Official ACT Practice Tests (FREE)
Free Official ACT Practice Tests
The key to good practice is the use of official materials. This means tests written by ACT. Anyone who does serious work in test prep will tell you that these exams rely on precise language and the difference between a right or wrong answer can be a matter of a single word. So there is no such thing as close enough. ACT releases a new test every couple years. You can find the current year’s test on the ACT website, but that’s only one exam– not really enough practice material.
Old ACT Exams Are Good Practice Tests
Obviously the more recent the test, the better the form and content will match your actual exam. You want to practice with materials that closely match the real ACT. This is why practicing with official materials is crucial.
I’ve been studying the ACT for 20+ years as I’ve coached thousands of students to better scores. I can write questions that resemble actual ACT questions and you might not be able to tell the difference. But my close approximation of this test is NOT sufficient for real test prep.
Unlike the SAT which has seen two massive changes from 2003 to the present, the ACT has remained essentially the same. Yes, a few minor changes have occurred, but they typically affect only a handful of questions or are so slight that they don’t affect test taker performance. So you can use old ACT tests as quality practice material.
Full-Length Official ACT Tests
Whether you plan to take a full-length exam to check your progress and test your endurance or break the sections into parts for pacing or accuracy drills official ACTs are useful. If you have used the practice material on the ACT website, I suggest you order the current “Official Guide” available from ACT, Amazon, or your local bookstore.
Because the ACT is still a paper and pencil test (not an online / computer adaptive exam like many of the graduate school tests), I strongly recommend you use print tests and take them in a format that most closely replicates the actual exam.