Taking the digital ACT? Here's exactly what to expect.
First time on the enhanced ACT and not sure what to bring, whether there's a Desmos, or how it differs from the SAT? This is the plain-English rundown — pulled from the ACT's official test-day rules — so you walk in without surprises.
No credit card. Always confirm the latest rules on act.org.
Bring these
- Your printed Admission Ticket (from MyACT, after photo approval)
- A valid photo ID (government- or school-issued original)
- Several sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers
- An approved calculator — optional, since the digital test has one built in (see below)
- A watch with no alarm (kept on your desk), if you want your own timer
- Snacks and water for the break (left outside the testing room)
Leave these at home
- Mechanical pencils or pens — not allowed; only No. 2 wooden pencils
- Your phone, smartwatch, or any fitness/Wi-Fi/recording device (off and out of sight)
- Highlighters — not permitted
- Your own scratch paper — the test center provides it
- Textbooks, notes, or reading materials
Yes — Desmos is built in. Learn it first.
On the digital ACT, the Math section has the Desmos graphing calculator built right into the screen, plus a basic on-screen calculator — and you can still bring your own approved calculator as a backup. Students who get fast with Desmos beforehand save real time: graphing to find intercepts and intersections, solving equations, and checking answers is often quicker than by hand.
- Graph an equation to read off intercepts, intersections, and max/min instead of solving algebraically.
- Type an equation into a slider to test answer choices fast.
- Use it to verify — plug the answer back in and see if the graph confirms it.
How the enhanced ACT is different from the SAT & the old ACT
- It's shorter than the old ACT: English is 50 questions in 35 minutes, Math 45 in 50, Reading 36 in 40 — about 2 hours 45 minutes for the core sections.
- Science is now its own optional section, not part of the required core — check what your test date and colleges require.
- Taken digitally, you answer on-screen at the test center (a device is provided, or you use your own approved device if you registered that way) — it's not the same app as the SAT's Bluebook.
- The center gives you scratch paper and pencils; you work problems on paper and enter answers on the screen.
- There's a short break after the second section — you can't leave the test site.
ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc., which is not affiliated with and does not endorse this product. Desmos® is a trademark of Desmos Studio PBC. Test-day rules are based on ACT's published guidance and can change — always confirm the current rules and what your specific test date includes on act.org.