AI Tools for SAT and ACT Prep: 6 Picks, Free Official Practice First

For SAT and ACT prep, start with what the test makers give away, then add AI where it does something they do not. The College Board offers a free, full-length practice test in Bluebook and free Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy (College Board). ACT offers free full-length practice tests, practice questions by section and a daily practice question (ACT). On top of that, Khanmigo, Gemini and ChatGPT's study mode can explain a missed question, Gemini and Knowt add more practice, and Aristotle and MentoMind are paid tutors.

Two deadlines make this the week to choose. Registration for the December 5, 2026 SAT closes November 20 (College Board), and ACT extended early registration for its December 12 test to November 9 (ACT). Both pages were read on November 5, 2026.

Which AI tools fit SAT and ACT prep, side by side?

Six tools, one job each. Prices and conditions come from the vendors' own pages, read on November 5, 2026. Where a page said nothing, the cell says so.

Tool	Best use	Strengths	Limitations	Price / free tier (checked November 5, 2026)	Privacy considerations
Khanmigo	Hints while working Khan Academy's official SAT practice	Khan Academy says it gives hints and scaffolding, not answers; free for teachers	Khan's SAT post cites no results figure; SAT only, nothing found on ACT	Teachers: free. Learners and families: $4 a month or $44 a year	Privacy policy not read this run; directory lists no minimum age
Google Gemini	A second full-length, timed SAT after the official tests	Free full-length practice SATs with instant feedback and explanations	SAT only "to start"; questions come from a Princeton Review content partnership, not the College Board; eligibility not stated	No cost per Google's January 21, 2026 post	Not reviewed this run; ask your district's Google administrator
Knowt	SAT and ACT flashcards, notes and practice by unit	Free SAT notes and flashcards for every unit; free teacher licenses with any student license	Its pages disagree on what is free and on the annual price	Basic: free. Ultra: $24.99 a month, or $95.99 or $149.99 a year depending on the page	Not directed to under-13s outside school; says it signs data privacy agreements with schools for free
ChatGPT	Walking a student through a missed question	Study mode asks questions and gives hints; teen accounts can start chats in study mode on a schedule	Study mode can be switched off mid-chat; not SAT-specific	Free and paid personal plans; price not checked	Parental controls do not let a parent read chats; training use of teen chats not stated on the page we read
MentoMind	An adaptive SAT and ACT platform under a tutoring business's own brand	Diagnostics, targeted practice, skill reports	No public pricing; terms say all sales are final	No public pricing	Terms say it collects names, emails and results and shares them only as needed; AI training not mentioned
Aristotle	A voice tutor for students who learn by talking	Asks questions instead of giving answers; study plans for SAT and ACT; free for teachers and classrooms	Real usage is capped by sessions; session data feeds its own AI	Intro: free, 3 one-hour sessions. Scholar: $49 a month. Infinite: $199 a month	Under-13s may not use it; policy says session data is used to improve its AI

What do the test makers give away for free?

Check this first, because every AI tool below is a layer on top of it. The College Board's practice page offers "a free, full-length practice test on Bluebook," and its Bluebook page points to "free Official SAT Prep" on Khan Academy with "thousands of practice questions, instructional videos, lessons, and hints" (College Board). The College Board page we read does not say how many full-length tests Bluebook holds, so count them in the app before you plan around a number.

ACT's page lists "free official full-length practice tests (digital or paper), practice questions by section, QuizMe quizzes, free eBooks, and calculator help videos," plus a free MyACT account with a daily practice question. Students who register with a fee waiver also get the Official ACT Self-Paced Course, powered by Kaplan, at no cost (ACT).

Those dates run on. The College Board lists SAT dates on March 6, May 1 and June 5, 2027 after December (College Board). ACT lists February 27, April 10 and June 12, 2027 after December 12 (ACT).

What does research say about practicing with a chatbot?

One randomized trial speaks to the question that matters on test day, which is what a student can do with no AI in the room. Bastani and colleagues gave nearly 1,000 high school math students at one school in Turkey one of three setups: no AI, a plain ChatGPT-style assistant ("GPT Base"), or the same assistant with safeguards ("GPT Tutor"). Students with the plain assistant did 48% better on practice problems, then scored 17% lower than the no-AI group on a later exam taken without it. Students with the safeguarded tutor did 127% better in practice, and their exam scores were statistically indistinguishable from the no-AI group (authors' copy).

That is one school and one subject, not the SAT. Our reading is narrower than the headline: for test prep, prefer a tool that makes the student attempt the question first, and treat any practice score earned with a chatbot's help as a score the test will not honor.

Which four questions should decide the choice?

These are our editorial view, not vendor claims.

