The digital ACT gives you on-screen tools—timer, flag, highlighter, answer eliminator, line reader, magnifier, and answer masking—plus scratch paper the center provides. You cannot bring your own laptop. Practice those tools before test day so you are not discovering the highlighter during Reading.
Tools worth using
- Flag / review: mark a question and keep moving. This is the skip-and-return habit without circling the booklet.
- Answer eliminator / masking: hide choices you have ruled out so EXCEPT questions are less messy.
- Highlighter: mark a claim in Reading or a number in a Science table. Do not rainbow the whole passage.
- Line reader: useful if you lose your place on a dense paragraph.
- On-screen timer: glance at checkpoints (for example every Reading passage). You still need a pacing plan from time per question.
- Magnifier: for small graph labels, not as a default zoom that slows you down.
Scratch paper still matters
The center should give you paper. Use it for Math setups, Reading passage maps, and Science notes. Do not try to hold a three-step calculation only in your head because the item is on a screen. Calculator rules are unchanged: ACT calculator policy. You still bring an approved handheld calculator unless ACT's current digital rules say otherwise for your date.
Clicking errors
After you skip, confirm the question number before you select a choice. Digital slips look like paper bubbling errors. Stop careless mistakes.
Practice in the real environment
Take at least one full timed section in ACT's official online practice if you will test digital. Paper-only prep makes the first digital sitting feel slower than it is. Official materials: free ACT practice tests.
The bottom line
Learn flag, eliminate, highlight, and the timer. Use scratch paper. The tools do not raise your score by themselves—they keep you from fighting the interface while you use the same strategies as on paper.
Start practicing
Start with a free diagnostic, then drill your weak spots with 15-question quizzes and track how you're doing across Reading, English, and Math. Compare plans whenever you're ready to go further.
This article offers general ACT prep guidance. The ACT can change from year to year, including its format, scoring, policies, test dates, and fees, so always confirm the latest details on the official ACT website at act.org before you make decisions. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. thirty-six is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ACT.