ACT Changes for 2026: The Shorter Test and Optional Science, Explained
The Enhanced ACT, now standard in 2026, is shorter and more flexible. It has 131 core questions across three required sections — English, Math, and Reading — down from 215, and takes roughly two hours. Science is now optional and no longer counts toward your 1–36 composite; adding it takes about 40 more minutes and gives a separate STEM score.
The ACT has gone through its biggest redesign in decades, and if you’re preparing in 2026 the test looks noticeably different from the one your older siblings took. The good news: it’s shorter, less exhausting, and gives you more breathing room per question. Here’s exactly what changed and how to prepare for it.
What is the Enhanced ACT?
The Enhanced ACT is ACT’s redesigned format, phased in through 2025 and standard for 2026. It keeps the familiar 1–36 composite scale that colleges have used for years, so scores are fully comparable to older ones — a 32 today reads the same to admissions offices as a 32 did before. What changed is the structure underneath that score: fewer questions, a shorter runtime, and a Science section that’s now optional.
What changed: a shorter test with fewer questions
The core Enhanced ACT has 131 questions, down from 215 on the legacy test. Those break down as 50 English, 45 Math, and 36 Reading questions, and the core sections take roughly two hours instead of the old three-hour marathon. Reading and English passages are shorter, and because the test trimmed length while keeping generous timing, you actually get more time per question than before. That’s a meaningful shift for students who used to run out of time.
Science is now optional — what that means for your score
The headline change is that the Science section is optional, much like the Writing section has always been. If you skip it, your 1–36 composite is calculated from English, Math, and Reading only. If you take it, Science appears as a separate section score and feeds a STEM score, but it does not fold into your composite. Taking Science adds roughly 40 minutes of testing time. So the choice is genuinely yours, and it depends on your goals rather than on any scoring penalty for opting out.
More time per question, and other tweaks
Beyond the shorter length, two smaller changes are worth knowing. First, ACT Math answer choices dropped from five options to four, which slightly improves your odds on any question you have to reason through. Second, experimental (unscored) questions are now mixed throughout the sections rather than isolated, so you won’t know which ones count — treat every question as if it does.
When the changes took effect
The rollout happened in phases. The digital ACT moved to the Enhanced format first in spring 2025, national weekend test dates (both digital and paper) switched permanently in September 2025, and school-day administrations transitioned in spring 2026. The practical takeaway: anyone testing now, on any date, is taking the Enhanced ACT.
Should you take the optional Science section?
For most students the answer comes down to intended major. If you’re heading toward a STEM or science-heavy field, taking Science and earning a strong STEM score can strengthen your application and demonstrate exactly the skills those programs care about. If you’re aiming for humanities, business, or arts programs — and the schools on your list don’t request it — skipping Science lets you focus your energy on the three sections that drive your composite. When in doubt, check whether your target colleges have a stated preference.
How to prep for the new format
The single biggest mistake right now is drilling with pre-2025 practice tests. Old exams have the wrong question counts and timing, so practicing on them trains a pacing clock that won’t match test day. Use current Enhanced-format materials, practice in the digital environment if you’ll test digitally, and shift your mindset from rushing to careful analysis — you have more time per question now, and the students who use it deliberately are the ones who benefit most from the redesign.
Test Prep Pundits has updated its ACT curriculum for the Enhanced format, including full-length practice in the correct question counts and timing. Explore ACT prep or take a free ACT practice test.
