ready4 ACT
This incredible ACT prep app offers tons of helpful features:
- Dozens of step-by-step lessons
- 100+ virtual flashcards
- Clear, easy-to-follow answer explanations
- Analytics for tracking your strengths and weaknesses
- Customizable ACT practice tests
- 1,500+ practice questions
Initially, you take a diagnostic test, whose results the app uses to customize a course of instruction for you. Because there are just eight questions on the diagnostic, though, it's possible that the app won't accurately determine your current ACT skill level.
This app is definitely one of the best free ACT prep apps, with its solid content instruction, high-quality practice questions, and complete answer explanations. But it's not perfect.
First, the content instruction is pretty brief, so it might not be enough if you’re struggling with a particular ACT topic.
Also, the user experience isn't ideal. For the Reading and English questions, the passages and their questions are on different screens, and it was a little difficult for me to find the underlined portion of the passage for the English questions.
Finally, the app isn't entirely free. You'll have to pay $19.99 to get the premium version and full access to all the app's features.
#3: ACT Prep: Practice Tests, Flashcards, Quizzes
This ACT app, which was designed by the tutoring company Varsity Tutors, has a ton of features, from practice tests and single-section diagnostic tests to questions of the day and flashcards with practice questions and explanations. You can also make your own flashcards and find a tutor via the app. (You’ll have to of course pay for the tutor, though, and the prices for one-on-one tutoring aren't clearly listed.)
The app's major benefit is its wealth of practice questions, and since they're divided by topic, you can drill your specific weaknesses. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of test-taking strategies or any content instruction other than explanations of the practice questions.
Additionally, note that this ACT app is now only available on Google Play. Though it was originally available on the App Store as well, Varsity Tutors has gone in a different direction with it and is currently advertising a more general study app (that still includes all the ACT features listed above) called Practice, Test Prep, & Quizzes.
#4: ACT Prep Coach & Practice Test / ACT Test Prep, Practice, and Flashcards
On the upside, this test prep app by Magoosh (which updates pretty regularly) gives users a lot to love: it offers ACT study tips, helpful articles, and practice questions, and even a practice test. The free tier is pretty robust in that you can access all the most recent ACT articles, along with dozens of video lessons and practice questions. I think the free trial gives you enough good resources to get started.
The premium version of this ACT app boasts a ton more content, including nearly 700 practice questions and more than double the amount of video content. But the pricing model for premium isn't clear. Is it a one-time purchase or a subscription? How much does premium cost?
All of this information—which is pretty important—seems to be hidden from users, so it's hard to know whether a premium subscription is really worth it.