How to Study for the ACT With One Week Left (If You Haven’t Started Studying)

By Sara Laszlo ACT

This guide is for students who haven’t started studying yet and have just one week left. If you’ve already been preparing, your strategy for your final week should look different.

Set Realistic Expectations

Here’s the hard truth: if you’re taking the ACT in one week and haven’t studied yet, you’re not going to transform your score.

That outcome might be perfectly fine depending on your starting point and goals. You might walk out of the testing room with a score you’re happy with. But don’t expect to go from a 26 to a 34 in a few days.

Tests like the ACT reward long-term skill development, not last-minute cramming. However, even in one week, there are a few smart steps you can take to feel more confident and prepared.

If You Only Do One Thing This Week: Take a Full-Length Practice Test

Taking a full-length practice test will help you familiarize yourself with the test format, content, and question types. It will also give you a sense of the pacing and endurance you’ll need to finish the ACT in time. Although it takes multiple practice tests over weeks or months to see the most significant score improvement, even taking one practice test can make a difference because you’ll walk into the test with a better sense of what to expect.

The practice test will show you where you’re most likely to lose points. That information will help you decide where to focus the rest of your limited study time.

If You Have Time for Two Things: Take One Practice Test and Do Targeted Practice

After taking the practice test, review your results and identify where you’re losing points.

With only a week left, you won’t be able to fix everything. Instead, focus on one section. If you’re far away from your target score, focus on improving your weakest section. If you’re close to your goal, try to maximize your score on your strongest section. Many colleges will look at your Superscore, the highest score from each section across multiple test dates. If you get a great score on your strongest section, you can devote the time before your next ACT test to studying for the other sections.

To make the most of your remaining time, consider the Test Innovators Scholar Package. It provides a full-length practice test and 2,250+ targeted questions, which is an ideal combination for focused, last-minute prep.

What Not to Do This Week

Don’t panic and stress. After all, you won’t be able to make radical gains in this short amount of time. Instead, focus on doing the best you can based on where you are right now.

Remember, you can take the test again if you don’t get the score you want. Giving yourself more time to prepare next time can make a real difference. So this week:

Don’t try to fix everything. The ACT tests a wide range of skills built over many years. Instead of trying to review everything, focus narrowly on areas where improvement is realistic in a short time.

Don’t take practice tests every day. Practice tests are extremely valuable, but they’re also mentally demanding. Taking multiple full-length tests in a short period of time often leads to burnout rather than improvement. Limit yourself to one or two practice tests during the week before the test. Use the rest of your study time for targeted practice and review.
Don’t stay up late cramming. Sleep matters. A tired brain makes more careless mistakes, struggles with reading comprehension, and processes information more slowly. Getting enough rest in the days leading up to the ACT will likely have more of a positive impact on your score than a night of cramming.

The Night Before the Test

The night before the ACT, your focus should shift away from studying. Take a few simple steps to make the next morning go smoothly:

Get a good night’s sleep. A rested brain performs better than a tired one.
Pack what you need. Make sure you have your ID, admission ticket, pencils, and approved calculator ready (as well as your fully-charged testing device, if you’re taking the digital ACT on your own computer).
Know your route. Check where the testing center is and how long it will take to get there.
Eat normally. Stick with foods you’re used to rather than trying something new.

Then relax. Read a book or watch a movie, and go to bed.

You can’t change everything in a week. But you can familiarize yourself with the test format and reduce surprises on test day. Showing up calm, rested, and prepared will help you perform at your best. Read more about what to do the night before the ACT.