The ACT is changing! We spoke with the test experts at MasteryPrep who gave us the inside scoop about what to expect.

When is this happening?

The real changes start rolling out in April 2025 with a soft launch for national online testing. This means some students taking the ACT outside of school might encounter the new format then. But don't worry if your student prefers paper – the national paper testing and international launch doesn't happen until September 2025.

For those students taking the ACT through their schools, the wait is a bit longer. State and district testing won't switch to the new format until Spring 2026. This gives schools and districts more time to prepare for the changes.

So, what's the takeaway here? The rollout is gradual, and when your student sees the new test depends on how they're taking it. If they're signing up for national test dates, they'll want to be ready for the new format by April 2025. If they're testing through school, they've got until Spring 2026 before they'll see the changes.

What's Changing?

First off, it's going to be a shorter test overall. How? Well, ACT has trimmed down the number of questions in most sections. But here's the kicker – students will actually have more time per question. We're talking about 58 seconds on average across subjects, up from 49. Overall, the test will be 30 minutes shorter than the current test - assuming that students take the science test.

Time Changes by Test Section

• English: 45 minutes to 35 minutes (-10 minutes)
• Math: 60 minutes to 50 minutes (-10 minutes)
• Reading: 35 minutes to 40 minutes (+5 minutes)
• Science: 35 minutes to 40 minutes (+5 minutes)
• 5th Test (Field Test): 20 minutes to 0 minutes (-20 minutes)
• Writing: Unchanged at 40 minutes

That's the next big change. The Science section is becoming optional. Before you get too excited about that though, understand that "optional" means that colleges will optionally accept it, not that students should optionally take it. You'll need to know if their target school requires it or not, and plan accordingly. 

When it comes to scoring, there are some tweaks to keep in mind. The composite score – you know, the big number colleges look at – will now be based only on English, Math, and Reading. Science is taking a backseat and will be reported separately. But don't worry, the familiar 1-36 scoring scale isn't going anywhere. Your student will still get that recognizable score they can proudly share with colleges.

So, in a nutshell, we're looking at a shorter test, more time to think, an optional Science section, and a different way of calculating the composite score. It's quite a shift, but one that might make the ACT a bit less daunting for many students.

To learn all the nitty gritty details check out this FAQ