The ACT – Computer and Paper Tests

Available Versions of the ACT

For most of its history the ACT was a paper-and-pencil exam, and paper testing is still widely used. Today, however, ACT offers the test in three formats. You can take it on paper with a printed booklet and a bubble sheet, on a computer provided at the test center (the online version), or in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) format on your own or a school-managed laptop at the test center. The content, timing, and scoring are the same no matter which format you choose. Which options are actually available to you depends on your test center and, for school-based testing, on what your school or district has arranged.

About the ACT Computer Test

The online and BYOD versions present the same test as the paper edition — identical questions, sections, and timing — in a digital interface. The on-screen tools make some tasks easier: students can flag questions to revisit, cross out answer choices they have eliminated, and use features such as a magnifier and a line reader. In the Math section, the online platform includes a built-in Desmos graphing calculator, so a separate calculator is optional there (no calculator is permitted in the Science section). Unlike some other standardized exams, the ACT is not computer-adaptive: every student sees a fixed form, and the digital versions simply mirror the paper test rather than adjusting question difficulty as you go.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer Testing

Digital testing has real advantages. Test materials are easier to produce, distribute, and secure, and scoring is faster — students who test digitally often receive their scores a little sooner than those who test on paper. Many of today's students are also perfectly comfortable working on a screen. There are trade-offs, though. On the digital versions you cannot annotate a printed booklet, so instead of underlining or writing directly on a passage you rely on the on-screen tools and any scratch paper the center provides. Some test-takers find moving between questions on a screen less natural than flipping through a booklet. In the end, the better format is largely a matter of personal preference.

The Future of the ACT Paper Test

Rather than phasing paper out, ACT now supports paper, online, and BYOD testing side by side and lets most students choose the format that suits them. Digital testing has grown steadily and, as with many other standardized exams that have moved online, is likely to become more common over time. Even so, paper remains a fully supported option, and students who prefer it can generally still choose it wherever it is offered.

The ACT Computer or Paper Test: Do I Have a Choice?

For students registering for a national test date, the answer is now usually yes. When you sign up through your MyACT account you can select your testing format, and you can change that choice up until the late registration deadline. The options can still depend on a test center's capacity and equipment, so not every format is offered everywhere. Students who test through their school or district, on the other hand, don't make this choice individually — the school decides which format to administer. Any location that offers a digital ACT must meet ACT's standards for infrastructure, security, and staff training, which is one reason a given format is not available at every center. If a particular format matters to you, check what your test center offers before you register.

The Computer ACT and International Test Center Availability

Testing options outside the United States vary by location, and international administrations increasingly use the digital format. Not every overseas center offers every mode, since digital testing requires suitable computer facilities, reliable connectivity, and trained staff. ACT publishes current information about international test centers and the formats they support on its website. International students should review these details well ahead of time and, if necessary, plan to travel to the nearest center that offers the format and date they need — which may be in another city or even another country.