1. Who wrote the questions? Bluebook, Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy and ACT's practice tests come from the test makers. Everything else is someone's imitation, however good. Use the official material for the score that decides whether to sit the test.
2. Does the student try before the tool helps? Khanmigo, ChatGPT's study mode and Aristotle say they hint or ask questions. A plain chat window gives the answer. The Bastani trial is the reason this question comes second.
3. Does the price hold still? If a vendor's own pages quote two prices, ask for the one in writing before a student's family pays.
4. Where does the student's data go, and does the student meet the age rule? Aristotle bars under-13s, Knowt does not direct its consumer service to them, and Anthropic says Claude's consumer product is for people over 18. Our post on AI tools a school can approve lists what to ask a vendor before a school assigns anything.

Is Khanmigo the right hint-giver for official SAT practice?

Khanmigo is the best fit for a student working through Khan Academy's official SAT practice who needs hints instead of answers, because Khan Academy says it "offers hints and scaffolding" and is "fully integrated into Khan Academy's official College Board–aligned SAT prep platform" (Khan Academy).

That is Khan Academy describing its own product. Our directory shows 4.40 out of 5 from five reviews.

Watch out for: The same post says districts "are already seeing results" but cites no figure or source, and Khanmigo's pricing page lists no SAT-specific feature, so open the SAT practice and confirm Khanmigo is there before you promise it to students. We found nothing on ACT.

Pricing: Free for teachers. For learners and families, $4 a month or $44 a year, sales tax not included. Districts request a quote (pricing, checked November 5, 2026).

Safety: Our directory links Khan Academy's privacy policy and lists no minimum age. We did not read the policy this run, so ask what it says about student accounts and AI before a school assigns Khanmigo.

Choose something else if your students sit the ACT. Start with ACT's free practice, then Knowt or Aristotle.

Can Google Gemini stand in for a second full-length practice SAT?

Google Gemini is the best fit for a student who has finished the official tests and wants another timed run, because Google says it now offers "full-length, on-demand practice exams available at no cost," with immediate feedback and an option to ask Gemini to explain any answer (Google).

Watch out for: Google says the tests are "grounded in rigorously vetted content from leading education companies like The Princeton Review." That is not the same as saying they are College Board questions, so treat the score as a rehearsal, not a prediction. The post says practice tests support the SAT "to start," names no ACT test, and does not say who is eligible. Our directory rating is 4.59 from 41 reviews.

Pricing: No cost, per the post dated January 21, 2026. Whether that holds for a school-issued student account is not stated (Google, checked November 5, 2026).

Safety: We did not review Gemini's student-data terms for this post. Google's privacy policy is linked in our directory record. Ask your district's Google administrator whether Gemini is switched on for student accounts before you assign it.

Choose something else if the student needs the ACT. Gemini's post names only the SAT.

Is Knowt the best free place for SAT and ACT flashcards?

Knowt is the best fit for a student who wants flashcards and notes organized by SAT unit, because its SAT page offers "Free SAT notes & flashcards for every unit" (Knowt). Its paid Ultra tier lists "Full access to AP, SAT, & ACT Prep" (plans).

Our directory shows 5.00 out of 5, from a single review.

Watch out for: Knowt's own pages disagree. The SAT page's FAQ says every SAT study guide, flashcard set and practice question is "completely free," while the same page's Ultra table lists "Unlimited mock exams" and "Unlimited practice for every unit" as paid features. The annual Ultra price is $149.99 on the SAT page and $95.99 on the plans page. Ask which applies before anyone pays.

Pricing: Basic is free. Ultra is $24.99 a month on both pages; annual is $95.99 (plans) or $149.99 with a three-day trial (SAT page), checked November 5, 2026. For schools, Knowt says "as low as $4 per student," with teacher licenses free alongside any student license (schools).

Safety: Knowt's privacy page (updated October 27, 2026) says its consumer service is "not directed to children under the age of 13," who may use it only through their school, and that it shares user-generated flashcards and notes with other users, so students should keep personal details out of a set. Knowt says it signs data privacy agreements for free. The school page shows FERPA and COPPA badges, which are the vendor's claim, not something we verified (privacy).

Choose something else if the student needs timed, full-length tests. Use Bluebook, ACT's free tests or Gemini.

Does ChatGPT's study mode help or just hand over answers?

ChatGPT is the best fit for a student who needs a missed question walked through, because OpenAI says its study mode responds with "Socratic questioning, hints, and self-reflection prompts" rather than a finished answer (OpenAI, July 29, 2025). Our directory rating is 4.35 from 23 reviews.

OpenAI also describes ChatGPT for Teens, rolling out to eligible under-18 accounts on Free and paid personal plans from August 18, with study hours that let a teen or a linked guardian choose when new chats start in study mode (OpenAI help).

Watch out for: Study mode is a toggle, and OpenAI says a student can "toggle study mode on and off during a conversation." A student who switches it off is back in the plain-assistant condition from the Bastani trial. The tool is also not built around SAT or ACT question formats.

Pricing: Free and paid personal plans, per OpenAI's help page. We did not check paid prices (OpenAI help, checked November 5, 2026).

Safety: Teen accounts apply automatically when an account indicates the user is under 18 through account information, verified age or age prediction. OpenAI's page says parental controls "do not let a parent or guardian read or monitor the teen's conversations." Whether teen chats are used to train models is unverified: the page we read does not say. It also says nothing about school plans.

