On July 15, 2024, ACT announced changes to their online ACT test starting in April 2025 with the same changes rolling out in September 2025. This announcement comes on the heels of a June 2024 pilot of a shorter test which we assume will be the new structure of the revised 2025 ACT.
Science is Optional - but should you drop it?
Like the ACT Writing section, the poorly named Science section will be optional on the new test. This portion of the test does not test what science concepts a student knows but instead a student's reading and reasoning skills when presented with tables, graphs, and charts.
While this might sound like good news, students who excel on this portion of the test may want to continue taking it as it can possibly boost their composite score. So be sure to take advantage of LEAP's free diagnostic test to see if this section might help or hurt your teen's overall ACT score.
A student's composite score is the average of the test sections. Many colleges, consider the ACT composite score and don't have time to look at section scores.
A Potentially Shorter ACT Test
The new test will be approximately two hours instead of the current three hours, if your student opts to not take the science section.
A Slower Paced Test - the biggest win!
A common complaint of the ACT is it's fast pace, particularly on the reading and science sections. While LEAP's experience over the last two decades has been the vast majority of our students can learn to pace themselves with strategies and practice, the question remains do colleges really want to measure how fast a student can test or how much do they know?
This change is a win for students.
What Should Your Teen Do?
If your student is in the high school class of 2025, plan to stay the course with the paper ACT in the traditional format.
An enormous part of success on the ACT is your student's ability to practice and anticipate the test. Since the ACT will be different in September 2025, our guidance is for all class of 2025 students to finish testing by July after their senior year.
In the greater Cincinnati area, seats for the July ACT are typically scarce. To play it safe, students should plan to finish by June 2025. If your student is taking algebra 2 during their junior year, that means planning to take the state ACT, April, then June if you follow of our advice of planning for three attempts.
In our area, there is currently only one high school administering the online ACT for Saturday testing, so it's wise for students to stick with paper testing.
If your student is in the class of 2026 and beyond, they'll have options, but don't assume that dropping the science test or testing online is the answer. Utilize LEAP's diagnostics and expert advice (email us!) to make an informed decision on what will set your teen up for success.
Starting for the HS class of 2026 the state test will have the new format.
What Will Colleges Require?
It remains to be seen how colleges will respond. What we do know is:
- More colleges returned to requiring the ACT in the last year than any previous year.
- Ohio State, U of Cincinnati, and Miami U all have test optional policies expiring in 2025. It remains to be seen if these will be extended to 2026.
- Colleges will later announce if they will require the science section.