To improve your ACT score, take one official practice test, find the section and the skill category that cost you the most points, drill that with short daily practice, and fix your pacing. On the enhanced ACT only English, Math and Reading count toward the Composite, so that is where the plan below spends your time.
Retaking works more often than not. ACT says 43% of test takers take the ACT more than once, and more than half of them improve their scores. The students who improve by the most points are rarely the ones who studied the longest. They are the ones who knew exactly which questions they were missing and why. If you tested on October 17, your scores start posting October 22 for online tests and October 27 for paper. The next national test is December 12, 2026, and regular registration closes November 6.
This is a section-by-section method for the enhanced ACT, from your first diagnostic to test day. If you are working on the SAT instead, our guide to raising your SAT score by 200 points is the twin of this one.
Know What the Enhanced ACT Counts
Every improvement plan starts with the format, because the format decides where your points come from. These are the numbers from ACT's official section guide, with the time per question worked out:
| Section | Questions (scored) | Minutes | Time per question | In the Composite? |
|---|
| English | 50 (40) | 35 | 42 seconds | Yes |
| Math | 45 (41) | 50 | About 67 seconds | Yes |
| Reading | 36 (27) | 40 | About 67 seconds | Yes |
| Science (optional) | 40 (34) | 40 | 60 seconds | No, reported separately |
| Writing (optional) | 1 essay | 40 | n/a | No |
Three facts follow from that table. The Composite is the rounded average of English, Math and Reading, so each one is a full third of your score. The unscored questions are field-test items mixed into the section, and ACT says their placement varies from form to form, so you cannot tell which ones they are: treat every question as if it counts. And there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a bubble blank.
Step 1: Diagnose With an Official Practice Test
ACT publishes four free full-length practice tests, each in a digital version and a paper PDF with a scoring key. Take one under test timing in one sitting. Then score it with the key, which converts your raw scores (the number you got right) to 1 to 36 scale scores and splits each section into ACT's reporting categories. Our free ACT practice tests guide shows how to turn a practice test into a study plan.
If you already took the ACT, you have a better diagnostic: your score report. The Detailed Results panel shows your percent correct in every reporting category. Our ACT score report guide shows how to read it. If you tested on October 17 or will test on December 12, both dates are eligible for ACT My Answer Key, which gives you the scored questions, your answers and the conversion table for $44 when ordered after the test. It is the closest thing to replaying your own exam.
Write down three things from the diagnostic: your three section scores, the reporting category with your lowest percent correct in each section, and whether you finished each section or ran out of time.
Step 2: Find Where Your Cheapest Points Are
Not every point costs the same. Because the raw-to-scale conversion is uneven, a few more correct answers can be worth more scale points in one section than another. Here is what ACT's own conversion table for Practice Test 2 shows (tables differ slightly by form, so treat this as one example, not a rule for your test):
| Section (Practice Test 2) | Raw score | Scale score | What a few more correct answers buy |
|---|
| English | 30 of 40, then 35 | 24, then 30 | 5 more correct = 6 points |
| Math | 30 of 41, then 35 | 26, then 30 | 5 more correct = 4 points |
| Reading | 20 of 27, then 23 | 25, then 30 | 3 more correct = 5 points |
Reading has only 27 scored questions, so near the top each one moves the scale more. That makes Reading one of the most efficient places to gain points if your misses there come from habits you can fix, like choosing an answer that sounds right without checking it against the passage.
Then run the Composite math. Say you scored English 24, Math 22, Reading 25. That is 71 divided by 3, or 23.67, which rounds to 24. On Practice Test 2's table, Math 22 is 25 correct and Math 26 is 30 correct. Five more right answers in Math alone gives 24 + 26 + 25 = 75, an exact 25. Rounding also cuts the other way: a sum that lands on .33 rounds down, so check how close you are to the next half point before you choose a section. The ACT score calculator does the arithmetic for you.
Step 3: The Section-by-Section Method
English: Learn the Rules, Then the Questions
English is 50 questions in 35 minutes, the fastest pace on the test. Conventions of Standard English (grammar, usage, punctuation) is 38 to 43% of it, and those rules are finite. Make a short list of the ones you miss: commas around nonessential phrases, semicolons, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, modifiers. Drill them until you can spot the error before you read the choices. Production of Writing (purpose, relevance, transitions, sentence placement) is another 38 to 43%; for those, always ask what the sentence has to do in the paragraph, and pick the shortest choice that does it. More in our ACT English guide.
Math: An Error Log Beats More Problems
Math is 45 questions in 50 minutes. Preparing for Higher Math (number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability) is 80% of it, and Integrating Essential Skills, the multi-step rates, proportions and averages problems, is the other 20%. Keep an error log of every miss with one line on why: did not know the concept, set it up wrong, arithmetic slip, or ran out of time. Two weeks of entries will show you a pattern, and the fix differs by type. Concept gaps need a lesson; setup and arithmetic errors need you to write more steps down. Know the ACT calculator policy before you practice, so you train on a calculator you can bring.
