I found this really alarming but I was cramming for the ACT and decided to just do practice tests out of the Kaplan book to get used to the pacing. I was scoring consistently around a 29-31 composite range. However, when I actually took the ACT, I ended up scoring a 35 composite. Are test prep companies lying to us?
They certainly have something to gain by making it look like you need their test prep.
Using the books that the test-maker puts out is usually best (in your case, the Real ACT Book would have been it). The scores you will get on those practice tests should match up pretty well to the score you will get on the real thing.
^^^ What they said.
…although there are some students who consistently test better when it counts- maybe they need the adrenalin, but I know a few like that. While I can imagine a test center playing down your scores so that they can claim a bigger increase, there is no percentage for the books in trying to ‘trick’ you.
Almost all tests made by prep companies should be completely ignored.
What difference does the prep book test score make? Whatever you get on the real test is all that matters.
My ACT book prediction and test came out to 27-29, actual test 33. Maybe good for a very rough estimate, but certainly not anything to base your college search off of.