Does ACT Prep Work? What the Research Actually Says

The most accurate answer is:

ACT prep can help, but the research is mixed and does not support guaranteed score-gain claims.

That is less exciting than “gain 5 points guaranteed.”

It is also much more useful.

ACT's own research has found modest relationships

ACT has published several studies on preparation and retesting.

In one analysis, students who reported preparing for a second ACT earned higher scores on average than on their first test.

Another ACT report found that students reporting more than 20 hours of preparation scored about 0.7 Composite points higher on average than students reporting 3–6 hours of preparation.

That is an association.

It does not prove the extra hours alone caused the difference.

Students who study longer can differ in motivation, prior achievement and other ways.

A later ACT study was more cautious

A 2020 ACT technical brief found no significant overall effect of test preparation on ACT Composite in its total sample.

The authors noted that differences in:

• preparation quality;
• delivery method;
• research design;
• student behavior

may make the overall effect hard to detect.

This is exactly why you should distrust simple claims such as:

“Any prep course will raise your ACT.”

What about tutoring?

A 2018 ACT working paper used a quasi-experimental method to compare students.

It reported that test preparation improved retest scores in its analysis, and that working with a private tutor was associated with additional improvement among students who prepared.

That does not mean every tutor works.

Tutors differ enormously.

What broader research says

A 2025 meta-analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental studies across large educational tests found a small positive average effect of test preparation.

But the study was not limited to the ACT.

So it supports the general idea that preparation can matter—not a specific ACT point guarantee.

Why ACT preparation is still rational

Even if average research effects are modest, an individual student may have obvious fixable problems.

Example:

• English: repeated punctuation misses;
• Math: weak functions;
• Reading: finishes six minutes late.

If formula recall is part of your Math weakness, the ACT Math formulas guide is a fast reference. For ACT Science specifically, the experimental design guide covers how to read study setups quickly.

Those are trainable.

The student does not need a scientific paper to establish that learning punctuation rules, functions and pacing can improve performance on questions that test those skills.

Paid vs free

Free ACT preparation may be completely sufficient for a disciplined student.

Paying becomes more attractive when you need:

• an automatic schedule;
• organized lessons;
• targeted weak-skill practice;
• accountability;
• better review;
• consistent progress tracking.

Browse more ACT guides for section-specific prep.

Where MastaPrep fits

If MastaPrep's ACT course is available when you are reading this, its value should be judged as a study system, not a promise of extra points.

The useful question is:

Does it get me to practice the right skills consistently, review mistakes properly and return to weak material?

If yes, paying for structure may make sense.

If you already do those things perfectly with free official material, it may not. For the full picture of what's on the current exam, see our enhanced ACT guide.

Bottom line

The ACT research does not justify:

“Paid prep always works.”

It does justify a more careful conclusion:

well-executed preparation can improve performance for some students, but the result depends on the student, the preparation and how it is used.

Research and sources

• ACT: Test Preparation and Changes in ACT Scores
  https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/pdfs/test-preparationandchangesinactscoreshowdoestestpreparationrelat.html
• ACT: How Amount of Preparation Relates to ACT Scores
  https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/pdfs/how-the-amount-oftimespentontestpreparationrelatestoactscores.html
• ACT (2020): What Preparation Works to Improve ACT Scores?
  https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED610182
• Moore, Sanchez & San Pedro (2018): Investigating Test Prep Impact on Score Gains
  https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED593130
• Hao et al. (2025) meta-analysis
  https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543251360775

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