Best Reddit tips for the ACT exam

Reddit has become a valuable hub for ACT advice, offering real experiences and practical tips to students preparing for the test. Still, finding trustworthy resources on ACT Reddit threads can involve scrolling through endless, unrelated posts. To make things easier, we’ve curated and summarized standout advice from top Reddit discussions centered on the ACT, including insights specifically for the ACT Reading section and the updated ACT format.

These highlights from ACT Reddit will help you locate reliable strategies and answers that are relevant to your own test prep journey. Explore the summaries below to see if they match your questions about preparing for the ACT.

Prep tips from an average student who went from a 27 → 35

This post offers advice on how to improve your ACT scores. It’s a very thorough post, complete with links to a variety of helpful articles and courses to explore. The writer also shares some general tips at the end, emphasizing the importance of taking numerous practice tests.

Arguably the best and most detailed tip for ACT Reading – How my reading got from a 19 to 34 in a year

Similar to the last post, this one focuses specifically on the reading section of the ACT and provides more detailed advice. It’s a very thorough and well-organized post that discusses how the fast pacing and short time limits make ACT reading especially challenging. The writer also points out some common but unhelpful tips, such as speed reading or skipping over text details, that might actually harm your score. Additionally, the post includes links to several helpful websites and recommended books.

How do you ACTUALLY study for the ACT??

This popular thread provides a range of actionable advice on how to study for the ACT, with users sharing effective study strategies that helped them improve their scores. You’ll find practical tips on creating a study schedule, pacing yourself during each section, and knowing when to start preparing. Many contributors emphasize the importance of taking full-length ACT practice tests as a core part of studying for the ACT, along with reviewing mistakes and adjusting one's approach to improve performance.

What are the things that you wish you knew before you took the ACT?

These replies provide a wealth of valuable overall advice regarding the ACT. People discuss the importance of staying calm and trying to avoid getting too stressed out as best as possible. They also have some math topics that are important to brush up on.

Should I take the ACT or SAT?

One of the most common concerns among students is whether to take the ACT or SAT for college admissions. This topic is especially relevant for students who feel equally confident in math and reading. According to a top response in the discussion, as well as my own experience, the ACT typically emphasizes math and science skills more than the SAT does. At the same time, many find the ACT reading section slightly more approachable. However, the ACT is known for its rapid pace, offering less time per question compared to the SAT.

Several other contributors in the thread share this perspective and offer valuable insights that help clarify the differences for anyone deciding whether to take the ACT or SAT.

If you haven’t already, consider switching to the ACT. Seriously.

This engaging post provides insight into the ongoing debate about whether students should choose the ACT or SAT. The writer details their firsthand experience with the ACT, highlighting reasons they found it to be a more straightforward and manageable exam compared to the SAT. They also highlight specific advantages in sections like ACT Reading, suggesting that the test format may better suit the strengths of some students. With upcoming changes, such as the Enhanced ACT, this perspective provides valuable context for anyone considering which college admissions test best aligns with their skills and goals.

Updates to ACT test structure starting April 2025.

If you’re preparing to take the ACT, understanding recent changes to the ACT is essential. This post and its replies provide valuable insights into the upcoming modifications to the ACT, including alterations to the test structure. Notably, these changes to the ACT involve making the science section optional and reducing the test's overall length. Staying informed about these structural updates helps students better adapt their study plans and approach to the new ACT format.

Conclusion

All in all, Reddit stands out as a powerful platform for discovering answers or gathering opinions on ACT-related topics. The ACT Reddit community is a valuable resource for learning from others’ real-world experiences in test preparation and benefiting from their collective insight. Knowing that other ACT Reddit users have faced challenges similar to yours can also be reassuring and comforting.