Every great SAT or ACT study plan includes the best resources. In this video, we will answer the question: to spend or not to spend? Then, I will share books and resources I recommend that you can customize based on your budget. Even book selection is a strategy!
*With my small family of subscribers, I can assure you that I have not been sponsored to promote these books. I have used and gone through each of the resources mentioned in this video. I got the estimated prices by doing a Google shopping search for used books. You could also try and find free PDFs of these books.
Introduction
Many clients ask me what test prep materials they need before we start our sessions. I first want to address how to plan your budget based on your study skills. Then, I will be recommending books and resources based on budget. I am also open to suggestions or critiques of any SAT or ACT materials you have used!
Free Download ACT Subject Test QuestionsCost = $0 Plus TIME
As someone who hates spending what little money I make, I get the appeal of prepping for free. However, you have to be a self-sufficient studier. You are in charge of categorizing question types, finding patterns in the test, and finding all the explanations for your errors. For some, that time spent may actually cost more than investing in one prep book. Or, if you do not take the initiative, you will be putting in work to no avail.
Usually having a goal and inspiration is all you need for this self-sufficiency. So if you do take this path, it is absolutely possible to score well. I recommend using Khan Academy and YouTube. For the SAT, Khan Academy directly imports any PSAT or related scores and customizes the skills you need to work on. It also has the 8 official practice tests imported into the interface. For the ACT, there are many practice tests online that you can find. If you are self-studying, you need to find solid explanations for all your errors, which is where you can turn to resources like Khan Academy, YouTube creators, or Google.
Recommended Prep Books for ACT
*I am linking a document with explanations of the books here:
Overall: I recommend finding ACT tests online and supplementing them with explanations you find on the Internet.
English: A standard grammar book to look up errors or The College Panda (I heard good things)
Math: College Panda ACT Math by Nielson Phu
Reading: None
Science: For the Love of ACT Science by Michael Cerro
Recommend Prep Books for SAT
*I am linking a document with explanations of the books here:
Overall: The College Board's SAT book just for printed versions of the tests
Reading: The Critical Reader by Erica L. Meltzer
Writing: A standard grammar book to look up errors or The College Panda (I heard good things)
Math: College Panda SAT Math by Nielson Phu (Advanced) and/or PWN the SAT by Mike McClenathan (Basic)
Conclusion and Thank You
All photos used in this video are from Unsplash and are royalty free images.
Royalty Free Music from Bensound: Creative Minds, Perception, The Elevator Bossa Nova
Subscribe button by MrNumber112
Photos not used from Unsplash are cited here in this document:
ACT math I including algebra
https://actchemistryquestion.blogspot.com/p/act-1-math-1-subject-test-questions.html
ACT geometry
https://actchemistryquestion.blogspot.com/p/act-math-1-geometry-subject-test.html
ACT math II
https://actchemistryquestion.blogspot.com/p/algebra-2-practice-test-with-answers.html
ACT chemistry subject test
https://actchemistryquestion.blogspot.com/p/act-practice-chemistry-questions-for.html .