Choose something else if you need a tool a school can administer. Check Gemini under your district's Google setup or Knowt's school licenses.

Who is MentoMind for?

MentoMind is the best fit for a tutoring business or college counseling company that wants an adaptive SAT and ACT platform under its own brand, because its homepage describes "a white label adaptive Digital SAT, ACT practice platform offering diagnostics, targeted practice, and real-time skill insights" (MentoMind). It also lists students and families as users. It says its questions are written and reviewed by its own academic team, which is the vendor's claim. Our directory has no reviews of it yet.

Watch out for: We found no public price. The terms describe an optional one-time fee and say "ALL SALES ARE FINAL," so get the price and refund position in writing before a family pays (terms).

Pricing: No public pricing (checked November 5, 2026).

Safety: The terms say MentoMind collects names, email addresses and the results of a student's interactions, and will not share personal data with third parties "except as necessary to provide our services, or as required by law." They define the user as the adult parent or guardian acting for the minor, set no minimum age, and say nothing we could find about training AI models. Our directory lists 13+.

Choose something else if you want a free start. Use the official practice, then Knowt's free tier.

Is Aristotle worth paying for as a voice tutor?

Aristotle is the best fit for a student who learns by talking, because it is a voice tutor that "asks questions instead of giving answers" and offers "expert-reviewed study plans" for the SAT, ACT and AP exams (Aristotle). It says it is free for teachers and classrooms, with verification. Our directory has no reviews of it yet.

Watch out for: The plans are capped by session, and the free Intro plan covers three one-hour sessions. Its privacy policy says session data is used to "develop and improve our artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies," and it names Google's Gemini API and OpenAI's API as providers. It also says advertising partners, including Meta Pixel, may set cookies on parts of the service (privacy, effective June 20, 2026).

Pricing: Intro: free, three one-hour sessions. Scholar: $49 a month for eight sessions. Infinite: $199 a month, unlimited sessions, one-week free trial (pricing, shown as of October 2026, checked November 5, 2026).

Safety: The policy says under-13s must not use it and that raw audio is not stored, with transcripts kept while the account is active. It says it does not sell personal information for monetary value. It does not say student data is excluded from AI training, and its training language is broad. If a school provides access, the policy says a separate agreement may apply.

Choose something else if the budget is zero. The free tiers above and the official practice cover most of the job.

What about Claude, Perplexity, Quizlet and UWorld?

Claude is in our directory (4.57 from 21 reviews), but Anthropic's age-assurance page, dated May 18, 2026, says its consumer product "is only available to people over 18 years," so it is a tool for the adult building a study plan, not a tutor for under-18 students (Anthropic). Perplexity is listed at 4.27 from 15 reviews; we did not check its SAT features. Quizlet and UWorld are names students ask about, and we did not review either for this post.

Where do the vendors' own pages disagree?

Three gaps stood out while checking. Knowt quotes two annual prices and says both that everything on its SAT page is free and that unlimited mock exams are paid. Khan Academy's district post says AI tools help students "persist through practice" and that districts "are already seeing results," with no cited numbers. And Google's announcement names The Princeton Review as a content partner without saying whose questions the practice SATs contain. Of the six tools here, only Knowt, MentoMind and Aristotle say they cover the ACT, so ACT students should lean harder on act.org's free material.

What does a four-week plan look like before the December 5 SAT?

This is a plan, not a case study. It assumes a junior with three 30-minute sessions a week and a family that will not pay for anything.

1. Days 1 and 2: Take a full Bluebook practice test. Read the score report and write down the three weakest skills.
2. Weeks 1 to 3: Work those three skills in Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy. If a teacher has a free Khanmigo account, turn hints on only after the student's first attempt on each question.
3. End of week 2: Take a timed practice SAT in Gemini as a second check. Ask Gemini to explain only the questions missed.
4. By November 20: Register, using the practice scores to decide. The College Board lists November 24 as the deadline for changes and late registration, and March 6, 2027 is the next date after December 5 (College Board).
5. Week 4: Take another full Bluebook test if one is unused, and compare it with day one by section. If the gain is small, move to March 6.

For an ACT student the same shape works with ACT's free full-length practice tests in place of Bluebook, and with a December 12 or February 27, 2027 test date.

What is the short answer?

Use the free official practice for every score that counts, and let AI do the jobs the test makers do not: Khanmigo, Gemini and ChatGPT's study mode to explain a miss, Gemini for an extra timed test, Knowt for flashcards, and Aristotle or MentoMind when a family chooses to pay for a tutor. For a wider set of options, browse the directory's full tool list, or read our guides to AI study tools for high school students, AI tools for school counselors and AI tools for test prep and exam review. For AP exams, see AI tools for AP teachers.

Dan Fitzpatrick is the founder of The AI Educator and AI Educator Tools. Prices and conditions were checked on November 5, 2026; vendors change them often.