How the ACT is Changing in 2025 & 2026

The ACT is changing. They just announced earlier this week that effective spring of 2025 (so we expect that to be the April ACT coming up), they’re going to be making some changes. Maybe big, maybe small. We’re going to break it down.

This is a response to the SAT changing in March of 2024. So it’s very much a tit-for-tat between these two companies where they’re always trying to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak. One big change the SAT made was it went from a 3 hour test to a 2 hour test. (Not really, a 3 hour test to a 2 hour and 14 minute test, but they’re advertising it as close to two hours). So the ACT is now doing the same. They’re advertising that they’re changing from a 3 hour test to a 2 hour test. But again, they’ve been a 2 hour and 55 minute test, and they’re going to be cutting down some stuff.

So let’s talk about what they’re going to be cutting down. Up until this point, the ACT has had 5 sections. There’s been English, and then math, and then reading, and then science, and then an essay. And in 2016 when the SAT made their essay optional, which they eventually got rid of entirely, the ACT made their essay optional as well. And that’s the route they’re going to be going with their science section with this adjusted test effective April of 2025. And that’s likely a response to the fact that the SAT doesn’t have a science section. So one reason why students might say “I want to take the SAT and not the ACT” is the ACT’s science. But now you’ll have the option of doing science or not, the same way you have the option of doing the essay or not. So if you are strong at science, you can do the science section. If you’re not strong at science, you can skip the science section.

By cutting it down to just 3 sections that are required that they’re calling their “core test”, they’re able to knock off 35 minutes, and that brings it down to 2 hours and 20 minutes. So they still have 20 minutes to go if they’re going to hit that 2 hour goal. One other thing they said they’re going to cut down is the number of questions in their English and the reading sections. So they’re going to cut it down by 44 questions in total. Though, they have not yet told us how many questions per section, and they haven’t told us how many minutes per section they’ll be reducing, but they didn’t mention anything about math. So we can still expect the math section to remain the same: 60 questions, 60 minutes, about a minute per question.

However, they’ve also indicated that in the reading, in the English, students will have more time per question. So even though they are going to be cutting down a lot of questions, they’re probably not cutting down the time the whole 20 minutes, any more than the SAT really got down to 2 hours. They got it down to close to it, and the ACT likely will as well. TBD.

Also, the SAT’s big change in 2024, among other changes, was it went from a totally paper and pencil test to a digital test. Whereas the ACT, they introduced a digital test back in 2017. So it’s been available in select areas, and just in my experience, New Jersey hasn’t been one of those areas and that’s where I’m based. So I haven’t had to deal with the digital ACT as much where it’s basically the paper and pencil test just moved onto a computer.

But part of this announcement is students will still be able to choose between those 2 things. So you can choose to distribute the core subjects, you can add science or not, you can add writing or not, you can add both or neither. That’s a choice that you’re going to be able to make effective in April. However, if you are taking the ACT as part of a school day test, meaning your school is administering the ACT, like on a Wednesday for all the students, that change won’t be until about a year later. They expect spring of ‘26. So only changes are happening if you’re taking on, on the national testing day, like a Saturday.

And right now the ACT is open for registration from now through February. And that lets us know that April’s going to be that big change. So we are still monitoring: are they going to be cutting the number of stories in the English and the reading, or will they be cutting the number of questions per story, or some combination of both? And how many minutes are they cutting those sections? We’re going to learn more about it as they announce it and we’re going to keep you guys posted. But in the meantime, if you have questions, call us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.