What is the Enhanced ACT?
What Is the Enhanced ACT?
Key Changes and How to Prepare in 2025
As the college admissions landscape continues to evolve, so do the tools available to help students showcase their potential. One of those tools is the Enhanced ACT—a term that refers to recent updates that improve the testing experience and offer more flexibility.
At Om Education, we support students—especially neurodivergent, twice-exceptional, and test-anxious learners—in navigating these changes with confidence.
What Is the ACT?
The ACT is a standardized college admissions test that includes four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, plus an optional Writing section. Colleges use ACT scores to assess academic readiness and make admissions decisions.
What Is the Enhanced ACT?
The term Enhanced ACT describes recent improvements designed to make the ACT more student-friendly, informative, and strategic. These updates are already in effect for the 2025 testing season.
1. Superscoring Made Official
Superscoring allows students to combine their best section scores from different test dates. For example, your student’s highest English and Math scores—taken on different days—can now be combined to form a stronger composite score.
Why it matters:
Superscoring gives students the opportunity to highlight their academic strengths and boost their admissions profile.
2. Shorter Testing Time
The total ACT testing time has been slightly reduced. While the content and rigor remain the same, the streamlined format helps improve pacing and reduce testing fatigue.
Why it matters:
This is especially helpful for students with attention challenges or test anxiety. At Om Education, we help students build time-management strategies and test-day confidence.
3. Optional Science and Writing Sections
Science (Now Optional)
As of 2025, the ACT Science section is optional and no longer required for all students. While still available for those who want to demonstrate strength in scientific reasoning, the section is not weighed as heavily by many colleges—especially for students pursuing non-STEM majors.
Instead of testing science facts, the section emphasizes interpreting data, analyzing charts and graphs, and understanding experimental design.
Why it matters:
If your student isn’t pursuing a science-heavy field, this section may not be essential. Choosing to skip it can shorten the test day and reduce cognitive load. We help families make informed decisions based on each student’s college list and academic goals.
Writing
The ACT Writing section is optional and not required by most colleges. Many students opt out of the essay unless a specific college recommends it.
Why it matters:
Understanding which sections are necessary helps reduce unnecessary stress and testing time. We help families make these decisions based on their student’s college goals.
4. Faster Results with Online Testing
Students testing online at select ACT test centers can now receive their scores in as little as two business days.
Why it matters:
Faster results allow for more timely decisions about retesting or application submission.
5. Enhanced Score Reports
The new ACT score reports offer deeper insights into performance across academic skills. This allows for more targeted test prep and a clearer picture of strengths and areas for growth.
How Om Education Supports ACT Prep
At Om Education, we create personalized, holistic test prep programs tailored to each student’s learning style—especially for:
Neurodivergent and twice-exceptional students
Highly sensitive or anxious learners
Students needing a calm, structured approach to test prep
Whether your student is testing for the first time or looking to improve a previous score, our mentoring approach supports both academic growth and emotional resilience.
Final Thoughts: Is the Enhanced ACT Right for Your Student?
The Enhanced ACT is about giving students more flexibility and better tools to succeed. If your student is considering the ACT, we’re here to help you understand the changes and build a prep plan that works for their unique needs.
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We offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about your student and determine the best next steps.
👉 Contact us here to get started.