ACT Announces Major Changes to Test
ACT recently announced some exciting changes to the test. Here’s what we know so far:
What’s changing?
- Optional Science: The science section will be optional on the new ACT, which means that students will decide whether to take the science section and/or the writing section.
- Shorter Test: The new ACT will be significantly shorter in terms of both time and number of questions. The core ACT (English, reading, and math) will be just 2 hours long and have 44 fewer questions than the current version.
- Shorter Passages: The English and reading sections will include shorter passages.
- More Time Per Question: The new ACT gives students more time to answer each question.
What’s staying the same?
- Scoring: The new ACT will still be scored on a scale of 1–36. Students will still receive a composite score (the average of the English, reading, and math scores) and section scores.
- Paper and Online Testing: Students will still have the option to take the test on paper or online.
- Optional Writing: ACT will continue to offer the optional writing section.
When will we see the new version of the ACT?
- April 2025 (National Online Testing): ACT will begin to introduce the new version of the test next spring. Students taking the online ACT on standard national test dates will be the first group to see the new version.
- September 2025 (National Paper ACT and International ACT): International students and students taking the paper ACT on standard national test dates will see the new test next fall.
- April 2026 (School-Day Testing): Students taking the ACT during school-day testing will see the new version in the spring of 2026.
For more information, you can read ACT’s announcement here.
We’re monitoring these developments closely and will keep you informed as new details become available. We’ll also be updating our ACT practice to reflect these changes.
Start preparing for the ACT today!
Originally published on July 17, 2024. Updated on October 30, 2024.
