The Top 8 Mistakes Parents Make With ACT Prep

Most parents mean well, but unfortunately, meaning well doesn’t guarantee effective ACT preparation. In fact, good intentions often pave the way to inefficient study plans, wasted money, and underwhelming results. In this article, we share “The Top 8 Mistakes Parents Make with ACT Prep.” 

Standardized test prep is not intuitive. The ACT is not school, and the skills it tests differ from those of school. It is an entirely different animal, and preparing for it demands a level of methodology and structure that few families naturally possess. Below are the eight most common mistakes we see parents make when trying to support their teenager through ACT prep—and what should be done instead.

1. Starting Too Late

Following the poor advice of high school guidance counselors, many families treat ACT prep like a junior year activity, penciled in somewhere between intense coursework and extracurricular activities. This delay can be costly–mastery of the ACT is a marathon, not a sprint, that takes months, not weeks. The goal therefore should be to have as much done as possible before junior year starts.

By the time most students begin preparing seriously, they are already burdened by classes, AP exams, and looming college applications. The ideal timeline starts towards the end of 10th grade, giving students a relaxed, focused space in which to build skills methodically without unnecessary pressure.

Early preparation allows for proper content review, method refinement, targeted practice, and if necessary, retesting—all critical components of high-level performance.

2. Trusting the School to Handle It

High schools are not test prep institutions. Their priorities are broad, their resources are limited, and their understanding of professional test preparation is often superficial at best.

Many parents assume that school-sponsored ACT prep classes or PreACT review sessions will suffice, but these programs are very basic and one-size-fits-all in nature—many students who take them learn surprisingly little, and end up on our doorstep at The Best Test Prep. They are often taught by overburdened faculty members who have little specialized training in standardized test instruction.

Treat ACT prep like what it is: a high-stakes, high-impact academic endeavor. It requires trained professionals, tailored strategy, and individualized support.

3. Hiring the Wrong Tutor

Not all tutors are created equal. The test prep industry is full of part-time undergraduates, generalist educators, and self-proclaimed “tutors” with questionable credentials.

The wrong tutor can waste time, reinforce bad habits, and instill a false sense of confidence until test scores come back and parents realize their mistake. A good tutor does more than explain concepts; they impart professional methods for answering every type of question on the ACT. They know the test inside and out and train students to approach it like professionals.

Choose someone with a proven track record of top scores, long-term experience, and an approach that prioritizes professionalism over guesswork.

4. Interfering with Professional ACT Instruction

Even among parents who successfully seek out a top ACT instructor, a very common mistake is too much interference with the instruction being provided. As we said earlier, parents almost always mean well and want the best for their children, but as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Yes, parents have maturity and life experience, but they are not seasoned experts in standardized test preparation.

From having assisted thousands of students in preparing for their standardized tests over the past 15 years, we have seen that the smoothest preparations are those where the parents take a step back and hand over the reins to the professional instructor.

5. Over-Scheduling or Over-Pressuring

In an effort to “stay on track,” many parents push their children into exhausting, unsustainable study routines. The result is often burnout, resentment, and diminishing returns.

ACT prep should be rigorous, but manageable. It should enhance academic discipline without becoming a source of dread. A student who is constantly sleep-deprived, mentally fatigued, or emotionally overwhelmed is unlikely to perform at their peak.

Effective preparation includes clear goals, consistent scheduling, and strategic breaks. It respects the student’s capacity while building their endurance.

6. Not Utilizing Your Teenager’s Summer for ACT Prep

Building on #1 above, summer is the most underused resource in test preparation. It is the only extended period of time when students are not juggling academic obligations, and the absence of daily schoolwork makes it an ideal window for focused, uninterrupted test prep.

Using summer effectively can create enormous gains. Students can complete full-length diagnostics, build foundational skills, and engage in intensive training that sets them ahead of their peers. Waiting until the school year resumes wastes this opportunity and compresses the prep timeline unnecessarily while under the pressure of junior year, typically the most infamous of high school.

7. Treating ACT Prep as the Student’s Solo Endeavor

Some parents believe that their teen should independently “take charge” of ACT prep. While independence is an admirable goal, standardized testing is not a journey most teenagers should navigate alone.

Without expert guidance, students often postpone, misallocate time, fall into poor study habits, and fail to approach preparation effectively . Being hands-off might feel empowering to them, but it frequently results in poor strategy and avoidable errors.

Parental involvement does not mean micromanagement. It means making sure the right professional system is in place—and letting that system do its job.

8. Ignoring Practice Test Data

Administering a full-length practice test is only step one. A major benefit comes from having a professional analyze the results.

Far too often, families treat practice tests like report cards instead of diagnostic tools. Without a granular breakdown—question types missed, timing patterns, and accuracy trends—there is no guide for improvement. Skipping this analysis is like drilling without direction.

Professional instructors use this data to customize future sessions, fix specific mechanical errors, and create personalized improvement plans. Preparing blindly wastes time. Knowing exactly what is needed accelerates improvement.

Mistakes Are Expensive. Precision Is Cheaper.

Every mistake on this list comes with a cost: time, money, energy, and lost opportunity. The good news is that all of them are avoidable. With the right preparation system in place, your child does not have to learn these lessons the hard way.

Give them the structure and professional support they need to excel on the first try. Do not leave their score—or their future—to chance.

Call (844) 672-PREP to get started.