kfeusse Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 (edited) I have an son who is prepping for the ACT test. He is s good student, but he isn't an over achiever by any means and doesn't test well. We have done the John Baylor course and the Magoosh course. He did this pretty much on his own (the 2 courses) so I don't know exactly how much effort he put into it. I did buy the big ACT red book and he will work his way through that too. He took the test and did ok...but there is room for improvement.But I was also wondering if there are any really good you tube videos that you all found to be better than the many that are on you tube. I was told that Supermagnet Man videos are good for science....But I am looking for more. Thanks!! Edited May 27, 2019 by kfeusse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 I'm not sure about videos on YouTube but if you have not already done so, I suggest that you look on the ACT.ORG web site and also on the Kaplan web site. There may be some videos that are available to him, free. If he is going to take the ACT in June, that's too close for me to recommend the Kaplan course my daughter took last year, which isn't free. I think it is $99 or $100 and that covers 4 to 6 months. That's out of the picture if he is taking the ACT in June 2019. Good luck to him! Also, you might look on PrepScholar to see if they have any free videos or other information that would be helpful to him in preparing for the ACT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 Make sure after he takes a practice test that he goes over the solutions for each problem, even the ones he got right. He needs to be 100% sure of why each answer is correct, so he'll know the information if it appears on a future test. Here are links I have saved for ACT prep. Maybe something here will be helpful. The Amazon book links are books I've seen recommended in several places. https://www.stellarscores.com/2018/05/12/how-to-immediately-increase-your-act-math-score/ https://actmom.wordpress.com/ http://actmom.org/free-resources https://blog.prepscholar.com/printable-act-practice-tests-5-free https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989496473/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692078398/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0996832203/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_10?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 There are some videos on You Tube that really help with the ACT science section. I definitely recommend watching them. They give lots of tips on how to answer the science questions quickly and efficiently. You can just search ACT science on You Tube and I'm sure you'll find them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) I found the Black Book that went along with the Red book much more helpful for fixing and understanding mistakes than anything else, my daughter's scores went up substantially after using that book, several points in English alone after just 1 hour of study because it pinpointed and categorized and fixed mistakes much better. https://www.amazon.com/ACT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692078398/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=act+black+book&qid=1559250439&s=gateway&sr=8-3 Edited May 30, 2019 by ElizabethB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted May 30, 2019 Author Share Posted May 30, 2019 2 hours ago, ElizabethB said: I found the Black Book that went along with the Red book much more helpful for fixing and understanding mistakes than anything else, my daughter's scores went up substantially after using that book, several points in English alone after just 1 hour of study because it pinpointed and categorized and fixed mistakes much better. https://www.amazon.com/ACT-Prep-Black-Book-Strategies/dp/0692078398/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=act+black+book&qid=1559250439&s=gateway&sr=8-3 how is this book different than the red book? What exactly did your daughter study for 1 hour to improve her score that much? I have never even seen this book...so am I very interested. We have the red book...would you recommend this book over the red book or in addition to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 You use it with the red book. Make sure you are using the correct edition of each so the explanations match the questions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) 17 hours ago, kfeusse said: how is this book different than the red book? What exactly did your daughter study for 1 hour to improve her score that much? I have never even seen this book...so am I very interested. We have the red book...would you recommend this book over the red book or in addition to it? Yes, like klmama said, it is in addition to, it explains and categorizes the answers to the ACT tests in the red book, but they do much a better job of it. For example, with the English, my daughter was scoring in the 26 to 27 range on English, and just reading the answers and explanations in the red book was not budging her score. The categorization in the Black Book showed that about half of the ones she missed were because of something they call "comma sandwiches," she read up about them, then did an open book test (Black Book ACT, comma sandwich section) with her missed questions from one ACT that were comma sandwiches, then closed book with another practice ACT comma sandwich missed questions. She also read their explanation about the why for the other few questions she missed, she got a 31 on her English section of the ACT. Their explanations for the other questions were more helpful than the red book explanations. It took about 1 hour of study total, she had already taken a few practice ACTs, and she did not take another practice test before the actual test, just studied for that hour. She also gained about 1 point in math from their tips, and about 1 - 2 points in math from the Panda book, we spent more time on math, she needed to improve that the most, the Panda book was most helpful to her in math, @klmama also linked it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989496473/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 For an English score in the mid 20s or below, the Panda English book would probably be most helpful. My son is not as strong in English as my daughter but is stronger than her in Science and Math, he is working through the Panda English book, that is the level of help he needs, and that is the level of help my daughter needed in math: https://www.amazon.com/College-Pandas-ACT-English-Advanced/dp/0989496406/ref=pd_sim_14_1/130-9202728-5502008?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0989496406&pd_rd_r=0fc9023a-83c8-11e9-aff7-7b8b27abc5ce&pd_rd_w=1mRtc&pd_rd_wg=zv0I0&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=DX3WQ3W64CBVMQ830SKG&psc=1&refRID=DX3WQ3W64CBVMQ830SKG Edited May 31, 2019 by ElizabethB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 I have never heard of these "Panda" books before...at $30 each (as well as the red and black books)....I could spend quite a bit of money....I am wondering if just the Panda books would be helpful....or what? I have already spent $50 on the Magoosh on line and $200 for John Baylor...I am not sure just how much more we can afford...so I am trying really hard to be wise with these decisions. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) Be sure to check your library system. If not there, maybe you can borrow them through interlibrary loan. FWIW, when I don't know how much effort a teen put into something, it's usually a pretty good indicator that it was a lot less than what I would have required if I'd been directly involved. I wonder if it would lead to improved scores if he took a test from the red book and you went through each problem with him yourself, analyzing his errors and making sure he understood the book's explanations. Edited May 31, 2019 by klmama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 1 hour ago, kfeusse said: I have never heard of these "Panda" books before...at $30 each (as well as the red and black books)....I could spend quite a bit of money....I am wondering if just the Panda books would be helpful....or what? I have already spent $50 on the Magoosh on line and $200 for John Baylor...I am not sure just how much more we can afford...so I am trying really hard to be wise with these decisions. thanks. The best bang for your buck is the Black Book. You can do what is in the Panda books on your own with the Black Book, you will be able to categorize and teach by type of problem missed, the Panda books are just really convenient and already set up that way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flor Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 I haven’t checked all the links above, but in case this is not listed the following science videos are very good and trusted by many in this forum: Corresponding test he discusses: http://www.allpencilsdown.com/preparing-61C.pdf While the ACT science has changed a little, the video series above is still relevant. Pair it with reading scientific journals and https://www.amazon.com/Love-ACT-Science-innovative-standardized/dp/0996832203/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInNG1sqHX4gIVD9tkCh1bCQH3EAAYASAAEgI4IvD_BwE&hvadid=241929030173&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9052003&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=10773912269542378554&hvtargid=kwd-218253899608&hydadcr=22567_10346631&keywords=for+the+love+of+act+science&qid=1559906730&s=gateway&sr=8-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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