Changes Coming to the ACT in 2025
You heard it here first, everyone: the ACT is changing. Fortunately, we're here to give you the scoop on all the changes you can expect from the ACT in 2025 and how it will affect YOU. So let's dive into it!
As of July, 2024 the ACT has officially responded to the streamlined Digital SAT with several attempts to be similarly short, flexible, and user-friendly. Among the changes to be rolled out in 2025 are:
- The test is getting shorter. What is currently a 3-hour test will become a 2-hour test.
- So are the passages. The Reading and English sections will feature significantly shorter passages.
- Students will have more time per question. The ACT has historically been fast-paced, but now students will have approximately 22% more time per question.
- The Science section will be optional, and scored separately. ACT composite scores will be taken from the Math, Reading, and English sections and students can elect whether or not to take the Science and Writing (essay) sections.
- Students have a lot of choices. With the optional Science section, students can choose whether to take the test online or via pencil and paper; whether to take or omit the Science section; whether to take or omit the Writing section; and, depending on the school, whether to submit scores or not.
What does this mean for students?
In general, these are good changes for students: it’s a more manageable test and the shorter format with more time-per-question should help students prepare more effectively and feel more confident on test day. Here are some things students may want to have in mind.
Timing.
Importantly, the changes will roll out in two phases:
- Spring, 2025: the online version of the ACT will adopt the new format
- Fall, 2025: the paper/pencil version of the ACT will adopt the new format
Key takeaway: Students in the Class of 2025 won’t be affected at all, and students in the Class of 2027 and beyond will only have the two new tests (Digital SAT and new ACT) as options. It’s the Class of 2026 that really needs to understand the change.
Similarity.
In 2016, the SAT made a big change to look a lot more like the ACT. Now the ACT is changing to look a lot more like the new SAT. Whenever this happens it’s a big advantage for students: studying for one test inherently helps you prepare for the other. In 2024, ACT Reading and English look far different from SAT Reading & Writing. By fall 2025, they’ll be similar again and students can consolidate their preparation.
Key takeaway: For the classes of 2027 and beyond, you can delay deciding which test to focus on until you’ve taken one (or both) and see where your strengths and areas for improvement are.
For the class of 2026, if you believe that your strengths and competitive advantage lie with the current ACT, your window for maximizing your ACT score is shortening–you’ll need to do it by summer and not fall. So if you prefer a faster, longer test (that rewards the ability to work quickly and is a bit more lenient on silly mistakes, since they’re diluted by so many questions) or your best section is ACT science, you’ll want to take ACT exams in fall and spring to ensure you’re ready to finalize your score by summer.
If you believe that your strengths lie with the Digital SAT, focus on that test and know that the ACT by fall 2025 will give you another option to capitalize on what you do well.
The burden of choice.
Testing agencies love to boast “choice” and “flexibility” as features, but for students that often adds pressure to make the “right” choice in the eyes of admissions offices. Should students take the Science section now that it’s optional?
Key takeaway: schools are fairly consistent in a fairly annoying way–they want to see students take on lots of challenges and excel at them. So just about every student should strongly consider taking the optional Science section at least once. If you perform well, there’s your answer: schools will always prefer an excellent data point over no data point at all. If you don’t do well and don’t see an easy path to a higher score, that’s when you should plan to A) drop the Science section and B) take another ACT without the Science option, so that you can see how the reduced study burden helps you maximize your score on other sections.
And one piece of admissions insight: at the most highly selective institutions, particularly in applications to STEM programs, you should expect that most of your competition will take the Science section As you move out of the top 50-75 ranked schools, it’s quite likely that schools will focus on the new composite score and the Science score will really only matter if it’s significantly above your composite as a way to signal how you stand out. Of course, the results will bear themselves out over time but in college and graduate admissions history, typically when scores are optional only the schools who truly need to split hairs between the most qualified applicants pay close attention to the optional scores.
Push for perfection.
The ACT is making this change because a shorter test with more time per question feels easier. But one unsung advantage of the current ACT is how forgiving its difficulty can be: when everyone is taking a more difficult test, everyone makes mistakes and the test doesn’t require perfection. As the length and pace of the test become easier in 2025 students should be ready to minimize mistakes and guesses because every question will matter more.
Key takeaway: The trend in both SAT and ACT toward fewer questions with more time to complete them puts an increased emphasis on accuracy. Students should be rigorous about learning which mistakes they tend to make and having a plan to address them so that they don’t leave important points on the board. When the wind is at everyone’s back, you have ro run faster to stay in the race.
Short term SAT safety.
Product rollouts don’t always go smoothly, and standardized tests are no exception. In each of the last two big SAT updates, students generally found the new test to be noticeably different and more difficult than the official prep materials available (this past spring, for example, the second section of the adaptive SAT was noticeably harder than most students were ready for). So while the ACT might get it right, just about every student in the Class of 2026 should have a plan that includes the SAT. That way, if the ACT launch over the critical junior-spring, senior-fall period doesn’t play to your advantage, you’re not left scrambling on your applications. Which isn’t to say that the ACT won’t be a great experience–you just don’t want to put all of your eggs in the “new test” basket.
Key takeaway: The SAT traditionally offers more prep material than the ACT does, and when tests change it often takes a cycle or two for the prep material (and student expectations) to fully meet the scope and difficulty of the new test. For 2025 and early 2026, students who take the ACT should also plan to take the SAT just in case. The good news is that as the tests are more similar again, it won’t require studying for a “completely different” test.
Varsity Tutors is here to help!
With any standardized test, preparation and expert guidance are keys to success. Varsity Tutors is closely monitoring the test changes and developing strategy and guidance for new passage types, question types, and section pacing. Plus we’re in regular touch with admissions insiders to understand how test scores fit into applications. Stay tuned to this space for more information, practice, and insight as the ACT changes go into effect, and to match with expert instructors to help you diagnose improvement areas, develop study plans, and master ACT content.
