Best Reddit tips for the ACT exam
Table of contents
- Prep tips from an average student who went from a 27 → 35
- Arguably the best and most detailed tip for ACT Reading – How my reading got from a 19 to 34 in a year
- How do you ACTUALLY study for the ACT??
- What are the things that you wish you knew before you took the ACT?
- Should I take the ACT or SAT?
- If you haven’t already, consider switching to the ACT. Seriously.
- Updates to the ACT test structure starting April 2025.
- Conclusion
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 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 offers general tips at the end, emphasizing the importance of taking multiple 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 ACT Reading section 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. Additionally, the post includes links to several helpful websites and recommended books.
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. Balancing strategy and avoiding pitfalls are your key to high performance.
How do you ACTUALLY study for the ACT??
This popular thread offers a range of actionable advice on studying for the ACT, with users sharing effective 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 ACT study, 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 avoiding getting too stressed out as much as possible. They also have some important math topics 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 the 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 (and my own experience), the ACT typically emphasizes math and science 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 offers insight into the ongoing debate over whether students should choose the ACT or the SAT. The writer details their firsthand experience with the ACT, highlighting why they found it a more straightforward and manageable exam than 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 the 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 test-preparation experiences and for benefiting from their collective insight. Knowing that other ACT Reddit users have faced challenges similar to yours can also be reassuring and comforting.
