The ACT is implementing two fundamental changes.
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By: Janet Godwin, CEO, ACT
In July, I had the privilege of attending ACT’s Enrollment Management Summit, a gathering of admissions and enrollment professionals focused on the pressing issues in higher education. It’s one of my favorite events of the year, where I get to learn from some of the most innovative minds in the business.
This year’s Summit was especially exciting for me, as it was the first opportunity I had to share the ambitious work ACT has done to offer students more choice and flexibility in demonstrating their readiness for life after high school. For more than six decades, ACT has evolved to meet the challenges students and educators face, and we are laser focused on providing the best tools and opportunities for success.
Continuing our legacy of innovation and guided by feedback from students, educators, and experts in K-12 and higher education, we are implementing two fundamental changes to the ACT test.
Focus on Flexibility
First, we have made the test more flexible for students by giving them the ability to choose whether to take the science section. English, reading, and math remain as the core sections of the ACT test that will result in a college-reportable score. Like the writing section, science will be offered as an additional section. This means students can choose to take the ACT, the ACT plus science, the ACT plus writing, or the ACT plus science and writing. With this flexibility, students can focus on their strengths and showcase their abilities in the best possible way.
The Composite score will be the average of the English, reading, and math scores. The Composite and section scores will continue to be reported on the same 1-36 scale, and stakeholders can continue to use them as powerful indicators of achievement and college readiness. Additionally, as in years past, students can still opt to take the test online or with paper and pencil.
A Shorter Test
We’ve also reduced the length of the test by up to one-third, depending on which version of the test students take. The new core test will last just two hours, compared to three hours for the current test. To achieve this, the test will include shorter passages on the reading and English sections and fewer questions in each section – 44 fewer questions in all – allowing students more time to answer each question thoughtfully. This change is designed to make the testing experience more manageable for students, enabling them to perform at their best without the fatigue that often accompanies longer exams.
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.
These changes to the ACT test reflect our commitment to continually evolving to meet the needs of learners and underscore our legacy of innovation that has been at the core of ACT’s mission since 1959. ACT broke down barriers in 2006 when we introduced school-day testing, ensuring that all students have access to a college-reportable score that reflects their readiness for life after high school. In 2017, we led the industry in offering online testing. In 2020, we met the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by opening pop-up testing centers with protocols to ensure the safety of test takers. In 2023, ACT introduced Encourage, our free college and career planning program that is used in more than 10,000 schools and provides nearly 1 million high school students every year with resources to explore pathways to success after graduation.
As ACT continues to innovate and adapt, our dedication to providing accessible, reliable, and forward-thinking readiness solutions remains steadfast, ensuring every learner has the opportunity to succeed.
I’m thrilled about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for us and those we serve. Our unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of students and educators drives us forward. These enhancements are just the beginning, and we are eager to continue revolutionizing how we prepare learners for future challenges and opportunities. For more than 65 years, ACT has embraced innovation, and we are focused forward on delivering our vision to transform college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential.