If your ACT test day is in 2 months or less and you want a good score, you should already be studying—these last-minute ACT tips can help you get started!
It happens: the exam completely slips your mind, or you simply procrastinate until test day is around the corner. These study strategies will guide you through how to use your remaining time as effectively as possible. Whether you have 2 months or 2 days left before ACT test day, keep reading to see how you can get closer to the score you hope for.
How Long Should it Take to Study for the ACT?
How long a student should study for the ACT depends on how high they want to score. As with any test: the more you study in advance, the better your result will be. So, if you want to score as high as you possibly can, study on a regular basis from now until test day.
To get more specific: an average student can expect to improve their ACT composite score by 1 point for every 7.5 hours of studying.* This means you can earn a 4-point gain in about 30 hours of prep, and a 7-point gain in about 52 hours.
Generally, these test-prep hours are spread out over months—students tend to begin hiring ACT tutors or starting prep courses five months ahead. Studies have shown that learning and retaining information is more effective when you space out study sections (the “spacing effect”). Not only is cramming 40 hours of ACT studying into just a few weeks before the test unreasonable, it’s less successful than, say, spreading out 2-3 hour study sessions across 5 months.
*A student can study an ACT question and relearn the tested concept in around 45 minutes to an hour. It takes 3 questions for every 1 point on an ACT section (say, 2.5 hours of prep) and one would have to repeat this process on each section of the exam to improve a composite score by 1 point. 2.5h x 3 tests = 7.5h for 1 composite point.
Studying for the ACT in Less Time
If you’re now at the point where you don’t have months of time to dedicate to studying, that doesn’t mean you should try to fit dozens of hours of studying into just a few weeks. It also doesn’t mean you should give up on prep and rely on your current knowledge to get you to an “okay” score. Instead, maximize the time you have left to get the best score you can.
While the amount of time you dedicate each week to test prep may vary based on your schedule, the important part is to consistently practice for at least a few hours each week, building your familiarity with the test and developing a stronger memory of the concepts you’re tested on.
Starting Last-Minute ACT Prep
However long you have left, the first and most important step in ACT prep is taking a practice test. This helps you prepare by (1) Showing how you currently score prior to studying, (2) Making you more familiar with the ACT’s style and structure, and (3) Identifying your weakness so that you know what to study. After this practice test, it’s about seeing how much time you can dedicate to test-prep each week and following through until test day.
Remember to take an enhanced ACT practice test, not one for the pre-2025 version of the exam.
How to Study for the ACT in 2 Months
With eight or more weeks before your ACT, you can still make significant progress on your test preparedness. To reach a potential improvement of 8 points, you’ll need to study about 7.5 hours a week—a steep but doable 60 total hours of studying. Some examples of ACT study schedules are an hour and a half after school each weekday or 2.5 hours on 3 designated days a week.
If you don’t have much time after school and can only prep on weekends, committing at least 3 hours on a weekly basis will still help you make meaningful strides towards your goal score, culminating in a possible score improvement of around 3 ACT composite score points.
After you go through your first benchmark results and study the concepts from each missed question, a second test will narrow down the skills you still need to improve. Continue working through problems and relearning concepts until test day, supplementing your learning with lessons about the topics and more practice questions.
How to Study for the ACT in 1 Month
To create an ACT study plan for 1 month, start by taking a practice test, then structure your weeks around your results. Focus on your weakest areas first before moving on to study other topics you missed. Once you’ve reviewed the whole practice test, you should either:
- Study with practice questions that target your weaknesses. If you don’t have the time to take another practice test and work through all your answers before test day, continue your prep using practice questions specifically on the topics that you’ve struggled with. You can do this either through online courses offering personalized practice or by compiling questions on each topic from different practice tests.
- Take a second practice test and review it through test day. If you have around two weeks left, you probably have time to take another practice test and work through most of your missed questions. This can help you see how you’ve improved so far and which topics you’ll need to take another look at in the days leading up to the ACT.
How to Study for the ACT in 2 Weeks
If you only have two to three weeks until your ACT, there are not many days left for significant studying. You won’t be able to fit more than one full practice test review into these weeks, so make sure you thoroughly review your work and supplement it with additional practice questions. Focus more time and effort on the topic areas that you struggle with most—a targeted approach will maximize how much you’ll improve.
Since you’ll only be able to thoroughly work through one practice test, supplement your studying with habits and other methods for improving ACT preparedness. Read a book or two similar to the passages you’ll encounter on the ACT reading test, study vocabulary lists when you have extra time, review your math schoolwork on common ACT math topics, and make sure you understand how to use test-taking strategies.
How to Study for the ACT in 1 Week
With only about one week left to study for the ACT, it’s less likely that you’ll retain everything you go over. Still, familiarizing yourself with the exam and learning about common errors you make will prepare you to put forth your best effort. Take some time before your first practice test to go over common test-taking strategies. Then, use those strategies on your practice test!
When you’re reviewing your practice test, prioritize the questions you are more surprised to see you got incorrect. Because your studying is building on the knowledge you applied during the benchmark, you’ll be more likely to remember how to solve them (as opposed to relearning a concept you don’t recall).
Last Minute ACT Tips for the Days Before the Exam
With three or fewer days left until the ACT, you’re unlikely to make huge advances in your knowledge. So, while you should be spending time relearning concepts based on practice test results, it’s more important to make sure you have a good grasp on what test day will look like for you. If you just started preparing in the days leading up to the test, review essential test-taking strategies and develop a game plan for ACT day.
Take the time to complete an ACT practice test and look over your results (if time is very short, take whichever section(s) you’re least comfortable with) and use them to form a test-day game plan. This could mean deciding to avoid geometry and trigonometry questions until the end and focusing your energy on algebra questions because you know them well, or prioritizing vocabulary questions over ones that ask about inferencing on the reading test. Having a plan going into your ACT is about knowing how to maximize your time on test day to apply what you already know well.
Use any remaining time to study based on your practice test results. Focus on the questions you nearly missed or were surprised to get wrong—this way, you’ll be able to review a greater number of questions more effectively than if you focus on topics you need to relearn from scratch.
Last Minute ACT Tips: Test-Taking Strategies
A key facet of your ACT test prep should involve practicing key testing strategies as you work through sample questions. Testing tips and strategies can save you critical time on the test, helping you get the right answer as soon as possible.
- Answer easy questions first. By prioritizing easier questions that you fully understand, you are guaranteed those points before you move on to harder questions that confuse you or take longer to solve.
- Answer every question. Since there is no penalty for wrong answers on the ACT, there’s no reason to leave any questions unanswered. If you’re running low on time mid-test & wondering how to guess on the ACT: cross off obviously wrong answers, and estimate to get close to one of the possible options.
- Review your math formulas. The ACT Math test does not provide any formulas, but it does allow calculator use. Memorize necessary formulas and learn how to use them with a calculator.
- Read actively and with intention. Make sure you don’t zone out on the English & Reading sections.
Effective ACT Prep for Testing & Retesting
Even with the help of these last minute ACT tips, you can’t reach your true ACT scoring potential in less than a couple months of practice. Let your first ACT function as a benchmark, and register to retake the ACT in the coming months: with more months of studying and the experience of the real ACT under your belt, you’ll surpass those initial scores the second time around.
Whether you’re preparing to take the ACT for the first time or anticipating a retake, Piqosity is here to help! Along with our full-length, online ELA and Math courses for grades 5-11, we offer full SAT, ACT, and ISEE test prep courses, each of which includes 12 practice exams, dozens of concept lessons, personalized practice software, and more. Our ACT course is designed around the 2025 enhanced ACT, equipped with the scoring, content, and format of the real thing.
References:
Emeny, William G., et al. “Spaced mathematics practice improves test scores and reduces overconfidence.” Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 35, no. 4, 9 Mar. 2021, pp. 1082–1089, https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3814.
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