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How to Prepare Students for the ACT

The Complete ACT Checklist! Updated for the 2025–2026 School Year Reflects the Enhanced ACT format effective Spring 2026 for school-day testing.

Introduction

As a teacher, you have the power to play a significant role in preparing students for the ACT, even if you have limited time to incorporate test prep into your daily curriculum. This guide provides a month-by-month checklist to help you support your students throughout the school year.

Important notes before you begin:

  • The timeline below is a suggested guide. Adjust it to fit your grade level, school calendar, and testing schedule.
  • This guide presumes a Junior class with an April test date, but the framework applies to any test date.
  • The ACT underwent major changes in 2025. This guide reflects the Enhanced ACT format that applies to school-day testing starting Spring 2026.
  • For the latest information, visit the official ACT website at act.org.

What’s New: The Enhanced ACT

Starting in the 2025–2026 school year, the ACT has been significantly redesigned. Here are the key changes your students need to know:

Updated Test Structure

Section

Details

English (Required)

50 questions – tests grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical skills

Math (Required)

45 questions – covers algebra, geometry, statistics, and advanced math

Reading (Required)

36 questions – tests reading comprehension across multiple passage types

Science (Optional)

No longer required; does not count toward the Composite Score

Writing (Optional)

40-minute essay; scored separately on a 2–12 scale

 

Key Changes at a Glance

  • Shorter test: approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes (down from about 3 hours).
  • More time per question: students get about 22% more time per question than before.
  • Composite Score is now the average of English, Math, and Reading only (Science is excluded).
  • Digital testing is available with a bring-your-own-device option (Windows laptop, Chromebook, or MacBook).
  • Section retesting is now possible for digital test-takers on national test dates.
  • Superscoring now includes only English, Math, and Reading.
  • Spring 2026 is when the Enhanced ACT takes effect for school-day testing.

 

Phase 1: Diagnosing ACT Readiness

Timeframe: August

The beginning of the school year is the ideal time to establish a baseline for your students’ readiness and set them up for success.

Practice Tests

  • Set aside in-class time to administer a practice test in your subject area. Bonus points for also discussing the answers afterward.
  • If you teach students for the full year, administer a practice test early in the first semester and again at the start of the second semester to gauge progress.
  • Use Magoosh’s practice questions and diagnostic tools to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Note: With the Enhanced ACT, make sure any practice materials reflect the updated format (3 required sections, shorter test length).

Identify Students Who Need Accommodations

  • Some students may be eligible for accommodations on the ACT, including those with disabilities and English learners (EL).
  • All accommodation requests must be submitted through ACT’s Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system and approved before the test date.
  • Requests typically take 5–10 business days to process, so start early.
  • New for 2025–2026: EL support approvals for extended time are now valid for two years (previously one year).

Suggest Additional Support Where Needed

  • If you identify students early on who will need considerably more ACT prep support than your curriculum can provide, discuss additional resources with their parents or guardians.
  • Consider what additional Magoosh resources (video lessons, practice sets, study schedules) might help these students catch up.

Phase 2: Introducing the ACT

Timeframe: September – October

Introduce Students to What the ACT Covers

  • Take at least one class period to discuss the key concepts and skills tested on the ACT that your class will cover.
  • Make sure students understand the Enhanced ACT structure: three required sections (English, Math, Reading) plus two optional sections (Science, Writing).
  • Consider creating a poster or handout listing the concepts your class will review over the year.

 

Phase 3: Offering ACT Study Support

Timeframe: November – February

Incorporate ACT Prep into Your Curriculum

  • Organically weave ACT concepts or skills into your existing curriculum. For example, if you teach English, incorporate close reading of passages. For math, work in data analysis or algebra review.
  • Consider giving weekly “micro lessons” on one concept at a time, or assign a question or problem of the day.
  • Remind students that with the Enhanced ACT, the three required sections (English, Math, Reading) are what determine their Composite Score, so those areas deserve focused attention.

Assign Test Prep Resources

  • Assign Magoosh practice questions, video lessons, or flashcards as homework or extra credit opportunities.
  • Use your Magoosh dashboard to track student progress and identify which topics need the most attention.

Consider Holding Study Sessions

  • If you have the bandwidth, consider holding one or two study sessions after school or on a weekend.
  • Focus these sessions on areas where students are struggling most, based on practice test results and Magoosh performance data.

Share Study Guides

  • Share study guides with students so they can work independently at various stages of the preparation process.
  • Encourage students to follow a structured study plan. Whether they have one month, two months, or more, a consistent routine makes a difference.

Phase 4: Preparing for Test Day

Timeframe: March (or the month before the test)

Review the Test Day Checklist

  • Students may not review this on their own, so carve out time to go over what they need to bring and how to minimize stress.

Students should bring:

Item

Notes

ACT Admission Ticket

Required for entry.

Valid Photo ID

Must be current and government- or school-issued. Name must match the testing roster.

No. 2 Pencils and Eraser

At least two pencils. Mechanical pencils are not allowed.

Permitted Calculator

For the Math section only. No CAS-enabled calculators (e.g., TI-92).

Watch

A regular watch to track time. No smartwatches or alarm watches.

Snacks

Allowed outside the test room during breaks only.

 

Go Over Testing Day Rules

  • Remind students of rules regarding calculators, IDs, and prohibited items. A simple misstep can disqualify a student from taking the test.
  • Key rules: Students must arrive by 8:00 a.m. Late arrivals will not be admitted. No phones, tablets, smartwatches, or cameras are permitted in the testing room.
  • If students are testing digitally, remind them to bring a charged laptop (Windows, Chromebook, or MacBook) or confirm that the testing site will provide devices.

Provide Last-Minute Study Support

  • Give students final test prep material that can be completed independently, whether for credit or not.
  • Direct students to Magoosh’s video explanations and practice questions for a focused last-week review.

Hold a Q&A Session

  • A couple of weeks before the test, ask students to submit their remaining questions or areas of confusion.
  • Reserve a class period to address these questions and concerns. This is also a great time to reassure anxious students and review test-taking strategies.

 

Quick Reference: Calculator Policy

Calculators are permitted on the Math section only. Share these rules with students well before test day:

  • Permitted: 4-function, scientific, and most graphing calculators.
  • Prohibited: Calculators with Computer Algebra System (CAS) capabilities (e.g., TI-92), any device with internet access, and phone calculators.
  • Encourage students to practice with the same calculator they plan to use on test day.

Tips for Maximizing Student Success

  1. Start early. Even small, consistent efforts throughout the school year add up to meaningful score improvements.
  2. Focus on the three required sections. English, Math, and Reading are what determine the Composite Score under the Enhanced ACT.
  3. Use data to guide your instruction. Review practice test results and Magoosh progress data to target the areas where students need the most help.
  4. Reduce test anxiety. Familiarity breeds confidence. The more students practice under timed conditions, the less anxious they’ll feel on test day.
  5. Communicate with parents and guardians. Keep families informed about test dates, preparation expectations, and available resources.
  6. Remind students about section retesting. If a student does well overall but struggles on one section, they can now retake individual sections (digital, national test dates only).
  7. Leverage superscoring. If students take the ACT more than once, the ACT Superscore takes the best English, Math, and Reading scores across test dates.