Digital ACT Explained: Format, Timing, and What Tutors Need to Know

Important: The Digital ACT exam uses ACT Gateway, which generally requires a stable internet connection for testing. Compared with SAT’s Bluebook platform, ACT Gateway offers fewer built-in features, and some tutors report interface limitations such as how highlights behave when navigating between questions.

What Digital Tools Are Available (And What Is Not)?

Tools Students Can Use on the Digital ACT:

• Highlighter: Multiple colors available, but highlights may not persist when navigating between questions
• Answer Eliminator: Cross out answer choices
• Line Reader: Masks all but a few lines of text
• Zoom: Magnify portions of the screen
• Navigation Sidebar: Jump to specific questions, flag questions for review
• On-screen Timer: Track remaining time within each section
• Built-in Calculator (Math only): A basic on-screen calculator may be available, and students may also bring their own ACT-approved calculator.

What Is NOT Available:

• Paper-style annotation: Digital highlighting and annotation behave differently than writing directly on paper
• Offline testing: ACT Gateway requires a stable internet connection throughout the test

What digital skills most affect the Digital ACT exam scores?

The Digital ACT exam success depends on content mastery and four core digital skills that tutors should train explicitly.

Skill 1: Passage and Question Navigation

On the Online ACT exam, Reading and Science passages require on-screen scrolling while questions appear below or alongside the text. Students need to locate information quickly without losing their place.

💡Tutor Strategy: Practice working with digital passages and have students locate specific lines or data points under timed conditions to build efficient scrolling habits.

Skill 2: Strategic Tool Usage

The Online ACT exam includes tools such as highlighting, answer masking, and question flagging. These tools can improve efficiency when used selectively, but overuse can slow students down.

Students should learn:

• When to highlight: focus on key evidence, not entire paragraphs
• When to eliminate answers: after an initial read, not during it
• When to flag and move on: if a question is taking too long, return later

💡Tutor Strategy: After a timed section, review how students used each tool and discuss whether it saved time or added unnecessary effort.

Skill 3: Scratch Paper Coordination

Efficient coordination between the screen, calculator, and scratch work helps students maintain pacing. 

Students should practise:

• Labeling scratch work by question number
• Organizing work clearly for quick reference
• Checking scratch work without losing their place on screen

💡Tutor Strategy: Practice Math sections with realistic scratch paper usage. After the section, review whether scratch work was organized enough to reference quickly.

Skill 4: Digital Stamina

Sustained screen-based testing can cause fatigue. Students taking the Digital ACT need the endurance to stay focused for over two hours on screen.

💡Tutor Strategy: Build stamina gradually by progressing from single sections to full-length digital practice tests, and watch for accuracy or pacing drops in later sections.

Subject-Specific Strategies

English (35 minutes, 50 questions)

Reading passages on screen while answering grammar and rhetoric questions can strain attention.

💡Tutor Strategy: Train students to read one paragraph at a time, answer related questions, then scroll forward, rather than reading the entire passage first.

Math (50 minutes, 45 questions)

Students must coordinate between the screen, calculator, and physical scratch paper.

💡Tutor Strategy: Establish a consistent workflow: read the problem on screen, complete work on scratch paper, check answer choices, then select the answer. Reduce unnecessary screen-to-paper switching.

Reading (40 minutes, 36 questions)

Long passages require scrolling, and many questions ask students to return to specific details.

💡Tutor Strategy: Teach students to note paragraph numbers or key phrases as anchors while reading, then scroll directly to those sections when answering detail-based questions.

Science (40 minutes, 40 questions, optional)

Charts and graphs must be interpreted on screen. Zoom can help but may slow pacing.

💡Tutor Strategy: Practice reading graphs at normal zoom first, using zoom only for dense tables or small labels. Train students to identify trends without relying on zoom whenever possible.

Who Should Take the Digital ACT vs Paper ACT?

Recommend the Digital ACT exam for students who:

• Read comfortably on screens for extended periods
• Navigate technology quickly and intuitively
• Already use laptops or tablets for schoolwork and tests
• Prefer taking the ACT in a digital testing environment
• Are comfortable using on-screen tools such as highlighting, navigation menus, and timers

Recommend Paper ACT for students who:

• Lose their place when scrolling through long passages
• Experience eye strain or fatigue during screen-based reading
• Rely heavily on physical annotation (underlining, circling)
• Struggle to switch efficiently between the screen and scratch paper
• Have limited experience with computer-based testing

Consider Logistics:

• Test center availability: The Digital ACT is offered at select locations, and availability varies by region.
• Device policies: Some centers provide testing devices, while others allow Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). Confirm policies with the test center in advance.
• Internet connectivity: The Digital ACT is delivered through ACT Gateway and requires a stable internet connection at the test center, which can influence the testing experience.

Common Tutor Mistakes with Digital ACT Prep

• Assuming Paper ACT Practice Transfers to the Digital ACT: Paper practice doesn’t expose digital navigation issues. Students need realistic digital practice.
• Misunderstanding the Calculator Policy: The Digital ACT includes a basic on-screen calculator, and students may also bring an ACT-approved calculator. Practice should match test-day setup.
• Ignoring ACT Gateway Differences: ACT Gateway differs from paper and SAT Bluebook. Tutors should prepare students for on-screen navigation, tool behavior, and internet-dependent testing.
• Skipping Full-Length Digital Practise: Short drills help, but full-length digital tests are needed to build stamina and pacing.
• Recommending Digital Without Checking Availability: The Digital ACT is offered at select test centers only. Availability and device policies should be confirmed in advance.

Practice Resources for Digital ACT

Official ACT Prep Resources:

• ACT’s sample questions and practice test: Available at act.org
• TestNav platform practice: Download TestNav to familiarize students with the interface

MentoMind ACT Prep:

• Free ACT diagnostic test at MentoMind app with section-level score breakdowns
• 1,000+ ACT practice questions covering English, Math, Reading, and Science
• 3 full-length practice tests with detailed analytics
• Tutor dashboard for tracking student progress and assigning targeted practice

MentoMind’s digital practice environment helps students build navigation skills while working through ACT content.

Key Takeaways

• The Digital ACT uses the enhanced format, with fewer questions and more time per question than the legacy ACT.

   

• Students take the test on ACT Gateway and must be comfortable with on-screen navigation, scrolling, and digital tools.

   

• A basic on-screen calculator may be available on the Digital ACT, and students may also bring an ACT-approved calculator.

   

• The Science section is optional on the Digital ACT, and students choose whether to include it during registration.

   

• Digital navigation skills affect performance. Tutors should explicitly train scrolling efficiency, strategic tool usage, scratch paper coordination, and digital stamina.

   

• ACT Gateway requires a stable internet connection at the test center, and the testing interface has fewer built-in features than some other digital testing platforms.

   

• Availability of the Digital ACT varies by test center, and device policies differ. Tutors should confirm logistics before recommending digital prep.

Frequently Asked Questions