The Enhanced ACT
Verified against ACT’s published scoring key ·
The Enhanced ACT is the current form of the ACT. It has three scored sections — English, Math and Reading — each scored 1 to 36 and averaged for the composite. Science is now optional and does not count toward the composite. The test is shorter, and every section contains unscored field-test questions.
Enhanced ACT format
The required test is 131 questions in 125 minutes, of which 108 are scored. Science adds 40 questions and 40 minutes if you take it.
English
In composite- Scored
- 40
- Questions
- 50
- Minutes
- 35
Math
In composite- Scored
- 41
- Questions
- 45
- Minutes
- 50
Reading
In composite- Scored
- 27
- Questions
- 36
- Minutes
- 40
ScienceOptional
Not in composite- Scored
- 34
- Questions
- 40
- Minutes
- 40
- Required total108 scored of 131 · 125 min
| Section | Questions | Scored | Minutes | In composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 50 | 40 | 35 | Yes |
| Math | 45 | 41 | 50 | Yes |
| Reading | 36 | 27 | 40 | Yes |
| ScienceOptional | 40 | 34 | 40 | No |
| Required total | 131 | 108 | 125 |
Why English is out of 40, not 50
Every section of the Enhanced ACT contains unscored field-test questions — 29 of the 171 you see. ACT embeds them to trial questions for future tests. They are not marked, they are not flagged on your answer sheet, and they look exactly like the ones that count.
This matters the moment you try to score a practice test. Your raw score is the number right out of the scored questions, and ACT’s conversion tables are built on that number. Divide by the total instead and every section comes out low.
It is also the most common error in Enhanced ACT material published elsewhere, including calculators that still average four sections and conversion charts written for the old question counts.
Work out your own composite with the Enhanced ACT score calculator, which counts only the scored questions and shows the full conversion chart.
What changed from the old ACT
Science left the composite. It is still offered and still produces a 1–36 score, but the composite is now the average of English, Math and Reading. Whether you should still sit it is an institution-by-institution question — ACT’s own position is that the decision is institution-specific, and some scholarship rules have been rewritten around it while others have not.
Three sections instead of four changes the arithmetic. Each section now carries a third of the composite rather than a quarter, so one weak section moves the number more and is harder to offset. A published cutoff of 30 is a different target than it was.
The test got shorter, and question counts changed in every section. Any raw-score conversion chart published before the change is wrong for this test, which is worth knowing before trusting a practice test score from an older book.
Scores remain comparable. ACT states that enhanced scores are interchangeable with scores from the previous format. A 28 still means what a 28 meant.
Common questions
- What is the Enhanced ACT?
- The Enhanced ACT is the current version of the ACT. The required test is three sections — English, Math and Reading — totalling 131 questions across 125 minutes. Science is still offered and still produces a 1–36 score, but it is optional and is not included in the composite. Each section is scored 1 to 36 and the composite is the average of the three required sections.
- Does Science count on the Enhanced ACT?
- Not toward the composite. Science is optional on the Enhanced ACT and reported as its own 1–36 score when taken. Whether you need it is decided by the institution, not by ACT — some programs and some scholarship rules still ask for it, so check the schools on your list rather than assuming. ACT's own position is that this is institution-specific.
- How is the Enhanced ACT composite calculated?
- Convert each section's raw score to a 1–36 scaled score using the conversion table for that test form, then average English, Math and Reading and round to the nearest whole number. Three sections rather than four means each one moves the composite more than it used to — a weak section is harder to offset.
- How many questions are on the Enhanced ACT?
- 171 including the optional Science section, of which 142 are scored. The other 29 are unscored field-test questions that ACT embeds to trial for future tests. They are not marked and look exactly like real questions, which is why a raw score out of the total is always wrong.
- Is the Enhanced ACT easier or harder than the old ACT?
- Neither, by design. ACT states that scores on the enhanced test are interchangeable with scores from the previous format, so a 28 means the same thing it did before. The test is shorter and has fewer questions, but scaled scores are linked so that difficulty differences are absorbed by the conversion rather than passed on to you.
- What changed from the old ACT?
- Three things that matter. Science moved out of the composite and became optional. The test got shorter — fewer questions and less time. And question counts changed in every section, which means any raw-score conversion chart published before the change is wrong for this test.
Next steps
- Enhanced ACT practice testReal Enhanced-format questions with an explanation on every one you miss. No account needed to start.
- Enhanced ACT score calculatorRaw answers to scaled sections and a composite, counting only the questions that score.
- Superscore calculatorCombine your best sections across test dates — and see where superscoring is not accepted.
- Merit aid by ACT scoreWhat each score is worth in published scholarship money, per school, with verification dates.
Format and scoring figures on this page come from ACT’s published scoring key and conversion tables (act.org), last checked 2026-10-19. They are read from the same reviewed configuration our calculators use, so a number here and a number there cannot disagree.