Princeton Review ACT Review

Screenshots from the Princeton Review ACT Course

Choosing the right ACT prep course is an important decision. We’ve made it easier by reviewing all of the key features of the Princeton Review ACT prep course. That way, you can ensure that you make the right choice.

Coursework

Princeton Review offers a library containing a lot of high quality prep materials. From the time you log on, you can expect to be met with a ton of work to complete. The overall course is built on 40 study units, each one covering different groupings of ACT subjects.

All Princeton prep courses we’ve covered follow a similar format. Students start a study unit by going through a variety of study materials that are usually centered on videos. Once you have completed the learning side of the lesson unit, you’ll be presented with materials so you can put everything you learned into practice. It’s a nice linear approach that helps keep studies simple and effective.

Practice Questions (Custom Practice Sessions)

Once you’ve gone through the learning portion of a study unit, you’ll be presented with a series of practice questions. Each practice session consists of around 15 questions, sometimes more or less depending on the complexity of the topic.

The quality of practice questions is top notch but that isn’t a surprised since they are all developed by a team of ACT experts. All practice questions found on Princeton Review ACT mimic the real test.

Practice Exams

We instantly noticed that the testing interface is almost exactly the same as that used by the real ACT. This is a huge advantage and ensures that you are 100% prepared for the real test. The questions themselves are indistinguishable from the real ACT exam. Combine the two and you get a fully authentic experience.

This course comes equipped with about 10 practice exams, depending on the tier you purchase. However, some of the higher tiers have proctored tests where practice exams are administered under real testing conditions. These proctored tests guarantee that you’re ready for the real test.

User Interface

The user interface and dashboard really make this course stand out from its competition. All lesson units are easy to navigate and everything looks crisp. We glided through each study course with ease.

A clearly labeled navigation bar ensures that you are taken to the next lesson without having to stop and think about where to click next. So you won’t lose momentum during a study session.

A concise design makes this course comfortable. More importantly, it doesn’t distract students from their studies.

Dashboard

The dashboard is pretty straight-forward. It gives you access to everything you need to access lessons, see your progress, provides essential notifications, and shows the study planner. All of your goals are laid out in a nice, neat format.

We found this dashboard to be in line with other top prep courses. It doesn’t really stand out but it provides easy navigation and details essential information.

Video Lessons

We found the video production of lessons to be superb! They are right up there with the best in the business. Princeton truly understands how to capture the attention of their target audience. Teenagers won’t stay focused when watching a boring 90-minute lecture so they made their library engaging. 

First of all, the videos are short and concise, covering a single topic. This approach is proven to be successful with online courses. Furthermore, instructors are on the screen as they talk about each topic. They even pull out a market and write on the screen to provide a cool visual of whatever they are teaching in that moment. 

High production quality makes these videos highly engaging and some of the best in the industry. 

Video lessons are then followed by a cool module that lets students put their newfound information to practical use with a series of drills. This varied approach ensures that students get the most from every course.

Score Reports

Princeton’s score report helps students identify weaknesses and guides their studies. After taking a practice test, you get a detailed look at your performance by category. This makes it easy to optimize your study plan so you can work on areas that need improvement.

Answer Explanations

Like other prep courses, Princeton Review’s practice questions are all followed by an explanation. This text explanation comes with a concise description that show why each answer is either correct or incorrect. Even though all of these are in text format, we were surprised at how good they are. 

Even though they doesn’t include video explanations like other prep courses, they still hold their own in terms of the results. We found it to be adequate to the task at hand. 

Score Predictor

As you progress through your studies, their system will give you a score prediction. This prediction pulls from all previous interactions and estimates your ACT score if you were to take the test right then. 

This feature is best used as a guideline for adapting your study plan though. Don’t take this score too seriously. Princeton Review is notorious for being more difficult than the actual ACT exam. Use the score prediction as a tool to help guide your studies. 

Princeton Review Textbooks

Princeton goes above and beyond by providing students with textbooks to complement their online studies. Students who are used to holding a textbook in their hands will love this great addition. The workbook works alongside the course material and even comes with 1,500 practice questions. 

It’s safe to assume that this textbook will play a larger role with students who are attending Princeton’s live classes. But even if you don’t plan on going to live classes, this textbook is a nice resource.