The ACT is one of two college entrance examinations that can be taken in the United States, with the other being the more recognizable SAT. Until recently, the SAT was the standard test accepted by all colleges, but the ACT will now also be considered by these same establishments. Previously, the ACT was only accepted in a relatively smaller region of the country. This means that your school may try to push you towards one test or the other, depending on their previous experience. However, since no preference is given to either test, the decision of which to take is entirely yours.

The SAT focuses more on writing skills, with some math questions. The ACT, on the other hand, is divided into four distinct sections, and tends to be better for those who are good at science and math. Play to your strengths, since you have the option to do this. Scoring highly on the college entrance exam is partly down to choosing the right one for you, regardless of what your friends, family or teachers say.

If you are not sure which of the two tests would be best for you, do a practice paper for each, and see what your scores are. Choose the test that gives you the higher mark initially, as this means that your preparation work is more likely to bring about improvements, and get you the high score you are looking for. You might be able to get practice papers from your school, or alternatively you can buy books from the companies that produce these tests.

While it is best to work from past papers or the official preparation material, as these will most closely resemble the actual test you will be sitting, there are also many online resources that you can try. Some of these are free, while others require a small payment, but they will give you more questions to attempt, in the style of the ACT papers.

Don't take both the ACT and the SAT. The two papers are very different, so trying to prepare for both of them will simply lead to confusion and lower overall scores.  Choose one and work at that.

Practice under test conditions.This means that you need to do the four sections of the ACT one after another, followed by the optional essay if you plan on doing it. This will show you whether you need to work on your timing, as this can often be an issue. Completing the questions within the allotted time is important, and you should aim to do this for all four sections. In the ACT, if you are not sure of an answer, then you should guess. Unlike in the SAT, there is no penalty for putting down a wrong answer, so it is always better to have a go, even if you are not certain.  Eliminate the answers that are obviously wrong first, and then choose from the ones that are left, which will increase your chances of guessing successfully.