Online vs. Paper ACT: Which Should You Choose?
The ACT is available in both digital (online) and paper formats. The content, difficulty, and scoring are identical — but the testing experience is different. Here's how to decide which format is right for you.
The Digital ACT
The digital ACT is taken on a computer at an authorized test center (not at home). It offers several built-in tools:
- Desmos Graphing Calculator (school-day only): On school-day ACT administrations, a Desmos graphing calculator is built into the Math section's interface. On national Saturday test dates, no built-in calculator is provided — you must bring your own approved physical calculator. You may always bring your own approved calculator regardless of format.
- Flag for Review: Mark questions you're unsure about and return to them via a sidebar.
- Answer Eliminator / Masking: Click to hide answer choices you've ruled out, helping you focus on remaining options.
- Line Reader: Masks all but a few lines of text at a time — helpful for maintaining focus in Reading and English.
- Digital Highlighter: Annotate text with multiple colors directly on screen.
- On-Screen Timer: Shows remaining time for the current section.
- Scratch Paper: Provided at the test center for working through problems.
Questions are displayed one at a time. You can navigate freely within a section.
The Paper ACT
The paper ACT is the traditional pencil-and-paper format:
- No. 2 pencils required (mechanical pencils are not allowed)
- Bring your own approved calculator for the Math section
- Annotate freely — underline, circle, and write notes directly on the test booklet
- No scratch paper provided — write directly in the test booklet margins and blank spaces for notes and calculations
- All questions for a section are visible in the booklet — you can easily flip back and forth
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Digital | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Content & difficulty | Same | Same |
| Scoring scale | 1–36 (identical) | 1–36 (identical) |
| Test format | Linear (not adaptive) | Linear |
| Calculator | Desmos built-in (school-day only); own calculator always allowed | Own approved calculator only |
| Annotation | Digital highlighter | Write directly on booklet |
| Navigation | One question at a time, sidebar | Full section visible in booklet |
| Answer elimination | Built-in masking tool | Cross out with pencil |
| Score turnaround | As fast as 2–3 business days | Typically 2–8 weeks |
| Device | BYOD or center-provided | N/A |
| Pencils | Not needed for test | No. 2 pencils required |
Who Benefits from Digital?
- Students already comfortable with Desmos from school (note: Desmos only available on school-day digital ACT)
- Those who prefer digital tools (highlighting, answer masking, flagging)
- Students who want faster score delivery
- Test-takers who find it easier to read on screens
Who Benefits from Paper?
- Students who annotate heavily — underlining, circling, writing margin notes
- Those who prefer seeing all questions in a section at once
- Students who experience screen fatigue during long tests
- Test-takers who are more comfortable with pencil-and-paper work
Important: Scores Are Equivalent
A score of 30 on the digital ACT is exactly equivalent to a 30 on the paper ACT. Colleges do not see or care which format you took. The scoring curves are adjusted to ensure fairness across both formats.
How to Decide
The best way to decide is to try both. Take a practice test in each format and see which feels more comfortable. ACT offers digital practice tests on their website. If you don't have a strong preference, the digital format's faster score delivery and built-in tools make it a convenient default.