{"id":66036,"date":"2026-07-29T06:12:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/?p=66036"},"modified":"2026-07-29T06:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T22:13:03","slug":"enhanced-act-september-2026-guide-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/enhanced-act-september-2026-guide-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Enhanced ACT Guide for September 2026: New Format, Optional Science, and the August 14 Registration Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re planning to sit the ACT on September 19, 2026, the clock is already running. This is the first national ACT test date of the 2026-27 testing year, and regular registration closes on August 14, 2026<\/strong>. There is a late registration window through September 1, 2026<\/strong>, but it comes with an extra fee of roughly $42. If you want the widest choice of test centers, especially in Taiwan, register early: seats at popular centers tend to fill before the deadline even arrives.<\/p>\n

This September test date matters for another reason too. It falls squarely within the Enhanced ACT era, the redesigned version of the test that rolled out for national testing in September 2025 and is expanding to school-day testing in spring 2026. Here is what actually changed, whether you should keep the optional Science section, how to think about ACT versus the Digital SAT, and a week-by-week plan to get ready in the seven weeks before test day.<\/p>\n

What Changed in the Enhanced ACT<\/h2>\n

Since September 2025, the ACT administered nationally has been the Enhanced ACT. The core test now covers three sections instead of four: English, Math, and Reading. Science is no longer required. It has become a fully optional section, and Writing remains optional as it was before. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the old and new formats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th>\nLegacy ACT<\/th>\nEnhanced ACT<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Core sections<\/td>\nEnglish, Math, Reading, Science<\/td>\nEnglish, Math, Reading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Science section<\/td>\nRequired, counted in Composite<\/td>\nOptional, separate Science score<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total questions<\/td>\nAbout 215<\/td>\nAbout 171<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total testing time<\/td>\nAbout 175 minutes<\/td>\nAbout 125 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Composite score calculation<\/td>\nAverage of four sections<\/td>\nAverage of English, Math, Reading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Writing<\/td>\nOptional<\/td>\nOptional (unchanged)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Fewer questions and a shorter clock mean students get roughly 18 percent more time per question than under the legacy format. For students who tend to run out of time on Reading or feel worn down over a long test, that extra breathing room is a real advantage. A shorter overall session also means less fatigue by the end of the test, which matters for international students testing on a Saturday morning after a long week of school.<\/p>\n

One important note for students testing outside the US: international test centers, including those in Taiwan, administer the ACT as computer-based testing. US-based students can choose between digital and paper formats on national test dates, but that choice isn’t available everywhere, and international test dates can differ slightly from the US national calendar. Always confirm your exact test date and format on act.org before you register.<\/p>\n

Should You Take the Optional Science Section?<\/h2>\n

Under the Enhanced ACT, Science is scored separately and no longer factors into your Composite score. For most students applying to programs outside STEM, skipping Science and focusing your prep time on English, Math, and Reading is a reasonable default.<\/p>\n

That said, if you’re aiming for a STEM major or a pre-med track, it’s worth considering keeping Science on your test day schedule. While colleges generally weigh the Composite score most heavily, some STEM and pre-med programs may still want to see a Science score as a signal of scientific reasoning and data interpretation skills. Policies vary by school and are still evolving as colleges adjust to the new format, so check the admissions requirements of each program you’re targeting rather than assuming either way.<\/p>\n

ACT or Digital SAT: A Quick Way to Decide<\/h2>\n

US colleges accept the ACT and Digital SAT equally, so there’s no universal “better” choice here, only a better fit for you. The ACT moves at a faster pace and leans more heavily on reading speed, particularly in the Reading section, which rewards students who read quickly and extract key information efficiently. The Digital SAT uses adaptive testing, where question difficulty shifts based on your performance as you go, which can favor students who build strategy through practice and steady pacing. The most reliable way to decide is to take one full official practice test for each and compare how the pacing and question style actually feel, rather than relying on general reputation.<\/p>\n

A 7-Week Study Plan: Early August to September 19<\/h2>\n

With test day set for September 19, early August is the right time to start a focused plan. Here is a week-by-week outline:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Week 1 (Baseline):<\/strong> Take one full practice test. Break down your results by English, Math, and Reading, and decide whether you’ll add optional Science.<\/li>\n
  • Week 2 (Foundations):<\/strong> Review the core grammar rules, math formulas, and reading strategies behind your weakest question types from the baseline test.<\/li>\n
  • Week 3 (Section focus):<\/strong> Drill English grammar and rhetorical skills, and work through the most commonly tested Algebra and Geometry topics in Math.<\/li>\n
  • Week 4 (Reading strategy):<\/strong> Practice pacing and skimming techniques for Reading, and make deliberate use of the extra time per question the new format gives you.<\/li>\n
  • Week 5 (Checkpoint test):<\/strong> Take a second full practice test and compare it against your baseline to see where you’ve improved and what’s still weak.<\/li>\n
  • Week 6 (Targeted review):<\/strong> Focus remaining prep time on your persistent weak spots, and run one fully timed practice test that matches your actual test-day sections, including Science if you’re taking it.<\/li>\n
  • Week 7 (Taper and logistics):<\/strong> Reduce practice volume, review test-day strategy, and confirm your test center location, required ID, and what to bring on test morning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    How to Register and Key Dates<\/h2>\n

    Register through act.org or your MyACT account. Here are the dates that matter for this test date:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Test date: September 19, 2026<\/li>\n
    • Regular registration deadline: August 14, 2026<\/li>\n
    • Late registration deadline: September 1, 2026 (late fee of approximately $42 applies)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Most students testing from Taiwan sit for the ACT in Taipei, Taichung, or Kaohsiung. These centers fill up quickly, sometimes well before the official deadline, so register as soon as you’ve decided on this test date to avoid being pushed to a less convenient location. The ACT is offered seven times per testing year, in September, October, December, February, April, June, and July, so if September genuinely doesn’t work, there are other dates to plan around within your application timeline.<\/p>\n

      Getting Ready<\/h2>\n

      The Enhanced ACT is a shorter, more focused test, but it still rewards careful, structured preparation, and the new format changes how you should approach it: how much time to spend on optional Science, how to make the most of the extra time per question, and how to compare it honestly against the Digital SAT. If you’d like a personalized study plan built around the Enhanced ACT, or help deciding between the ACT and Digital SAT, Ivy-Way Academy’s tutors and admissions consultants can help you map out a plan based on your goals and target schools. Reach out to our team to get started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Enhanced ACT is shorter, with optional Science. Learn the Sept 19, 2026 test date, Aug 14 registration deadline, and a 7-week study plan from Ivy-Way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Enhanced ACT Sept 2026: New Format & Aug 14 Deadline","_seopress_titles_desc":"The Enhanced ACT is shorter, with optional Science. Learn the Sept 19, 2026 test date, Aug 14 registration deadline, and a 7-week study plan from Ivy-Way.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"Enhanced ACT September 2026","is_share_social_media":0,"is_publish_medium":0,"language":"en","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-act-tw"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/enhanced-act-2026-featured.jpg","views":{"total":2,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1785347487},"ivyway_views":1,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66036"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66038,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66036\/revisions\/66038"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.ivy-way.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}