What To Expect on the Enhanced ACT Math Test (2026)
The ACT Math section is the second required section of the enhanced ACT, immediately following English.
The ACT Math Section at a Glance
You’ll have 50 minutes to answer 45 multiple-choice questions. The test is arranged by difficulty, meaning you’ll find the more straightforward questions at the beginning and the most complex problems toward the end.
Calculators are permitted as long as they adhere to the official ACT calculator policy. If you’re taking the ACT online, you’ll also have access to a built-in calculator within the testing platform.
Scored vs. Unscored Questions: While you’ll see 45 questions total, only 41 count toward your score. The remaining four are part of the Embedded Field Test, unscored questions that ACT is trying out for future exams. These questions are woven into the section and are impossible to spot. Because you won’t know which is which, you should approach every problem as if it were scored.
ACT Math Topics and Skills Tested
The enhanced ACT Math section tests the same content and skills as the legacy version, but the distribution of questions has shifted. The test is split into two primary reporting categories:
- Preparing for Higher Mathematics (80%): This category covers the more advanced math typically taught in high school.
- Integrating Essential Skills (20%): This category focuses on foundational concepts like ratios, percentages, and basic area or volume. These questions often require you to pull from multiple skill sets to solve a single problem.
Modeling: In addition to the categories above, at least 20% of the questions are also classified as Modeling. This isn’t a separate list of topics. It’s a secondary label for questions involving mathematical models.
Preparing for Higher Mathematics (PHM)
This category represents the bulk of the test, accounting for 80% of your scored questions. It is broken down into five subcategories that cover typical high school math topics:
- Algebra: 17–20% (approximately 7-8 questions)
- Functions: 17–20% (approximately 7-8 questions)
- Geometry: 17–20% (approximately 7-8 questions)
- Statistics and Probability: 12–15% (approximately 5-6 questions)
- Number and Quantity: 10–12% (approximately 4-5 questions)
Integrating Essential Skills (IES)
This category focuses on foundational mathematics and accounts for 20% of your scored questions. These questions are designed to test your problem-solving depth rather than simple recall.
Modeling (MDL)
Modeling is a secondary classification that applies to at least 20% of the questions in the Math section. These items are woven into the categories above and involve mathematical representations of real-world scenarios. Because these questions are cross-coded, a single problem can belong to both PHM and MDL, or both IES and MDL.
What’s New on the Enhanced ACT Math Test?
The enhanced ACT Math section includes several structural updates designed to reduce the pacing pressure of the exam. The goal of these changes is to ensure the test measures your mathematical reasoning rather than your test-taking speed:
- Fewer questions to answer, more time to think: By reducing the section to 45 questions in 50 minutes, you now have an average of 67 seconds per question (up from 60 seconds).
- Fewer answer choices: Each math question now has 4 answer choices instead of 5 answer choices.
- Fewer real-world context questions: The ACT has significantly reduced the number of word problems. You will see more questions that allow you to jump right into calculations, further reducing the reading burden on the section.
Your Guide to the Enhanced ACT
This post is part of our comprehensive series on the 2025/2026 ACT updates. Explore our guides for every section of the new test:
- What To Expect on the Enhanced ACT English Test
- What To Expect on the Enhanced ACT Reading Test
- What To Expect on the Enhanced ACT Science Test (Coming Soon)
- What is the Embedded Field Test? (Coming Soon)
Sources
ACT. Design Framework for the ACT Enhancements. February 2026.
ACT Math Practice
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Sara Laszlo
Sara Laszlo has nearly ten years of experience in private tutoring. An opera singer by training, Sara is especially interested in exploring better ways to practice and improve skills, whether musical or test-related. She holds a B.A. in Classical Civilization from Duke University and a Certificate of Merit in Voice from the New England Conservatory of Music.
