Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in The Hunger Games not because she’s the strongest, but because she adapted to the arena, understood the rules, and used the tools available.
Sure, the digital ACT is not deadly or violent like the famous series, but if you’re a high-school student wondering how to prepare for the digital ACT, you’ve probably understood the message: adapt, understand, and use the tools available.
As per the official ACT Profile Report, over 1.37 million students took the ACT in 2024. To ensure your scores stand out, you want to prepare well for the digital ACT and improve your odds of being selected at your dream college or university.
In this article, we will share a step-by-step guide on preparing for the online ACT and offer some digital ACT test tips.
The digital ACT is the regular ACT test that’s now conducted over digital devices, but with a few changes. Students will take the test in a controlled environment wherein the entire test will be delivered through proprietary software. Instead of filling in circles on a sheet of paper, students will click against their preferred answer choices.
While, in many ways, the digital ACT is similar to the paper-based version (like the maximum score is 36 in both versions, for instance), not everything is the same.
Here are the key differences that will significantly affect a student's preparatory and test-taking strategy.
Preparing for the online ACT means being aware of everything that makes the test unique. For clarity, we’ve classified the key features of the digital ACT format into three categories:
The number of compulsory sections has come down to three: English, Mathematics, and Reading. The Science section is now optional.
This gives you the freedom of choice. If your dream college isn’t interested in your Science scores, your preparations for the online ACT will be that much lighter. You will have more time to prepare for the other three sections, which is an opportunity to increase your ACT scores.
Also, the reading passages are shorter. All this means less test fatigue. You will have fewer questions to attempt and the test will be shorter.
Unlike the digital SAT, which is multi-stage adaptive, the digital ACT is not adaptive. In adaptive tests, how you perform in the early part of the section decides what questions you’ll be shown in the later part. If you answer the difficult questions correctly, you score more. With the ACT, that’s not the case.
You don’t have to stress about answering the difficult questions correctly to score better. All questions in a section are worth the same, so you can choose to attempt questions the way you like.
It won’t leave you guessing if you attempted the tough questions or the easy ones. To that extent, your test-taking strategy becomes simpler.
One of the most valuable digital ACT test tips you can receive is to learn the use of on-screen tools. Among other things, these tools let you:
The on-screen tools let you do more than you could probably do in a conventional paper-based test. For instance, in a test booklet you can mark questions that you want to come back to later, but it’s a task finding them. Now look at the screengrab below.
A single glance is all it takes to find which questions you have flagged. So be sure to learn to use the tools to your advantage.
Preparing for the digital ACT will become more efficient if you work with a plan and use the right resources. You also need a proper strategy to make the most out of the practice tests.
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to prepare for the digital ACT and get your dream score:
Your ACT tutor, your educators, your friends, your counselor - everyone insists you should know the test. But what exactly?
Here’s a list of what you should know about the digital ACT:
If you’re targeting an above-average score, you should also understand how the digital ACT is scored. It can bridge that crucial difference between falling short by one point and easily making the cut to your dream university.
Almost every single SAT tutor will have you begin your preparations by helping you take a mock ACT test. Take it under actual test conditions and do not take breaks not permitted in the actual ACT.
The scores you receive will act as a baseline, a starting point. This is important because it clearly shows where you stand today. The difference between this score and the scores your dream colleges expect will be one of the best approaches to understanding how to prepare for the digital ACT.
Work with a seasoned educator who can help you interpret the scores, point out where you need to direct your effort, and go to the next step - drawing out a study plan.
The study plan isn’t just a time-table. It’s an exercise to minimize your weaknesses and build on your strengths.
Speed and accuracy both matter in the digital ACT. Test tips, therefore, should be based on whether you’re slow or whether you need more work with your basics. Your ACT tutor would be able to extract this information from your mock ACT scores.
After that, they will work with you to understand your priorities and time available, and then come up with the study plan. At your end, you’ll need to ensure discipline and make sure the study plan works.
Among your digital ACT practice resources, practice tests occupy a special place because they can serve multiple purposes.
Work with your tutor to learn when, during your test prep journey, you should take each of these tests.
The whole purpose of following a study plan and taking practice tests is to make sure you ace the ACT. And in order to do this effectively, you will need to monitor your performance throughout.
Keep track of the pace at which you’re improving. Is this pace consistent with the gap between your original score in the first practice mock test and the score your target college asks for? If the improvement isn’t satisfactory, you’ll need to review your strategy and probably tweak your study plan.
You are going to write the digital ACT, so there’s no point in relying on outdated printed resources. Your study material, your sectional tests, your full-length tests—everything should be in the digital format.
There’s a single, powerful reason behind this. The more you use the digital interface, the more confident you’ll be with the screen. That way, when you write the actual ACT a few months from now, you’ll experience a new level of confidence.
And yes, there are some great official practice tests, so never ignore these official ACT resources.
As you have probably noticed, preparing for the digital ACT isn’t just about knowing the content, it’s about mastering the format. From navigating on-screen tools to managing time effectively, the right strategies can make a big difference (remember Katniss Everdeen from the start of this article?).
But what’s the most important part of the entire journey? Taking the first step.
Yes, making a choice about how you intend to proceed is what matters the most at this stage. If you’re a student, begin exploring your options early.
If you’re a tutor, speak to our experts today and see how professional help can transform things for your students.
If you compare the digital ACT with the older paper-and-pencil version, there are considerable differences. There are fewer questions, one more section is made optional, the passages will be shorter, and Mathematics will have four answer choices instead of five.
The digital ACT has many on-screen tools. They let you magnify text, mask answer choices, highlight a part of the text, and flag questions. They completely change your test-taking experience.
Yes, but not all practice tests are of the same value. You must use and rely only on those tests that accurately mimic the actual ACT. Speak to our expert today and they will help you take a free digital practice test.
Five activities, when done right, will significantly improve your time management skills.
First of all, check your device, power, and your internet connection. If you’re satisfied that’s not where the fault lies, immediately inform the proctor. Simultaneously, take notes on what happened. Ask for permission to take screenshots of the issue for records. If the issue isn’t restricted to you alone, you can request a refund or have the authorities reschedule your test at no extra cost.
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