Free and Low-Cost Ways to Prepare for the SAT and ACT
Free and low-cost opportunities (websites, portals, prep books) to prepare for the ACT and SAT recommended by HECA and IECA colleagues (June 2021) and compiled by Lynn Lubell (Admission By Design). Websites and links have NOT been verified.
- Khan Academy (SAT focused, but also useful for ACT)
- Khan Academy / College Board Official SAT Practice and Prep (FREE)
- Khan Academy Math & Get Ready for Math Modules
- College Board (SAT)
- College Board SAT Practice Tests (FREE)
- Official SAT Study Guide (Available online for about $30)
- ACT Academy & Related Test Prep from the ACT
- ACT Test Prep (FREE)
- The Real or Official ACT Prep Guide (Available online for about $30 – red book)
- ePrep
- ePrep Online Prep for SAT, ACT, PreACT, PSAT (self-study videos, practice, quizzes) (low cost and recommended by many educational consultants)
- Magoosh
- Magoosh Online Prep for SAT, ACT (self-study, videos, practice, quizzes, flashcards) (low cost and recommended by many educational consultants)
- Erica Meltzer Prep Books ACT and SAT
- Erica Meltzer Prep Books for SAT and ACT Grammar, Math, Reading available online at ThriftBooks and elsewhere. (About $30 each and recommended by many educational consultants)
- PWN Guides for SAT
- PWN SAT Test Prep – Reading and Math Guides (low cost and recommended by several educational consultants)
- Applerouth
- Applerouth FREE and for purchase study guides
- SAT/ACT Diagnostics
- Group and Individual Test Prep
- Number 2
- Princeton Review
- Princeton Review – FREE practice SAT tests
- 4 Tests
- 4Tests – practice SAT & ACT questions
- Kaplan (account required)
- FREE Kaplan – SAT Bootcamps & 1 free full-length practice test
- Kaplan – SAT video on demand (Free for 7 days; $199 for 6 mo.); self-paced ACT ($99 for 6 mo.)
- Peterson’s
- Peterson’s – all tests prep subscription (including APs) ($49/mo. pay monthly, $45/mo. pay every 3 mo., $39/mo. pay every 6 mo.)
- Study.com (account required)
- FREE Study.com video lessons & practice SAT & ACT tests
- Capstone (purchase required)
- Marks Education (Free Tutorials)
- Ted Dorsey Bootcamp (purchase required)
- SAT Grammar Resources compiled by Robert Powers – College Torch
(generously offered to share with students and the HECA community
- SAT Math YouTube Channel
(geared primarily towards international students but math relevant to US students)
- College Panda Books & Practice Tests
(suggested by several educational consultants)
- Manhattan Prep ACT “5 lb.” Prep Book for ACT Math and Science
- Reddit has a very active SAT board
- READING & MOVIE WATCHING – (suggested by several educational consultants)
- A good free and easy way to practice for reading is also to work on skimming and retention when doing homework: If a chapter of history or a novel is assigned, skim the first page or two, quiz yourself to see what you retained (if there are questions for homework, go look and see if you can answer them), and then go back and actually do the assignment properly. It takes an extra couple of minutes of homework time and does WONDERS to prepare for entrance exams.
- Another idea is to watch Austen and Dickens movies to get “old-fashioned” voices in their head so that they can “hear” the authors better when they read older passages.