How Will ACT Testing Change in 2025?
Big changes are coming to the ACT test this year. Here is a complete breakdown of what students will experience with the new test version.
Quick Takeaways About the New ACT Test:
- The new test is significantly shorter (about two hours instead of three).
The total number of test questions will drop from 215 to 171. That’s 44 fewer questions! - The Science section is no longer required. Students will still have the option to take it, just like they currently do with the ACT Essay section.
- ACT, Inc. will now refer to the English, Reading, and Math sections as the “Core” sections of the test.
- Students will still have the choice to take the test on paper or online. (Note: Online testing is only available at select locations.)
Format Changes
For decades, the science aspect of the ACT test has served as one of the main ways it differs from the SAT test. Now that the Science section is optional, students will have the ability to opt out of this unique portion of the test. But should students still take it? It’s too early to tell, but we may see some competitive degree programs, particularly those in the sciences, require ACT Science scores for admission.
Going from four sections to three means fewer questions overall. As already noted, the new version of the test will consist of 44 fewer questions than the previous version of the test. This will relieve some stress for students who struggle with longer tests.
The Reading and English sections will include shorter passages. The Core Math section questions will have four multiple-choice answer options instead of five.
ACT, Inc. has labeled the English, Reading, and Math sections of the test as “Core” sections. This simply means that these sections make up the base test. Section scores will be the core results sent in a college-reportable score.
Timing Changes
Perhaps the most significant change is that the new iteration is much shorter—about two hours long, which cuts the overall testing time down by a third.
Historically, students have found the ACT test slightly more fast-paced in terms of time per question. Moving forward, students will have more time per question. We estimate that students will have about 22 percent more time per question overall when compared to the previous version of the test.
With the new Core English section, students will have 35 minutes to answer 50 questions. This is 10 minutes shorter and 25 fewer questions than the current version of the test.
In the new Core Math section, students will have 50 minutes to answer 45 questions. This is 10 minutes shorter with 15 fewer questions than the current section format.
When taking the Core English section, students will have 40 minutes to answer 36 questions. That’s about five minutes longer than the current format and four fewer questions.
Students who choose to take the new optional Science section will have 40 minutes to answer 40 questions. This is about five minutes longer with the same number of questions as the current format.
Section Breakdown For Timing and Number of Questions:
- English: 35 minutes with 50 questions
- Math: 50 minutes with 45 questions
- Reading: 40 minutes with 36 questions
Optional Science: 40 minutes with 40 questions
Time-Per-Question Breakdown By Test Section:
- English: 42 seconds per question
- Math: ~ 1 minute and 7 seconds per question
- Reading: ~ 1 minute and 7 seconds per question
- Optional Science: 1 minute per questionon
More Flexibility
The new test design focuses on more flexibility for students. Now, they also have more flexibility to focus on taking the test sections that best align with their college and career goals.
Test section options will include:
- Core (English, Reading, and Math)
- Core + Science
- Core + Essay
- Core + Science + Essay
Some students may still need to plan to take the optional Science section of the test. For example, a student applying to a highly competitive engineering program may find that the college includes an ACT Science score as part of its admissions requirements. So don’t forget to research college admissions requirements thoroughly!
What Will Stay the Same?
- You still will have the option to take the test on paper or online.
- Not all test centers will offer online testing, but those that do will provide testing devices in limited quantities. You will not be allowed to test on your own device.
- The paper and online test versions will be identical.
- You can still choose to take the writing section as an add-on.
- The ACT test will not convert to an adaptive format. In other words, the test questions won’t change based on a student’s answer choices.
- The 1-36 scoring scale for each section will stay the same. Composite scores will derive from the three core section scores.
ACT Test Changes Timeline
- December 2024: ACT, Inc. projects that students will have the ability to register for the April 2025 ACT test following the new format by early December 2024. However, the organization has also stated that there is a possibility that registration doesn’t happen until early 2025.
- Spring 2025*: Students will encounter the test for the first time with the U.S. national test administrations. For April, June, and July 2025 test dates, students taking the paper test will experience the older format, while digital test takers will encounter the new format.
- Fall 2025: The test will become available to international students.
- Spring 2026: The new test will roll out for school-day testing in the U.S.
* We’ll update this post when ACT, Inc. announces the exact date. Based on this year’s ACT test dates, the first release of the new test will likely take place on the April 5th test date.