Free Test Prep
The kids whose families pay for tutors do better on the SAT.
That is true. Princeton Review charges $1,200. A private tutor charges $100 an hour. The kids in those classrooms are sitting next to your kid in school and pulling ahead by 200 points on test day. But here is the other true thing. The College Board, which is the company that makes the SAT, gives away the same test prep for free. Khan Academy partnered with them ten years ago to put it online. The official ACT prep is free too. The library has every prep book Princeton Review sells. The practice tests are free. The video explanations are free. The score reports are free.
If your kid is willing to put in the hours, the gap closes. Maybe not all the way. But enough. This page lists the free test prep that actually works. Not the lazy stuff. The official, accept-no-substitutes, run-by-the-test-makers-themselves practice tools that move scores.
If your kid is in middle school, start with the PSAT 8/9 (the early version of the SAT). If your kid is in high school, take the PSAT in tenth grade, the PSAT/NMSQT in eleventh grade, and the SAT in eleventh grade as Kentucky’s state-required test. Many kids also take the ACT for extra college and scholarship options. Every one of those tests has free official prep linked below. This list is not every test prep resource that exists. It is the ones we trust. If you know a free resource we missed, tell us and we will add it.
Free Tools that Actually Work
Khan Academy Official SAT Practice (Start Here)
The College Board partnered with Khan Academy ten years ago to put official SAT practice online for free, forever. The questions on Khan are the same questions written by the people who write the test. The site adapts to your weaknesses and gives you targeted practice. Studies show kids who use it consistently raise their scores. This is the most important free resource on this page.
Bluebook (Official Digital SAT Practice)
The SAT is now taken on a computer, not on paper. Bluebook is the College Board’s free app that runs the digital SAT, and it has six free full-length practice tests built right in. Every kid taking the SAT has to download Bluebook anyway. Most do not realize the practice tests are sitting there for free.
Official ACT Test Prep (Free Practice from the Test Makers)
The ACT used to be the test most Kentucky kids took, because it was what the state used for school accountability. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Kentucky switched to the SAT for its state testing. The ACT still matters because some colleges and scholarships ask for it, and some kids do better on the ACT than on the SAT. The free official prep is good. The paid upgrade is not necessary unless your kid is going for a top score.
Warren County Public Library (Every Prep Book, FREE)
The library has the same Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Barron’s prep books that cost $30 each at the bookstore. They have ACT prep, SAT prep, AP prep, vocabulary builders, and practice test books. Free with a library card. Library cards are free for Warren County residents.
PSAT prep at College Board (Start in Middle School)
The PSAT 8/9 is for eighth and ninth graders. The PSAT 10 is for tenth graders. The PSAT/NMSQT is for eleventh graders, and a high score on it qualifies for National Merit recognition. All three tests have free practice on the College Board’s site, and Khan Academy practice prepares kids for them too.
Khan Academy AP Test Prep (For Kids in AP Classes)
If your kid is taking AP classes, Khan Academy has free prep for most AP exams. AP classes earn college credit if your kid scores well, which can save thousands of dollars later. The free Khan prep is enough to do well on the test if your kid uses it regularly.
A note from Sarah
I am a kid from Bowling Green who used some of the resources on this page.
Standardized tests can feel like they are not fair. We are told they were not built for families like ours. The kids who get the highest scores often have parents who can pay $100 an hour for a tutor, or $1,200 for a class, or $30 for every practice book. But the test makers gave the most important parts away. They put official practice on Khan Academy. They put the digital test on Bluebook. They put the official prep tools on ACT.org. The library has every book the bookstore sells.
The system can feel rigged but the rigging has gaps. Find them. Use them. Don’t believe anyone who tells you free prep doesn’t work. It does. Also, sometimes you will need to take the test a few times. Don’t be discouraged by a bad score. LOCK IN!
— Sarah Pannell, Creator of Bowling Green Neighbors and BGHS Student
Know a free test prep resource we missed? Email us and we will add it!