Enhanced ACT® prep for 2026 exams
Shorter timing, optional science: the Enhanced ACT is different. Study with Acely to guarantee you're practicing the exact, updated format and walking into test day with zero surprises.
How is the Enhanced ACT® different?
Shorter test length
Fewer questions
Optional science section
Completely digital version
Why the Enhanced ACT® change is important
With a shorter format and fewer scored questions, every answer matters more than ever. Old strategies won't cut it. You need to know the new timing, tools, and layout cold. With Acely's platform, you'll get access to everything you need to prepare:
- Take a full-length ACT exam or one section
- Take the optional Science section
- In-depth score report with insights on pacing and accuracy
Study plan that adapts in real time
Input your baseline ACT score, goal score, and test date, and Acely will create a personalized study plan that dynamically adapts as you practice. The plans are self-paced, but include daily prioritized tasks, so it's easy to know where to focus.
20 Practice tests that mirror the Enhanced ACT®
There are only two enhanced ACT practice tests available on ACT's website. By combining the ACT and Acely's full-length practice tests, students can complete 1 test per week for 3 months, which helps boost students' confidence before test day.
- Take a full-length practice test or one section
- Take the optional Science section
- In-depth score report with insights on pacing and accuracy
“By the time test day came, I felt calm and prepared.”
“Acely was monumental in my preparation and if I could do it again, I wouldn't do any of it differently!”
5,000 Questions for consistent practice on the Enhanced ACT
All practice questions, hints, and answer explanations are reviewed and verified by Acely's Curriculum Team for accuracy, difficulty, and structure. The practice problems are consistently updated to ensure students study fully aligned material.
Progress dashboards that keep students motivated
Ditch the old prep books that offer zero feedback. Acely's online prep is built for the new Enhanced ACT. It instantly analyzes your performance, providing the specific, actionable insights you need to see real progress and stay engaged.
Desmos on the digital ACT
There is a built in calculator for the entire digital ACT Math section, but often, students don't take the time to learn all of the functionalities. See all the reasons below why Desmos can be a game changer.
Algebra
Desmos instantly graphs linear equations, inequalities, and quadratics to find intersection points, shaded regions, roots, and vertices.
Geometry
Desmos is great for coordinate geometry: Plot points, draw lines, and graph the equation of a circle to easily find its center or radius.
Trigonometry
Graph trig functions or solve trig equations by finding their intersections.
Data Analysis
To make sense of statistics, input data into a table to create scatter plots or instantly find lines of best fit (regression) by clicking the "Add Regression" button.
Accuracy
Check your work and reduce human error in arithmetic and graphing.
Speed and Efficiency
Complex calculations, graphing, and even the ability to solve systems of equations can be done in seconds.
“I felt that Acely was challenging and the most accurate to an actual ACT test.”
Acely pricing
The College Board and ACT recommend students take the test at least twice. Pick a plan that gives you time to retest for a great superscore!
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Get more insights on the enhanced ACT, goal scores, and more.
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.
For best results, we recommend following Acely's Study Plan that dynamically updates as you take Acely mock exams 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 mock exams (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 based on a specific school. 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.