Reading: Prove Every Answer
Reading is 36 questions in 40 minutes over several passages, including a paired set that asks you to compare two texts. Key Ideas and Details is 44 to 52% of the section. Most Reading misses are not comprehension failures, they are answer choices that are partly true. Before you pick, point to the line that proves it. If you cannot, eliminate. Time your passages: divide the 40 minutes by the number of passages on your practice test, and keep a minute or two in reserve for the end.
Science: Only If Your Colleges Want It
Science is optional, adds $5 to the $70 base fee, and does not count toward the Composite. If you take it, you also get a STEM score (the average of Math and Science). Check the colleges on your list first. If none asks for it, put that study time into English, Math and Reading. If you are taking it, practice reading graphs and tables before reading the passage text: Interpretation of Data is 38 to 50% of the section.
Step 4: Fix Your Pacing
ACT's own advice is to work out your time per question, then, if you can, spend less than that and save the remainder for the hardest questions. In practice:
- Do one timed section a day in the last four weeks, not just untimed drills.
- Skip and return. If a question has no clear path after about 30 seconds, mark it, guess, and come back if time allows.
- Guess on every blank before time is called. A blank is a guaranteed zero; a guess is not.
- Check where your time went. If you finish Reading with two passages rushed, practice reading faster on the first passage, not the last.
Step 5: Plan Your Retakes Around the Superscore
If you have tested more than once since September 2016, ACT automatically builds a Superscore from your best English, Math and Reading scores across all your test dates. That changes how you study for a retake: you do not have to improve everything at once. A retake that raises only your weakest section can raise your Superscore, as long as the college you send it to uses it. Read our ACT superscore guide for which colleges do.
Your Timeline: December 12 and the 2027 Dates
| Test date | Registration deadline | Late deadline | Paper scores begin |
|---|
| December 12, 2026 | November 6 | November 29 | December 22 |
| February 27, 2027 | January 22 | February 9 | March 16 |
| April 10, 2027 | March 5 | March 23 | April 20 |
| June 12, 2027 | May 7 | May 25 | June 23 |
| July 10, 2027 | June 4 | June 22 | July 20 |
Deadlines fall at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, and online scores usually start a few days before paper scores (December 17 for the December test). Full calendar: ACT test dates 2026-2027.
From October 18 to December 12 is eight weeks. A plan for that window (our suggested structure, not an ACT rule):
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|
| 1 (Oct 18 to 24) | Full practice test or read your Oct 17 report; pick your weakest section and category |
| 2 to 3 (Oct 25 to Nov 7) | Daily drills on that section; error log; register by November 6 |
| 4 (Nov 8 to 14) | Second full practice test; recheck all three sections |
| 5 to 6 (Nov 15 to 28) | Second-weakest section, plus one timed section a day |
| 7 (Nov 29 to Dec 5) | Third full practice test; review the error log |
| 8 (Dec 6 to 11) | Light review, upload your photo by December 7, rest the night before |
How Much Can You Improve?
ACT does not publish an expected gain per hour of study, so anyone who promises a specific number is guessing. What ACT does publish is that more than half of retesters improve. Our view is that the biggest jumps come from fixing a specific, repeated error, such as a comma rule that costs several questions, or a pacing problem that leaves the last Reading passage unfinished.
It also helps to see how few questions a solid gain takes. Take the student above at English 24, Math 22, Reading 25 (Composite 24). On Practice Test 2's tables, reaching English 27, Math 25 and Reading 28, a Composite of 27, takes 3 more correct in English, 3 more in Math and 2 more in Reading: about 8 more right answers out of 108 scored questions. Spread over eight weeks, that is a realistic target, not a leap.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Improve Your ACT Score
What is the fastest way to improve your ACT score?
Take an official practice test, find the reporting category where you miss the most questions in your weakest section, and drill it daily. Then add timed practice, because pacing problems cost points even when you know the content.
Which ACT section is easiest to improve?
For many students it is English, because its grammar and punctuation rules are a finite list. Reading can also move fast at higher scores, since it has only 27 scored questions and each one is worth more on the scale. Your diagnostic decides for you.
Does Science count when I try to raise my ACT Composite?
No. On the enhanced ACT the Composite is the rounded average of English, Math and Reading. Science is optional and reported separately with a STEM score, so only study it if your colleges want it.
Is it worth retaking the ACT?
Usually, yes. ACT says 43% of test takers take it more than once and more than half of them improve. The automatic Superscore means a retake can help even if only one section goes up, at colleges that superscore.
When is the next ACT after October 17, 2026?
December 12, 2026. Regular registration closes November 6 and the late deadline is November 29. Paper scores begin December 22 and online scores December 17.
The best plan is the one you do every day. Start a free ACT quiz on Larry Learns for short practice in English, Math, Reading or Science, with 3 free quizzes a day from 25,000+ practice questions on the web, iPhone and Android. Create a free account to track your score estimate and keep a streak going until December 12.
