In April 2025, the ACT underwent a series of structural and score reporting changes. These changes are summarized below.

Structural Changes:

· There are now fewer questions, and more time is given for each question.

· The basic test (Reading, Math, and Writing) is now 70 minutes shorter – only 125 minutes vs 195 minutes.

· Math: the number of answer choices has been reduced from five to four.

· The science section is now optional.

· Both paper-and-pencil and online test options will be available for all tests.

Scoring Changes:

· The ACT Composite score will be based on performance on the English, math, and reading sections. Students will still have the option to take all five sections previously offered, including science and writing, allowing for a more tailored testing experience. Those who opt to take the science section will also receive a STEM score, and those who choose to take the writing section will also receive an ELA score (all section scores will still be provided).

· Students choosing to take the National online test will have their ACT Superscore calculated using their English, math, and reading section scores.

Summary and Analysis:

These changes were inevitable. The ACT has been losing ground to the SAT steadily since 2016, when ACT actually overtook SAT as the most popular college admission test in America. However, in 2024, 60% more students took the SAT than the ACT. This is a remarkable change based on superior marketing initiatives by the College Board, purveyors of the SAT, over those of ACT. Also, over this time SAT has introduced more science questions, although they are not in a separate scored section as they are with the ACT. The nature of the two tests remains somewhat different, with the SAT generally favoring strategic thinkers, and the ACT generally favoring more straightforward, analytical thinkers.

Should You Take Both the SAT and ACT?

There is no harm in taking both tests, if you are so inclined. There is no harm in doing so since you control all your scores for both SAT and ACT. Furthermore, you can submit both scores to colleges in which case both be considered in your admission profile. If you perform better on one, then just submit the better one. Both the College Board (SAT) and ACT will only send the scores that you ask them to—and only to the colleges you request. You are in control. Not all students have the time or inclination to take both tests which is perfectly understandable. However, if you are only going to take the ACT or the SAT, you should be clear about which one better suit your natural talent and academic ability.

Optional Sections:

Very few colleges require you to take the optional ACT writing (essay) section. However, if you are a likely to become a humanities major you might want to include the ACT essay for the very simple reason that it can’t hurt and can help. However, this is a very strategic section and must be answered correctly, incorporating at least one of the three perspectives, and comparing it to your own perspective.

The optional ACT science section is not really optional for likely STEM majors. Leaving out this section will certainly raise questions about the strength of your admission candidacy. Keep in mind that this is much more of a data extraction section than a science section. To do well, you must be able to interpret graphs and charts, and answer questions based on the data they represent.