The Enhanced ACT: Everything That Changed, What It Means for You, and How to Prepare

The ACT just underwent its biggest overhaul in decades. Starting in April 2025 for digital test-takers and September 2025 for paper, ACT rolled out what it’s calling the “Enhanced ACT”—a shorter, more flexible version of the test with some significant structural changes that affect scoring, strategy, and preparation.

This isn’t a cosmetic update. The test is meaningfully different in several ways that matter for how students should approach both the exam and their prep. Here’s what you need to know.

The Big Changes at a Glance

The Enhanced ACT introduces five major structural changes:

1. Science is now optional. This is the headline change. The ACT now has three core sections—English, Math, and Reading—with Science and Writing both available as optional add-ons.
2. The Composite score is calculated from only three sections. Your Composite is now the average of English, Math, and Reading only. If you take Science, you’ll get a separate Science score and a STEM score (average of Math + Science), but neither affects your Composite.
3. The test is significantly shorter. The core test (without Science or Writing) takes about 2 hours and 5 minutes—down from roughly 3 hours on the legacy ACT. Even with Science included, you’re done in about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
4. There are fewer questions with more time per question. The total question count dropped from 215 to 131 on the core test (171 with Science). On average, students get about 18% more time per question—roughly 9 extra seconds each.
5. Math now has 4 answer choices instead of 5. This aligns Math with every other section and slightly improves your odds when eliminating answers.

The New Structure in Detail

Section	Questions (Scored)	Time	Time/Question
English	40 (of 50 total)	35 min	~42 sec
Math	41 (of 45 total)	50 min	~67 sec
Reading	27 (of 36 total)	40 min	~67 sec
Science (optional)	34 (of 40 total)	40 min	~60 sec
Writing (optional)	1 essay	40 min	—

Important: The “total” question counts in the table above are higher than the scored counts because ACT has embedded experimental (field test) questions throughout each section. These don’t count toward your score, but you won’t know which ones they are. Treat every question as if it counts.

What Stayed the Same

Despite the structural overhaul, a lot of the ACT’s DNA is unchanged:

• The test is still scored on a 1–36 scale.
• It’s still a linear test—not adaptive. Every student gets the same questions.
• The content areas and question types are largely the same. English still tests grammar, rhetoric, and organization. Math still covers algebra through some precalculus. Reading still uses passage-based comprehension questions.
• There’s no penalty for guessing. Answer every question.
• Both paper and digital formats are available.
• Superscoring is still supported—and you can mix scores from legacy and Enhanced ACT administrations.

The Science Question: Should You Take It?

This is the strategic decision every ACT student now has to make, and the answer isn’t as simple as “skip it if you’re bad at science.”

Here’s the framework:

• Check your target schools’ requirements. Several colleges still require or recommend a Science score for the current application cycle, including Georgetown, Boston University, Pomona, Duke, and University of Michigan. If you’re applying to 10+ schools, there’s a good chance at least one will want to see it.
• Consider STEM applicants. If you’re planning to major in a science or engineering field, taking the Science section gives you a STEM score that combines your Math and Science results. This can strengthen your application.
• But prioritize the Composite. No individual college’s Science requirement outweighs the importance of maximizing your Composite score. If prepping for Science pulls focus from English, Math, or Reading, deprioritize it until your core scores are where they need to be.

The general rule: it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If you can take it without sacrificing core section performance, take it.

Scoring Implications You Need to Understand

The shift from a four-section to a three-section Composite changes the math in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

Each section now carries more weight.

On the legacy ACT, each section was 25% of your Composite. Now each section is 33%. A weak score in any single area has a bigger drag on your overall number. Conversely, a strong improvement in your weakest section has more leverage than it used to.

Fewer questions means less room for error.

With fewer scored questions per section, each individual question carries more weight in the raw-to-scaled score conversion. Score stability may decrease—meaning your score could fluctuate more between test dates. ACT experts recommend planning for 2–3 sittings to establish a reliable baseline.

Rounding works differently now.

With three sections instead of four, the average that produces your Composite can only end in .00, .33, or .66 after dividing by three. Only one of those three possibilities (.66) rounds up. So students who previously benefited from rounding when averaging four sections may see a slightly different Composite than expected.

Legacy scores and superscoring.

If you’ve already taken the legacy ACT, your existing Composite scores won’t be recalculated. However, ACT’s Superscore Report now uses only English, Math, and Reading to calculate the Superscore Composite—even if some of those section scores came from legacy test dates. Be aware: if Science was pulling your old Composite up, your Superscore may look different than you expect.

Notable Content Changes

While the core content is largely unchanged, there are a few shifts worth noting:

• English now includes question stems for every item. Previously, many English questions didn’t include an explicit question—you just had to know what was being asked. Now every question has a clear prompt, which actually helps students identify what skill is being tested (grammar, rhetoric, transitions, etc.).
• English has shifted toward more Production of Writing questions. Expect relatively fewer pure grammar questions and more questions about argument structure, transitions, and rhetorical purpose.
• Science includes an engineering and design passage. For students who do take Science, one passage will focus on engineering and design concepts—a new addition.
• Some English and Reading passages are shorter. But unlike the SAT, all passages still have multiple associated questions—this isn’t a one-passage-per-question format.

How to Adjust Your Prep Strategy

1. Prioritize your weakest core section.

With three sections each worth 33% of your Composite, the fastest path to a higher score is almost always improving your weakest area. If English is your floor, that’s where you put the hours.

2. Don’t rely on speed anymore—rely on precision.

The old ACT was famously a speed test. The Enhanced ACT still requires good pacing, but with 18% more time per question, the bottleneck shifts from speed to accuracy. Careless errors are more costly now because each question carries more scoring weight.

3. Use updated practice materials.

ACT has released new practice tests and a new Official Prep Guide reflecting the Enhanced format. Practice materials from prior years are still useful for content review, but they won’t reflect the new section lengths, question stems on English, or four-choice Math format.

4. Decide paper vs. digital and practice in that format.

Unlike the SAT (which is digital-only), the ACT still offers both paper and digital options. The content is identical, so choose whichever format you’re more comfortable with—then practice in that format. ACT is also working on bring-your-own-device support for digital testing.

5. Plan for multiple test dates.

With fewer questions per section, scores may be less stable test-to-test. Build a testing calendar that allows for 2–3 sittings so you can superscore across your best section performances.

ACT vs. SAT: How to Choose in 2026

With both tests having undergone major overhauls, the ACT vs. SAT decision looks different than it did even a year ago. Here’s a quick comparison:

Factor	Digital SAT	Enhanced ACT
Length	2 hr 14 min	~2 hr 5 min (core)
Adaptive?	Yes (multistage)	No (linear)
Science Section	None	Optional
Format	Digital only	Paper or digital
Calculator	Built-in Desmos, all math	Bring your own or use provided
Math Answer Choices	4	4 (was 5)
Score Scale	400–1600	1–36

The best way to decide? Take a timed practice test for each and compare your scores. The test that produces the stronger baseline score is usually the right choice.

Rollout Timeline

Date	What Happens
April 2025	Enhanced ACT launched for national online testing
September 2025	Enhanced format applies to national paper testing
February 2026	Enhanced ACT available for international online testing
Spring 2026	Enhanced format applies to ACT School Day testing

The Bottom Line

The Enhanced ACT is the most significant update to the test in its history. It’s shorter, more flexible, and gives students more control over their testing experience—but it also means each question carries more weight, each section has more impact on your Composite, and strategic decisions (like whether to take Science) now matter in ways they didn’t before.

The content hasn’t changed much. The strategy has changed a lot. Your prep plan needs to reflect that.