What You Need to Know About the New ACT

In a post-pandemic world, standardized testing has become one of the most confusing parts of the college admissions process. Testing policies feel as though they are in constant flux, with colleges sometimes changing their policies just a few months before the admissions cycle. Throwing another wrench in the already muddy process was a recent announcement by the ACT about upcoming changes to their exam. 

New ACT Changes and How They Compare to the SAT

 The ACT currently tests students on math, reading, English, and science, while its long-standing competitor, the SAT only tests students on math and reading. The ACT has also been known to have less allotted time per question, but more straightforward questions, in comparison to the SAT.  In the last few years, the College Board has made Big (and welcome) changes to the SAT. They moved to an entirely digital platform and transitioned to a shorter, adaptive test based on how students answered each question. This summer, the CEO of the ACT, Janet Godwin, announced some similar and significant changes that are going to be implemented in the upcoming seasons for the ACT. 

Here’s what you need to know about the changes:

• The test will be shorter. The new ACT will be cut down by approximately 25% with 44 fewer questions in total. Reading passages will also be condensed. The new test will be about two hours long, aiming to provide students with more time per question, while cutting down the previous testing time by about an hour. This change is similar to one that the SAT recently made, and allows the ACT to compete with the shorter, more conveniently timed SAT. 

• The Science section will be optional. Like the ACT’s writing section, the science test will be an optional add-on for students to elect to take when registering. The core subjects tested in the ACT will be English, reading, and math.
• Students will still receive a score on the same 36-point scale. The ACT will remain on a 1-36 scoring scale. However, the composite score will now only be based on English, reading, and math scores, and students opting to take science and/or writing will receive separate subscores for those sections.
• Students can take the test on paper or online. Students will still be able to choose whether they want to take a paper version or a virtual version of the ACT. It is important to note here, however, that the new test updates will only be available for online test takers at first, and a paper version of the new ACT will tentatively be available in the fall of 2025. 

Although these changes to the ACT all seem geared toward making the test more manageable and modern for our students (as well as staying relevant versus the new and improved SAT), there are still many unanswered questions regarding the sudden switch and what it means for testers. 

The biggest unknown is how colleges and universities will view and respond to this change. Will colleges and universities require applicants to submit the science section, or will it become obsolete like the ACT Writing section? Will colleges and universities look at the new ACT composite (without the science section) the same way they view the old ACT composite (with science)? How will this impact students who have taken both the new and old versions of the ACT? Will certain STEM departments require the science subsection score, even if undergraduate admissions does not? 

There is also the fact that the new ACT will remain linear, while the new SAT is adaptive. The ACT remains committed to offering a paper version of the test, which eliminates the opportunity for creating an adaptive exam. Will the new test be measured with the same reliability as its former, longer version, even as it remains linear? How will colleges compare SAT scores to ACT scores given the major differences in how the tests are structured? 

As of now, there are no definitive answers to these questions. The ACT’s press release states that the rollout of these changes will first become available during National online testing in the spring of 2025 and during in-school testing in the spring of the following year. This statement does not specify when paper testing or international testing will be officially modified. Given the lack of information, it is difficult to make a blanket statement as to what all colleges and universities will want to see in terms of which test to take and how they will measure the differences between old ACT composite scores, which include science, and the new ACT scores, which will not. Hopefully, the ACT will release more conclusive information in the upcoming months in advance of registration opening for the new test dates, allowing time for colleges to adjust their procedures and for students to make informed decisions about their testing plans.

All of this means even more testing confusion for students. Colleges and universities across the country will continue to use both the ACT and SAT as a factor in the admissions process to help determine scholarship eligibility and academic placement. Students need to determine which test to take, when to take it, and where to send it (if at all) – and the answers to these questions can vary on a school-by-school basis. Now they will need to also consider which version of the ACT to take. 

At Premium Prep, we’re here to help you navigate these new changes and make the best testing choice possible. Schedule your free consultation with one of our expert college counselors to receive the most up-to-date test information and application guidance.