The enhanced ACT in 2026: what actually changed

July 23, 2026

The ACT is shorter now, Science is optional, and Math has four answer choices instead of five. Here is exactly what changed and how to adjust your prep.

The ACT has been through the biggest overhaul in its recent history, and by 2026 the enhanced format is the one you will sit. If your prep materials or your older siblings describe a five-choice, science-required, nearly-three-hour test, that test is gone. Here is what actually changed.

What is different

• It is shorter. The core test dropped from about 175 minutes to about 125 minutes. That is a real change in stamina, not a rounding difference.
• Science is optional. The core exam is now English, Math, and Reading. On the national ACT, Science still exists but you choose whether to take it, and it does not count toward your composite.
• The composite is the average of three sections. English, Math, and Reading only. Previously Science was in the mix.
• Math has four answer choices, not five. Every Math question is now A through D, like the other sections, instead of A through E.
• Fewer questions per section. English went from 75 to 50, Math from 60 to 45, Reading from 40 to 36. Optional Science is 40.
• More time per question. Because the question counts dropped more than the time did, you get meaningfully more time per question than on the old ACT, on the order of a fifth more on average, though it varies by section. The ACT was always a speed test; it is a little less brutal now.

What did not change

The content is the same test at heart. English still tests grammar, punctuation, and rhetoric in context. Math still spans algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Reading still rewards fast, accurate comprehension. If you are strong on the old ACT skills, you are strong on this one. The format got lighter; the material did not.

Should you take Science?

Since Science is now optional, the first question is whether to sit it at all. Take it if a college on your list recommends or requires it, if you are applying to STEM programs that value it, or if it is one of your stronger sections and can strengthen your profile. Science on the ACT is not a facts test. It is a read-the-graphs-and-experiments-under-time test, and many students find it their easiest section once they see that. If none of those apply to you, the optional section is genuinely optional.

How to adjust your prep

• Use enhanced-format materials. Practice on four-choice Math and the current section lengths. Five-choice Math questions and old timing will train the wrong instincts.
• Use the extra time, do not waste it. More time per question means careless errors are less forgivable, not that you can drift. The students who gain the most from the new pacing are the ones who slow down just enough to stop making avoidable mistakes.
• Decide on Science early. If you are taking it, practice it as its own skill. If you are not, put that time into English, Math, and Reading, since those are your whole composite now.
• Do full, timed sections. The enhanced ACT is still a pacing test. Practicing untimed hides the exact problem the test is built to expose.

The bottom line

The enhanced ACT is shorter, has optional Science, four-choice Math, and a little more breathing room per question, but it rewards the same skills it always did. Prep on current-format material, decide deliberately about Science, and practice timed. If you want full-length enhanced-ACT practice with all four sections and an estimated 1 to 36 score, you can start free.