ACT Reading Study Resources: Best Sites to Boost Your Score

If you're preparing for ACT Reading, you already know the section can feel intense. The passages are long, the questions can be subtle, and the clock never stops ticking. The good news is that there are excellent online resources that can help you train like an athlete for this part of the test.

In this guide, we'll highlight the best ACT Reading study resources online — including official materials, free passage practice, and strategy-heavy blogs. You'll also see how to use these sites inside a simple weekly routine, so you're not just collecting links but actually building speed, accuracy, and confidence.

What ACT Reading Really Tests (and Why It Feels So Fast)

On paper, ACT Reading is simple: four passages, 35 minutes, and multiple choice questions. In reality, it's a test of how quickly you can read, understand, and analyze college-level passages while filtering out tricky answer choices.

Most questions fall into three broad skill areas:

• Literal understanding: identifying what a passage explicitly says.
• Inference and interpretation: reading between the lines to infer attitudes, intentions, and relationships.
• Structure and purpose: understanding why the author chose examples, evidence, or certain wording.

The best ACT Reading study resources focus on building those skills with real passages and high-quality explanations — not just random comprehension drills.

A Simple Weekly Study Plan for ACT Reading

Before you dive into specific sites, it helps to know how they fit into your week. Here's a simple 4–5 day structure for ACT Reading that you can repeat until test day.

Sample weekly plan:

• Day 1: One timed ACT Reading passage + detailed review of every question.
• Day 2: Untimed practice focusing on careful reading and annotation.
• Day 3: Strategy work — read tips and watch explanations for your weakest passage type (e.g., humanities, science, social science).
• Day 4: Two timed passages back-to-back to practice pacing.
• Optional Day 5: Work through part of a full ACT Reading section and log your mistakes.

Once this framework is in place, the question isn't “What should I do?” but “Which resource should I plug into today?”

Must-Use Official ACT Reading Study Resources

Your most valuable ACT Reading practice will always come from the official test maker. Official materials show you exactly how passages are written and how answer choices are designed to trick or reward careful readers.

1. ACT Official Test Prep and QuizMe Reading

Start at the main ACT prep page, which includes free practice materials across sections, including ACT Reading:

• Official practice hub: ACT Free Test Prep
• Direct reading practice: ACT QuizMe – Reading Practice Questions

Use official ACT Reading questions weekly to check whether your other practice really feels like the real test. If a third-party resource feels much easier or much harder, let the official material be your guide.

2. Free Official Practice Tests (Including Reading Sections)

Several sites host links to free official ACT practice tests that include full ACT Reading sections. These are fantastic for building stamina and seeing how reading fits into the whole exam.

One helpful collection of official tests and explanations is here: Free ACT Official Practice Test PDFs and Explanations (Piqosity).

Use these full tests every few weeks to measure your overall progress and timing on ACT Reading.

Great Third-Party Sites for ACT Reading Practice

Once you're working regularly with official material, add high-quality third-party resources to expand your practice and sharpen your strategy. The goal is to see similar question types in slightly different contexts, so nothing on ACT Reading surprises you.

3. Magoosh ACT Reading Practice & Tips

Magoosh offers a mix of articles, sample passages, and tips that are specifically focused on ACT Reading. These are great for learning strategies like process of elimination, mapping passages, and handling tricky inference questions.

• ACT Reading overview and practice: Magoosh – ACT Reading: Everything You Need to Know
• Strategy-focused guide: Magoosh – Top ACT Reading Tips

Use these resources on your “strategy days” to learn how strong test-takers think their way through ACT Reading questions.

4. Varsity Tutors ACT Reading Practice Tests

Varsity Tutors provides free online ACT Reading practice tests, including diagnostic tests and smaller question sets with explanations. These are helpful for extra timed drills and for targeting specific skills.

Try their practice here: Varsity Tutors – ACT Reading Practice Tests.

Consider using one short practice set on weekdays when you don't have time for a full ACT Reading passage.

5. Mometrix Free ACT Reading Practice Test

Mometrix offers a free ACT Reading practice test with explanations and a breakdown of what the section covers. It's useful if you're just getting started and want a quick snapshot of where you stand.

Check it out here: Mometrix – Free ACT Reading Practice Test.

Use this when you begin your ACT Reading prep and again a few weeks later to compare your progress.

Sites to Build General Reading Stamina and Comprehension

Sometimes the biggest challenge in ACT Reading isn't the questions — it's getting through dense passages quickly. For that, general reading and comprehension practice can be surprisingly powerful.

6. Khan Academy Reading & Vocabulary Practice

Khan Academy has free reading and vocabulary units that train you to handle longer, more complex passages. While they aren't ACT-specific, the reading skills transfer directly to ACT Reading.

• Start with high school level units: Khan Academy – 9th Grade Reading & Vocabulary
• Then move up to: Khan Academy – 10th Grade Reading & Vocabulary

Use these units on lighter study days to keep your reading muscles strong without burning out on constant ACT Reading passages.

How to Combine ACT Reading Study Resources Without Overwhelm

With so many sites available, it's easy to spend more time hunting for the “perfect” resource than actually practicing. The key is to give each site a clear role in your ACT Reading plan.

• Official ACT + QuizMe: core realistic passages and benchmark practice.
• Magoosh / Mometrix / Varsity Tutors: extra passages and strategy tips.
• Khan Academy: building general reading stamina and comprehension.

When every resource has a purpose, your ACT Reading prep becomes focused, efficient, and much less stressful.

Make ACT Reading Prep Easier With an AI Tutor

Even with great sites, you might still be wondering: “What should I do today to actually improve my ACT Reading score?” That's where an AI tutor can change the game. Instead of guessing which passage to do or which skill to review, you get a guided, personalized path.

An ACT Reading AI tutor can analyze your mistakes, identify patterns across passages, and generate targeted practice questions that match your exact level. It can help you slow down when you're rushing, speed up when you're lingering, and focus on the question types that matter most for your score goal.