What Changed in the ACT's Enhanced Format

Three required sections instead of four

The enhanced ACT now requires only English, Math, and Reading. Science, long a mandatory fourth section, moved to an optional add-on, the same status the Writing essay already had. This cuts the required core down to 125 minutes and 131 questions, according to ACT .

The older ACT format required English, Math, Reading, and Science together, running close to three hours before an optional Writing essay added 40 more minutes. Students who only want a composite score built on English, Math, and Reading now finish in under half that time.

Timing and question counts

Add Science and Writing to the core and total testing time still lands under the old mandatory-Science format, since the enhanced core itself runs shorter per section.

Why ACT made Science optional

ACT frames the change as letting students show their strengths instead of routing everyone through a section that some colleges never weighted heavily. The Science section still exists, and colleges that want to see it can request it, but it no longer factors into your core Composite score unless you add it.

What it costs to add Science or Writing

The base ACT costs $68 and covers English, Math, and Reading. Adding Science costs $4 more.

Adding the Writing essay costs $25 more, according to ACT . Check which colleges on your list want a Science score or Writing score before you register, since some schools still ask for one or both even though ACT itself no longer requires them.

Paper or computer, your choice

The enhanced ACT lets you test on paper or on a computer, whichever fits how you study and take tests best. Both formats cover the same required sections, same timing, and same optional add-ons.

Neither format is adaptive. Every student answers the same fixed set of questions in the order they appear, unlike the module-based digital SAT.

What this means for your pacing

Fewer required questions per section means less cushion if you get stuck. English gives you about 42 seconds per question, Math about 67 seconds, and Reading about 67 seconds, tighter than a leisurely pace but in line with the old ACT's rhythm. Build practice sessions around the new section lengths specifically, not older timing charts, since minutes-per-question shifted even where question counts look similar.

If you tested under the old format already

Scores from the earlier four-section ACT stay valid, and colleges accept them the same way they accept enhanced-format scores.

If you retake, your new score report reflects the enhanced structure, so a Science score from an old attempt will not combine with a new attempt unless you also pay to add Science this time.

How this compares to the digital SAT

The enhanced ACT stays a linear, non-adaptive test, meaning question order and difficulty stay fixed for everyone. The digital SAT adjusts difficulty between two modules per section based on your performance.

Neither approach is inherently easier. The change mainly affects how much total time and how many optional sections you commit to on test day.

Deciding whether to add Science or Writing

Check testing requirements on each college's admissions page before you register, since policies differ. Some engineering and science-heavy programs still want a Science score even though ACT no longer requires it for everyone. Writing essay requirements are rarer now, but a handful of colleges and scholarship programs still ask for one, so confirm before skipping the add-on to save money.