Digital ACT^® prep for 2026

There are many test format changes, including:

• The Enhanced ACT is 125 minutes (about 2 hours) instead of ~195 minutes. Similar to the digital SAT, pacing is adjusted accordingly.
• Each section has fewer questions overall, so you actually get more time per question. That means in the ACT English & Reading sections, you can spend extra seconds reading carefully and eliminating answers.
• In the new ACT math section, there are now four answer options rather than five.
• The ACT Science section is now completely optional (and the Writing section continues to be optional). You can choose the ACT Core (English, Math, Reading) or add on Science/Writing sections of the ACT, depending on your goals. The Science test can be a great addition if you're applying to a STEM college.
• Students can choose between taking the Enhanced ACT as a paper test or digitally.

Learn more about the changes in our blog post.

This all depends on your baseline score, your target score, and your test date.

If you don't have a baseline score, you can start an Acely trial to take a free ACT practice test and then make your study plan.

To see the most improvement, we recommend studying for at least 3 months for at least 10 hours per week. This can help students boost their score by ~4 points.

With 20 hours of studying per week for 3 months, students can boost their score by more than 9 points. Again, this greatly depends on their starting score.

If your test date is closer, follow our 1-month ACT study plan; with more runway, use our 3-month ACT study plan. For best results, follow Acely's adaptive Study Plan, which dynamically updates as you take Acely ACT practice tests and work through problems in practice mode.

Acely is an ACT prep program that offers self-paced, personalized guidance so students can easily pinpoint weaknesses and tackle the new format of the official ACT test. With an online course, students get a broad overview of the basics through learning modules, an ACT study guide, and tutorials. These can be helpful for students starting from scratch. While a course can help cover fundamentals, Acely's ACT test prep provides:

• 5,000 targeted questions that are ideal for drilling weaknesses.
• 20 full-length practice tests (far more than the 2 Enhanced exams ACT offers) so you never run out of test-like practice.
• Personalized, AI-driven study plans that guarantee every minute of your prep counts.

Enroll in a course to learn the basics, then use Acely for test-taking strategies that will create real score improvement by your ACT test date.

This varies depending on the school you're applying to. This is a great resource to figure out what your target score should be. A great ACT score can boost your college applications significantly.

Don't forget that you can retake the ACT and submit a superscore to many schools as well. Make sure to research the specific superscore policy for the colleges and universities you're applying to.