ST1 The Enhanced ACT: Format & Choices

The ACT you will sit is not the ACT your older sibling sat. ACT rebuilt it: the enhanced test went live for National online testing in April 2025, on paper for the National Saturday test in September 2025, and for State and District testing in spring 2026.

The whole test on one line: English 50 questions / 35 minutes · Math 45 / 50 · Reading 36 / 40 · Science 40 / 40 (optional) · Writing 1 essay / 40 minutes (optional).

Four things changed that matter to you

It is shorter. 44 fewer questions. The three sections that make your Composite take 125 minutes of testing rather than up to 195.
Math has four answer choices, not five. ACT states the count "has been reduced from five to four." Every multiple-choice section now uses four.
Science is optional — and it no longer counts toward your Composite.
You get more time per question in every section, because the question counts fell faster than the clock did.

The two decisions you make at registration

Science and Writing are add-ons you choose. On the National (Saturday) test the choice is yours. In State and District testing your school or state decides, not you — if that is how you are testing, ask which sections you are scheduled for rather than assuming.

You can change your mind. ACT lets you add or drop the writing and/or science section up to the late registration deadline for your test date. It is not locked in the moment you register.

Should you take Science?

Skipping it cannot lower your Composite — that is arithmetic, not opinion, because the Composite is built from English, Math and Reading only. But two things push the other way:

Colleges decide, not ACT. Some programs ask for it. Check the requirements of the schools you actually intend to apply to before you drop it.
The STEM score needs it. STEM is the average of Math and Science, and it is only reported if you sat Science.

ACT's own framing is that some students "may choose not to take the science assessment" and get "a shorter testing experience while still receiving a valid and college-reportable score." Both paths are legitimate. Decide it deliberately, early, and then prepare for the test you are actually taking.

Order on the day

English, then Math, then a break, then Reading. Science, if you are taking it, comes after Reading. Writing, if you are taking it, comes after every multiple-choice section.

💾 Create a free account (or log in) to save your XP, streak, and progress across devices.