![]() #1: It Targets a Specific ACT Skill or Content AreaĪ game doesn’t necessarily have to be specifically designed for the ACT to be helpful, but it does need to help you learn or review a specific concept or content area that’s tested on the ACT-trigonometry, the scientific method, punctuation, etc. There are three main things that make a useful ACT prep game: With all those warnings said, that doesn’t mean there are no games out there that might help you prep for the ACT. Get real about the quality of your practice questions! It might be marginally more fun to see yourself get points for correct questions and advance on leaderboards in an app or on a website, but you’ll be much happier in the long run if you spend that time answering well-written sample questions that actually help you. You are much better off using genuine ACT practice tests if you need more sample questions to prep for the ACT. ![]() If a game’s primary conceit is presenting you with “ACT-style” multiple-choice questions, I advise you to stay away from it unless you can thoroughly vet that the questions actually resemble ACT questions. Answers are sometimes truly ambiguous or unclear, and explanations are often lacking or nonexistent. But unfortunately, in many games the questions don’t resemble actual ACT questions at all. This would maybe be fine if the questions in the games were high quality. Creators try to dress them up with competitive elements, power-ups, and other game-like features, but the fact remains that most operate under a basic mechanic of answering multiple-choice questions. The problem with many ACT prep games is that they are often glorified multiple-choice quizzes. In fact, some games may even be detrimental because you play them thinking you are getting in some valuable preparation when you really aren’t. The sad fact is that there aren’t actually very many ACT practice games that will provide any kind of substantial help on ACT prep. If cleaning my apartment was a game, I would probably do it more often. But is this true? And even if it is, is the preparation you get from playing games comparable to that from less fun and exciting modes of studying? Hence, ACT practice games will get you to spend more time preparing. The general principle seems to be that if studying for the ACT is fun, you’ll want to do it. Both tiny app developers and test-prep giants like Kaplan and the Princeton Review have gotten on the ACT game train. Given the ever-increasing circle of things that have been gamified, it’s no surprise that so many companies have tried to gamify ACT prep. There are apps that gamify exercise, productivity, chores, finance, and even household shopping. The term “gamification” describes attempts to make regular, tedious life tasks more fun and exciting by making them like games. ![]() In this article I’ll discuss the prep game trend, explain why most prep games aren’t so great, present some criteria on what makes a good ACT prep game, offer some game recommendations, and lend advice on how to incorporate them into your studying. The majority of ACT practice games are either downright bad or just far less helpful than completing actual ACT practice questions. Unfortunately for you, this is not really true.
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