ACT Announces Shorter Test with Optional Science Section – an Unqualified Win for Students

In June 2024 the ACT, Inc. piloted a shorter test in order to better compete with the digital SAT. A mere five weeks later, and the results are in: the ACT is moving to a shortened format and allowing students to opt in, or out, of the Science section. These changes, which go into effect in spring 2025, will first be implemented in the online format only. The ACT will continue to offer a paper-based test, but they haven’t directly stated whether or when the paper-and-pencil test will also adopt the new, shorter format.

Downgrading ACT Science

Science has always been a core element of the ACT since its inception in 1959, receiving equal weight alongside the English, Math and Reading sections. A balanced test was the initial vision of University of Iowa professor and creator of the ACT, Everett Franklin Linquist, who wanted to create an achievement test that captured the main elements of American education, expanding beyond the limited math and verbal sections of the SAT. As such, ACT, Inc.’s decision to remove Science from the “core” sections of the test and make it an optional add-on section (like the Writing section), reflects a significant shift from the test’s roots.

Why did Science get bumped?

ACT, Inc. CEO, Janet Godwin, in her announcement of the change, cited increased “flexibility” as the rationale for this change. She did not mention why the Science section was the only section of the four that would become optional. In the drive to reach a 2-hour test and better compete with the SAT, ACT test writers may have perceived the Science section as the most obviously expendable. It would be difficult to compete as a general academic admissions test without a verbal or quantitative section. The ACT has always stood out among admissions tests for its required Science section, and now this distinction is going away. Students wishing to showcase their Science skills, especially aspiring STEM students, may opt in to the Science section, but many others will opt for a shorter assessment without Science.  

A shorter and less time-pressured test

The new ACT will be significantly shorter than the current 3-hour assessment and will clock in at roughly 2 hours, more closely aligning with the 2-hour and 14-minute digital SAT. The ACT test writers are reducing the length of the Reading and English passages and cutting items from every section, allowing students more time per question. Granting students more time will be a welcome relief, as the intense pace of the ACT has challenged students for decades.

In the announcement, Godwin specifically mentioned there will be 44 fewer questions on the new test. It so happens that the June pilot test had exactly 44 fewer questions than the current test, indicating this might be the new model. Here is a comparison of the structure and timing of the current ACT to the June pilot.

Note that the English section shaved off 25 questions and 10 minutes, while the Math section decreased by 15 questions and 10 minutes. The Reading section dropped only 4 questions and added 5 minutes, while the Science section maintained its 40 questions and added 10 minutes. These changes make the ACT a significantly less time-pressured assessment especially on the Reading and Science sections where students will have 27% and 29% more time per question respectively. Here is a table showing the relative changes in the amount of time allotted per question.

We do not know whether the updated ACT will match the exact format of the June pilot, but given Godwin’s comments, it would not be surprising if it did.

When will the changes take place?

According to the release, “Both of these exciting changes, along with other enhancements to modernize the test, will roll out starting with National online testing in spring 2025 and then for school-day testing in spring 2026.”

The optional Science section and shorter assessment are coming this spring for online administrations of the ACT. In the official statement’s explanation of the new format and scoring, Godwin notes that “students can still opt to take the test online or with paper and pencil,” which suggests that these changes will eventually come to paper-based test administrations. However, there is no direct statement that the new format will come to the paper-based test or when this change will occur. If the shorter format remains exclusively in an online form, that could certainly accelerate the ACT’s migration toward digital assessment.

Additionally, we will have to wait for more information regarding additional modernizing features, which may include a move to digital adaptive testing, or an embedded calculator similar to the Desmos feature on the digital SAT.

A move towards a shorter test with more time per question is an unqualified win for students.

Looking ahead

The ACT is entering a new era, with new partnerships and initiatives. A move towards a shorter test with more time per question is an unqualified win for students. The ACT, Inc. is following the College Board’s lead, offering a more student-friendly test that is shorter, yet offers more time per question, thereby reducing both the potential for fatigue and time-pressure on the test taker. In this instance, it seems competition between the two test makers is helping improve the student experience. We will await the exact details of the new assessment and will be sure to keep you informed of changes and insights into the new ACT as they are released.

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