ACT updates
The ACT is undergoing its most significant updates in years, but don’t worry. These changes make the test shorter and, in many ways, more straightforward. Unlike the SAT’s bold move to a fully digital format, the ACT’s changes are more measured, focusing on solving long-standing complaints, such as limited time per question and overly complex question designs. These updates aim to modernize the test while maintaining its reputation as a reliable indicator of college readiness.
Consequently, the Enhanced ACT will still look similar to its traditional form. Here’s a quick summary of what’s new:
These changes aim to alleviate students’ stress on test day. They also improve the test’s accessibility for a broader range of test-takers.
The ACT released an update on its website that we’ll examine in depth. Now, let’s examine each update the ACT has released publicly.
The rollout of the Enhanced ACT will happen in phases, allowing students and schools time to adjust:
This deliberate rollout ensures the format is tested and refined as all test-takers adopt it. Knowing when the changes take effect is critical for planning your preparation, whether you’re testing online or on paper.
The ACT is taking steps to streamline its format while ensuring the test remains rigorous. One of the most significant updates is a shorter overall test length, which reduces testing fatigue. This is in response to the College Board making the Digital SAT much shorter.
Thus, the ACT has changed in an attempt to remain competitive in the standardized testing market. As mentioned, the timing of the test has made the most noticeable changes thus far.
| Section | Current items | Current time | Proposed items | Proposed time |
| English | 75 | 45 mins | 50 | 35 mins |
| Math | 60 | 60 mins | 45 | 50 mins |
| Reading | 40 | 35 mins | 36 | 40 mins |
| Science | 40 | 35 mins | 40 | 40 mins |
| Writing | 1 essay | 40 mins | 1 essay | 40 mins |
This change benefits students by reducing the time spent on lengthy sections, allowing them to maintain focus throughout the test. With fewer questions, the test emphasizes quality over quantity, helping students demonstrate their knowledge more effectively.
One of the most student-friendly updates is the additional time provided for each question. In the current format, many students struggle to finish sections like Reading and Math within the allotted time. The Enhanced ACT gives students a better chance to process questions and carefully consider their responses.
| Subject | Current time (seconds/item) | Enhanced time (seconds/item) | Increase in seconds (%) |
| English | 36 | 42 | +6 (17%) |
| Math | 60 | 67 | +7 (11%) |
| Reading | 53 | 67 | +14 (27%) |
| Science | 53 | 60 | +7.5 (15%) |
The ACT has always favored students with a higher processing speed. Mindprint Learning, a private cognitive assessment firm, describes processing speed as follows:
Processing speed is how efficiently you process and respond to new information. Processing has several sub-categories, including auditory, verbal, and visual. There are also quick-thinking processing tasks and slower processing tasks. [Processing Speed also impacts] Class participation, standardized tests, reading efficiency and homework efficiency.
While processing speed can trained and cultivated, it’s difficult to do in the short term. Thus, if a test prep student has a slower processing speed, even the keenest ACT tutor may encounter difficulty in reading the test exponentially faster. Therefore, I’m thrilled about the possibility of reducing the time constraints on the Enhanced ACT.
For example, the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation has shown the following:
Research indicates that aptitudes stabilize around the age of fourteen and tend to remain consistent over time, even as interests and skill sets evolve.
Hence, while students can develop skills via annotating, cross-referencing, passage mapping, etc., their raw processing power remains the same. Thus, this change is good for slower readers. This extra time helps reduce stress and gives students a fairer opportunity to excel, especially in time-intensive sections like Reading and Science. Students should still practice pacing, but they can now focus more on accuracy rather than rushing through questions.
While that likely means more challenging content, it’s a move in the right direction.
Superscoring remains a key feature of the ACT, allowing students to combine their best section scores across multiple test dates. The ACT confirms:
Yes!
This is excellent news for students looking to maximize their Composite scores for competitive college applications. With Science no longer part of the Composite calculation, students should focus on excelling in English, Math, and Reading to maximize their superscore potential.
The new ACT format allows for a more flexible test-taking experience. The required time depends on whether students opt for the Science and/or Writing sections. The total duration for the core sections (English, Math, Reading) is just over two hours. Here’s how the timing breaks down for each part:
| Section | Time (minutes) | Number of questions | Time per question (seconds) |
| English | 35 | 50 | ~42 |
| Math | 50 | 45 | ~67 |
| Reading | 40 | 36 | ~67 |
| Core total | 125 minutes | 131 questions | 2 hours and 5 minutes |
| Science (optional) | 40 | 40 | ~60 |
| Total with Science | 165 minutes | 171 questions | 2 hours and 45 minutes |
If students include the optional Science section, the total test duration is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The Science section measures students’ ability to interpret and analyze scientific data—skills particularly valuable for STEM-focused college programs.
Adding Science and Writing increases the test time by 40 minutes per section. Students taking all five sections will need approximately 3 hours and 25 minutes to complete the test, including breaks. This format allows students to customize their test day while accommodating their academic goals.
