The BFF Tutoring
Test-Taking Advantage
Test Prep for the ACT Exam
Big Changes Coming to the ACT
Starting in September 2025, the ACT will launch a new format, designed to give students both flexibility and options. Given the timing of the rollout of these changes, high school students in the Class of 2027 and younger will be most impacted.
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While the ACT has indicated that the content itself will not change, here is what you need to know about the format changes:
Optional Science Section. The ACT science section will become optional. The overall ACT composite score will comprise of the English, Math, and Reading sections. The science section, if taken, will be scored as a separate section and attributed to students' STEM scores (the average of math and science)
Students must navigate this change with care: colleges (or certain majors within colleges) may still require (or recommend) the science section score, so students should check specific school websites for updates to ensure that they meet all application requirements--colleges generally update their policies for the following admissions year in August.
​Shorter Test Experience. The length of the current ACT test dates is 3 hours 15 minutes; the new format would cut that time to 2 hours and 5 minutes (plus an additional 40 minutes, if the student adds the science back in)
Fewer Questions and More Time per Question. The new test (English + Math + Reading) will be 44 questions shorter and provide students about 10 additional seconds per question.
Shorter Reading/ English Passages. The test will reduce the length of the English and Reading passages.
More Rigorous Science Section. The current version of the ACT focuses heavily on data science, testing students’ abilities to analyze and interpret data from scientific passages. The proposed changes to the Science section would increase the number of questions focusing on prior scientific knowledge.
Timeline. The changes are planned to take effect for national digital testing in April 2025 and paper testing in September 2025.
Paper Testing Remains an Option.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT will continue to provide students the option to take the test as either a digital test or as a paper/ pencil option.
The ACT Writing Section Will Remain Optional
The ACT will continue to offer the writing section as an add-on option; there are less than 10 schools in the United States that require the writing score.​
Because the actual content is not changing, we hope that this transition will be smooth for students. However, until the ACT releases an actual test (scheduled for October, 2025), there are still some unknowns: the precise structure and content of the revamped test, its impact on how students should prepare, how colleges will regard these changes, etc.
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BFF Tutoring will continue to provide updates and expert insight to help prepare students and their families for whatever changes come their way.
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