ACT® Prep Games
As educators, finding engaging and effective ways to prepare students for the ACT® can be a challenge. Integrating ACT® prep games into classroom routines can reinforce academic skills while keeping students motivated.
The ACT® has undergone several changes, including a shorter test and an optional science section for national test administrations. Both paper and online formats are available. The games below can help students strengthen relevant skills, but they should be paired with practice and benchmark assessments to familiarize students with the current test format.
Browse the list below to find resources that work best for your students. If you’re preparing students for the SAT® as well, check out our list of free online SAT® prep games.
General ACT® Games
Factile is a Jeopardy-style game platform where teachers can create quiz games using ACT® content. Students can compete with friends or study alone in a fun, interactive environment. This game encourages teamwork and competition while reviewing material. In addition, Factile has flashcards, Jeopardy-style multiple choice questions, and a memory matching game.
This is a live learning game show that teachers can use for ACT® prep. Students answer questions on their own devices. They earn in-game cash when they answer questions correctly and lose cash when they answer incorrectly. They can then reinvest their money by purchasing upgrades and powerups. Teachers can create custom ACT® quizzes and games to review vocabulary, math concepts, reading comprehension, and science terms.
Kahoot! is an interactive learning platform that allows teachers and students to create and participate in quizzes, polls, and games using any device with internet access. Teachers can easily create quizzes on ACT® topics, including math, reading, and science. Students compete against each other to make preparing for the ACT® more fun and motivating.
Wayground (formerly Quizizz) is an AI-powered platform that allows teachers to create and run interactive quizzes, lessons, reading passages, flashcards, and video-based questions. Teachers can upload materials to generate questions and games or tap into the Wayground Library for crowd-sourced material. After a session, the platform delivers a detailed report.
Teachers and students can create their own set of ACT® flashcards and then play games with them to review math, reading, and science questions. Once teachers and students make a set, they can also play “Match” on the site, which is a fun matching game that reinforces learning.
On this site, teachers can buy resources that other teachers have already created for ACT® prep. These resources include ACT® breakout games, task cards, Jeopardy games, and escape rooms. Pricing varies by resource, so check individual listings for current prices.
Math ACT® Games
ACT® Math Jeopardy by Super Teacher Tools
Teachers can play this ACT® math Jeopardy game as a class, or students can play on their own to review individually. It’s a fun way to practice ACT®-style math questions in a different format.
This site has a variety of math games on subjects like algebra, calculus, geometry, etc. It’s a great way to review math basics, although it’s not specifically tailored to the ACT®.
Quizlet offers user-created ACT® math flashcards that cover different math concepts, including algebra, geometry, advanced math, and problem-solving. The platform’s matching game makes learning math fun and interactive.
Reading ACT® Games
Freerice is a multiple-choice vocabulary quiz that supports learning through repeated practice. Students can use vocabulary questions to reinforce word knowledge relevant to reading comprehension. And there’s an added bonus: for every correct answer, the UN World Food Programme donates the cash equivalent of 10 grains of rice to help fight global hunger.
Quizlet offers ACT®-specific vocabulary sets and a fun matching game. This game can help students understand the meaning of words in specific contexts, which is a crucial skill on the ACT®.
Vocabulary Jam by Vocabulary.com
Vocabulary Jam is a fun, quiz-based game. Teams compete in real time to see who can answer the most vocab questions correctly.
Students complete a number of fun challenges like word and definition matching, crossword puzzles, and digital flashcards. They receive badges for completing achievements. Students can keep track of their progress and compare with their classmates.
Zann (formerly WordUp) is an AI-powered English-learning platform that helps students build vocabulary and strengthen language comprehension through interactive lessons and practice. While it isn’t designed specifically for ACT® prep, it can supplement English and Reading practice.
Science ACT® Games
With Factile, teachers can create Jeopardy-style games to review ACT® science topics, such as scientific reasoning and data interpretation. The above link is one example game.
This site has a few chemistry games that students can use to prepare for the ACT®. There’s a basic chemistry matching game and an advanced chemistry Jeopardy game.
Teachers can create interactive quizzes related to ACT® science topics, including data interpretation and scientific reasoning. Students compete in real time, making it an engaging classroom activity.
Quizlet allows users to create and study flashcards on ACT® science concepts. The above link provides several example sets.
PhET provides free interactive math and science simulations that help students understand scientific concepts and processes. These can be particularly useful for visual learners.
This app allows students to document their scientific observations and experiments. While not specifically an ACT® prep game, it encourages hands-on learning and scientific reasoning skills.
ACT® Prep Games for Classrooms
This interactive, Jeopardy-style game can be played in teams, making it a great classroom activity. Teachers can create Jeopardy, multiple-choice, or classic memory games, or use AI-powered tools to quickly generate games from a topic or PDF. Buzzer Mode turns students’ devices into Jeopardy-style game buzzers.
Gimkit allows students to answer quiz questions on their phones. Students earn in-game cash as they participate, which they can use to unlock upgrades. This gamified approach adds an element of strategy and motivation and encourages friendly competition and collaboration.
JeopardyLabs lets teachers create custom Jeopardy games that can include ACT® topics. This can be a fun way to review reading comprehension skills and math and science concepts.
With its interactive quizzes, polls, and games, Kahoot! promotes active learning, enhances classroom participation, and boosts retention of ACT® material. The instant feedback helps students learn from their mistakes in real time.
Teachers can turn ACT® practice sessions into a game using live leaderboards, power-ups, customizable avatars, and Team Mode. After each session, teachers can review the results question by question to see which topics students need more practice with.
Quizlet Live is a collaborative review game for the classroom that uses Quizlet’s online flashcard platform. Students work in teams to match terms with their correct answers. The goal is to maintain a streak of correct answers. The first team to answer a set number of questions without missing one is the winner.
Design Your Own ACT® Game!
General ACT® Prep Games:
- ACT® Trivia: Create a trivia game using Kahoot! or any of the other tools mentioned above. Quiz students on the ACT® format, test-taking strategies, and general math, reading, and science knowledge. Students can compete against each other to answer questions correctly.
- ACT® Practice Tests as Games: Set a time limit and treat each practice test like a real exam. Reward students for achieving a certain score or improving their performance.
Math ACT® Games:
- Math Jeopardy: Divide the class into teams and create a Jeopardy-style game with math questions at different difficulty levels. Factile and JeopardyLabs are great tools for making a Jeopardy game.
- Math Bingo: Create bingo cards with ACT® math problems. Call out answers and students mark the corresponding problem on their cards.
English and Reading ACT® Games:
- Reading Comprehension Scavenger Hunt: Create a reading passage with hidden clues. Students work in teams to find the clues and answer questions.
- Class Debate: Assign students to different sides of a controversial issue. Have them write out their arguments and debate their positions with the class.
Science ACT® Games:
- Science Jeopardy: Create categories (biology, chemistry, physics, data interpretation) and write questions at varying difficulty levels. Again, use Factile or JeopardyLabs to create a game.
- Science Pictionary: Write science terms on cards and have students draw them for their team to guess.
If you’re looking for comprehensive prep for the ACT® exam for your students, get in touch below to see the Progress Learning platform.