That student agency allows the ACT to become, in some cases, more marketable than the SAT. When consulting parents and students for college admissions counseling, many ask the same form of questions:
The underlying theme beneath these questions is another entirely, which asks this:
What can high school students do to put them above their peers?
Surely, there’s a kinder, less toxic way of asking that question, but there you have it. Students want to stand out, and parents desire that, especially in the application process. Furthermore, many students will take on nearly impossible workloads to gain that edge. Students can do the following to make their applications more unique:
Students aren’t just willing to do exceptional projects like these. Also, they’re willing to invest the sweat and grind needed to develop the skills necessary to do so. By doing so, they hope to gain admittance to UPenn, Cornell, and other Ivy League Colleges. Or, if not some prestigious university, their parents wouldn’t be offended if they seized some of that coveted merit aid to make their college experience more affordable.
So, what does this have to do with the Enhanced ACT? Imagine a student who wants to apply to the School of Engineering and Applied Science at UPenn. UPenn has an acceptance rate of 6 percent, and its engineering program is likely even more competitive.
Thus, applying students who are serious about getting in are kicking and screaming to do everything in their power to enhance their application.
Now, ask yourself this: what sounds more impressive?
It’s no puzzle to determine which choice the hustle logic enshrined by prodigiously industrious high school students demands they pick. It’s not compulsory; it’s a choice. The ACT allows students to make that choice. Conversely, the SAT does not. Hence, the ACT’s flexibility might become a more attractive option.
Yes, pricing varies depending on the test options selected. According to the ACT:
Here’s the current pricing breakdown through July 2025:
| Test Option | Fee | Details |
| The ACT Test | $65.00 | Includes English, Math, and Reading sections. |
| Writing Add-On Fee | $25.00 | Can be added or removed through the late deadline. |
| Science Add-On Fee | $4.00 | Can be added or removed through the late deadline. |
These pricing options allow students to choose the sections most relevant to their goals without incurring unnecessary costs.
Students requiring accommodations will benefit from the same enhancements as their peers. According to the ACT:
The enhancements will become available based on the timeline above regardless of accommodation status.
The fact that the accommodations for the ACT are temporally coincident with the Enhanced ACT’s updates bodes well for the hundreds of thousands of students in the US with learning differences. That update ensures fairness and consistency for all test-takers. Students with accommodations can experience the same improvements in the timing and format of the new updates.
The ACT Fee Waiver will support the full flexibility of offerings. Eligible students can register for any option once registration for these new options becomes available.
The ACT Fee Waiver program remains in place to ensure equitable access to the test. Eligible students will continue to receive waivers covering the core test fees, with the flexibility to add optional sections, such as Science and Writing, at no additional cost. This ensures that students from all financial backgrounds can use the ACT’s enhanced format without financial barriers limiting their testing options.
While the ACT’s content remains consistent, students must eventually adjust their preparation to account for the new timing and structure. Practice tests, timing drills, and updated materials will be essential for mastering the Enhanced ACT. The ACT has announced on its FAQ page that practice materials will be available in early 2025.
The Achievable ACT course will continue to update content as the Enhanced ACT updated content emerges.
However, in the meantime, the content of the test will not differ much from its current version. The ACT said this on the matter:
Current practice tests and available ACT test prep materials are still great for preparing because there has been no significant change in the types of knowledge and skills measured by the ACT test with the enhancements.
Most of the same rules on the English test will still apply. Likewise, the same goes for reading, science, and math. The writing ACT section, while optional, won’t change at all.
Starting with the April 2025 test event, testers who take this updated version of the national test will no longer take Test 5 (also known as the fifth test).
Beginning in April 2025, the ACT will no longer include Test 5, a section of unscored field-test items used for research purposes. This removal shortens the test duration and eliminates an additional burden for test-takers. By focusing exclusively on scored content, the ACT allows students to put their full effort into the sections that matter most for their college applications.
No. The ACT will remain a linear test, with all students having the same chance to show their best selves from the beginning to the end of the test session.
The ACT will maintain its linear format. This means every student will see the same questions in the same order, regardless of their performance during the test. This structure contrasts with the digital SAT, which uses an adaptive format to tailor question difficulty based on student responses. By staying linear, the ACT ensures a predictable testing experience and maintains fairness for all test-takers. Students can rely on consistent preparation strategies without worrying about unexpected shifts in question difficulty.
No. Scores will still be delivered within the regular two-to-eight-week window.
The ACT has confirmed that the score delivery timeline will remain the same. Test-takers can expect to receive their results within the standard 2–8 weeks after their test date. This consistency ensures that students and families can confidently plan college applications, even as the test format evolves.
No. Other scores, such as the section scores (English, Math, Reading, and Science) and optional Writing scores, are not changing.
While the Composite score will now exclude Science, the structure of other scores remains unchanged. Section scores for English, Math, Reading, and Science will still be reported, and students who take the Writing section will receive a separate Writing score. Additionally, students opting to include Science will still see their STEM score, calculated using their Math and Science section results. These consistent metrics ensure that test-takers receive a complete picture of their performance across all sections.
Here’s a recap of the most important updates:
These updates are designed to make the ACT more manageable while retaining its role as a trusted college admissions tool.