Starting in April 2025, the national online ACT® will roll out new enhancements that improve the overall testing experience. This updated, shorter format offers your child more flexibility and time without compromising accuracy for college admissions teams.
Key Takeaways:
- Each section of the Enhanced ACT has fewer questions than its counterpart.
- English has 50
- Math has 45
- Reading has 36
- Your child has more time per question on the Enhanced ACT.
- Science is optional on the Enhanced ACT, but this doesn’t go into effect until April 2025.
- Since some college admissions teams view the Enhanced ACT as an easier version of the exam, they may not pay much attention to these scores.
- Field test content is worked into each section of the Enhanced ACT.
What Is the Enhanced ACT?
The Enhanced ACT is a more customizable version of the traditional exam. Rather than having four predetermined sections that everyone has to complete, your child is only required to complete the English, math, and reading sections. Science and writing will be optional for Enhanced ACT test takers. Your child can also choose whether to take the test online or, starting in September, with paper and pencil.
Since students will have more control over how they test, they can reduce fatigue while testing and put their best foot forward.
Key Differences Between the Enhanced ACT and the Regular ACT
Although both the Enhanced ACT and Regular ACT cover English, math, and reading, they don’t place the same weight on each section.
| REGULAR ACT | ENHANCED ACT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section | Questions | Time | Section | Questions | Time |
| English | 75 | 45 minutes | English | 50 | 50 minutes |
| Math | 60 | 60 minutes | Math | 45 | 45 minutes |
| Reading | 40 | 35 minutes | Reading | 36 | 36 minutes |
| Science | 40 | 35 minutes | Science (optional) | 40 | 40 minutes |
| Writing | 1 | 40 minutes | Writing (optional) | 1 | 40 minutes |
Regular ACT English vs. Enhanced ACT English
On the regular ACT’s English section, roughly 32% tests your child’s ability to identify the main purpose of a text and the relevance and flow of supporting arguments. About 17% gauges their comfort maintaining style and tone while inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words. The remaining roughly 55% of this section tests your child’s knowledge and use of English grammar when editing tests.
Whereas the regular ACT dedicates 32% of the English section to production of writing skills and 55% to English grammar usage, the Enhanced ACT places about 43% on both sections. This means your child is more likely to see content related to identifying the purpose of a text, grammar usage, and clarity. There’s also a slight increase in the amount of questions related to tone and vocabulary. In this section, your child will have 25 fewer questions than they would on the regular ACT.
Regular ACT Math vs. Enhanced ACT Math
Roughly 60% of the math section tests how prepared your child is for more advanced math courses. Although this 60% is divided into five subcategories – numbers and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, and statistics and probability) – each one gauges how well students can solve complex equations using the information provided. About 43% of the math section covers how well your child can interpret information and draw logical conclusions between different data sets.
The biggest change your child will see on the Enhanced ACT will be in the math section. 80% of it focuses on how prepared your child is for more advanced math courses by gauging their comfort with algebra, functions, and geometry. About 15% tests their comfort calculating probabilities, while about 12% focus on real and complex number systems. In this section, your child will have 15 fewer questions than they would on the regular ACT.
Regular ACT Reading vs. Enhanced ACT Reading
About 60% of the reading section tests how well your child identifies key themes, while roughly 30% tests their comfort analyzing texts to understand word choice, other character perspectives, and the writer’s intent. Roughly 23% also tests how well they can draw connections between multiple texts and differentiate between facts and opinions.
The Reading section places less emphasis on key ideas than the regular ACT, but places more emphasis on how well your child can differentiate between facts and opinions and draw connections between different texts. In this section, your child will have four fewer questions than they would on the regular ACT.
Regular ACT Science vs. Enhanced ACT Science
Finally, about 50% of the science section tests how well your child can analyze and form conclusions using scientific data. About 30% tests how well they understand the design of experiments and their comfort adjusting them for a desired result. Roughly 35% tests their ability to judge the validity of and make predictions based on the information provided.
If your child chooses to take the science section, they can expect to see roughly the same content they’d see on the regular ACT. Neither the online Enhanced ACT nor the online regular ACT use an adaptive model, so question difficulty remains roughly the same throughout the exam.
Field test items, which previously existed in a fifth section on the regular ACT, are worked into the Enhanced ACT. These experimental questions serve to help refine future versions of the test. On the Enhanced ACT, students will have no way of knowing which questions are experimental, and therefore do not contribute to their score, and which questions are actual test items.
Is the ACT Composite Score Changing?
The Enhanced ACT is still scored on a 36-point scale, but instead of being created from the average of four scores, it’s the average of three. Although there’s one less section, your child won’t see much of a difference in their composite score.
For example, let’s say your child takes the original ACT and scores the following:
- 19 in math
- 31 in reading
- 32 in English
- 30 in science
Their composite score would be 28. If they had the same scores in math, reading, and English their composite score would be around 27.
When Can You Take the Enhanced ACT?
The first rollout of the Enhanced ACT will be available to national online test-takers in April 2025. In September 2025, the Enhanced ACT will be available in online and paper-pencil versions for both national and international test takers. The Composite score changes will be rolled out for all ACT tests. By spring 2026, the Enhancements will be available for state and district testing.
Which Version Should My Child Take?
After speaking with college representatives, we recommend your child prepare to take the regular ACT instead of the Enhanced version. Some colleges believe the Enhanced ACT has a lower degree of difficulty than the regular ACT. In other words, the Enhanced ACT may not be the best way to accurately represent your child’s capabilities.
At C2, we can make sure your child has the skills and confidence to perform their best on test day. We offer ACT prep and summer boot camps, so your child can prepare for the exam when they’re ready. Every tutor is a subject matter expert who can bring out the best in your child, and will tailor their instruction to meet your child’s needs.
Don’t take any chances with your child’s future. Enroll them in C2’s ACT prep program today and give them the best chance for success on both versions of the test. With our proven strategies and personalized approach, we guarantee results that will impress college admissions officers.
Ready to get started? Call us at 866-466-1479 or submit this form for more information.
