Earlier in July, the ACT announced major changes coming that will impact the class of 2026 high school graduates and beyond.
The ACT, offered both digitally and in paper and pencil format, has traditionally been a 3-hour exam comprising four sections: English, reading, math, and science reasoning. Upcoming changes will reduce the test to two hours and will eliminate the science reasoning section from what is being called the “Core ACT.” To provide students with a more manageable testing experience, reading passages will be shorter in length and the number of questions reduced to allow for more thoughtful responses and less pressure on students.
For students who excel in science reasoning and writing, these sections will be offered as optional components, allowing students more flexibility in how they showcase their university-preparedness skills. Whether students opt to take the Core ACT exam or add one or both of the optional sections, the scoring will remain out of 36 points, and ACT confirms they will still be “powerful indicators of achievement and college readiness.”
This announcement follows the significant changes the SAT has been undergoing of late, becoming a digital-based adaptive test with total test time also reduced to two hours. For more information, check out our recent SAT blog post here: https://www.optionssolutionsed.com/uk-us/adaptive-sat/↗
As more US colleges and universities reinstate testing requirements post-COVID, and while students continue to negotiate how testing can affect their applications, Options consultants and writing coaches remain dedicated to providing families with the most current information and guidance on navigating this ever-changing landscape.
Students should expect to find official updated study materials and practice tests early in 2025.
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