The Enhanced ACT: What Changed and What It Means for You

• Shorter test. The core ACT (English, math, reading) is now 131 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes. ACT says that's up to 84 fewer questions and 50 fewer minutes than the old format.
• Science is optional. It's now an add-on, like writing, and it no longer counts toward your composite.
• New composite. Your 1–36 composite is the average of English, math, and reading only.
• Four answer choices in math, down from five.
• Every test uses it now. The enhanced ACT started on national online tests in April 2025. All national testing, paper included, switched in September 2025, and state and district school-day testing followed in spring 2026.

The pattern: more time per question in every section, and fewer questions everywhere except science (still 40). Reading and science gained the most breathing room. English is still the fastest-paced section, but it's less of a sprint than it used to be.

Some questions in each section are unscored field-test questions that ACT doesn't label. According to ACT's 2025|2026 practice materials, 40 of the 50 English questions are scored, 41 of 45 in math, 27 of 36 in reading, and 34 of 40 in science. Since you can't tell which ones don't count, answer every question as if it does.

ACT's published reporting categories for the enhanced test tell you where to spend your prep time:

• English: Production of Writing 38–43%, Knowledge of Language 18–23%, Conventions of Standard English 38–43%.
• Math: Preparing for Higher Math 80% (algebra, functions, and geometry are each 17–20%), Integrating Essential Skills 20%.
• Reading: Key Ideas & Details 44–52%, Craft & Structure 26–33%, Integration of Knowledge & Ideas 19–26%.
• Science (optional): Research Summaries passages are 50–56% of the section.

In math, that 80% share for higher math is the headline. Algebra and function fluency matter more than arithmetic tricks. Our ACT Math guide breaks it down with worked examples.

• Section scores are still 1–36, and the composite is still a rounded average.
• There's still no penalty for wrong answers.
• Calculators are still allowed on math only. If you test online, a Desmos graphing calculator is built in.
• ACT still calculates a superscore: the average of your highest English, math, and reading scores across all your ACT attempts. Whether a college uses it is still the college's call.
• The skills haven't changed: grammar and rhetoric, algebra through basic trig, reading comprehension, and data reasoning.

Anyone taking the ACT now. Every 2026–27 national test date uses the enhanced format, whether you test on paper or online.

Students with old prep books. Legacy books still teach the right content, but their practice tests use the old section lengths, five-choice math, and a four-section composite. Timing yourself with them trains the wrong pace. See our best ACT prep books for how to spot an outdated edition in 60 seconds.

Students deciding between the SAT and ACT. The shorter ACT changes the comparison. Its core sections now take 2 hours 5 minutes, so length is less of a deciding factor than it used to be. Pacing style and content fit matter more. Our SAT vs. ACT guide walks through the choice.

STEM applicants. Science is optional, but if you take it you get a STEM score (the average of math and science). If a program on your list asks for it, it's not optional for you.

School-day testers. ACT says state and district testing programs moved to the enhanced ACT in spring 2026. If your school gives the ACT during the school day, ask your counselor which sections are included, especially whether science is part of it.

1. Decide on science. Check the testing policy of every college and scholarship on your list. If none ask for science, you can put that prep time into your composite sections. Our ACT Science guide has a quick decision checklist.
2. Get a baseline on the new format. Take one of our two free full-length ACT practice tests, built to enhanced-ACT timing with four-choice math, or one of ACT's free official practice tests.
3. Retime your practice. 35 minutes for 50 English questions, 50 for 45 math, 40 for 36 reading, and 40 for 40 science if you're taking it.
4. Pick a date with room for a retake. The 2026–27 national dates run from September 19, 2026 through July 10, 2027. See our ACT test dates page for deadlines.
5. Read the full picture in our complete ACT guide.