2025-2026 ACT Exam Changes: What Do They Mean for You?

This just in: changes to ACT testing are coming! The CEO of the ACT announced in July 2024 that students could expect major ACT changes beginning in spring 2025 and continuing through spring 2026. 

So, what exactly are the biggest ACT test changes? In this article, we’ll share everything we know about the ACT exam changes, including:

• When the changes in ACT testing go into effect 
• How the test is shortened, including adjustments to reading passages 
• Which sections are now optional 
• How experimental questions are being added to the test

Let’s dive in!

2024-2026 ACT Changes Timeline

To get started, let’s look at when these changes to the ACT will go live:

*This date is an educated guess. ACT has confirmed that the digital ACT will see changes first in spring 2025, and then the school-day ACT in spring 2026. So, we’re assuming the paper ACT will see these changes between these two testing cycles.

Spring 2025 is when the new, major ACT changes go into effect for test takers taking the exam digitally. After this initial launch, paper-and-pencil test takers will see these changes take effect in fall 2025, before school-day ACT test takers see them in spring 2026.

What ACT Exam Changes Are Coming in 2025 and 2026?

There are 4 major structural changes happening to the ACT exam beginning in spring 2025:

1. The ACT Science section will be optional for all students
2. Experimental questions, which do not count toward students’ scores, will be sprinkled in throughout each test section
3. The entire test will take just over 2 hours to complete instead of 3 hours 
4. The ACT will be offered in both digital and paper versions
   
   

Below, we’ll walk you through each of the major changes coming to the ACT and offer some insight on how to navigate them. After all, you’re not alone when it comes to the ACT—we’ve got your back!

Change #1: Science Section Now Optional

The most extreme change to the ACT is that the Science section is now optional. Previously, ACT test takers were required to complete four core sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. ACT Writing has always been optional and will remain so. 

When the new ACT changes go into effect, students will only have to take three sections: Math, English, and Reading. Both Science and Writing will be optional add ons (with an extra fee).

Change #2: Experimental Questions Throughout Exam 

Experimental questions are included on the ACT to help exam developers test out potential questions for future tests. They want to make sure that their questions are fair before they’re officially launched, and the only way to know that for sure is to test the questions on real test takers.

Another big change to the new ACT is where and how students will encounter experimental questions. When the ACT was last updated in 2015, it included an entire fifth section full of experimental questions—questions that didn’t count towards students’ scores. The problem? Students knew this section didn’t matter, so many test takers blew through them. 

To make their experimental questions more effective, students will now encounter the ACT’s experimental questions throughout every section of the ACT. That’s right: experimental questions are going to be sprinkled in alongside the real questions in each section, so students won’t be able to tell which questions are scored and which are experimental.  

The new ACT will be shorter, and you'll actually have more time to answer each question.

Change #3: Shortened Exam Time

With the ACT Science becoming optional and the experimental questions being dispersed across the entire test, students will see the new ACT shrink by almost an entire hour.  

The current ACT is 175 minutes long, or just under 3 hours in length. The new ACT will be 125 minutes long, or just over 2 hours in length. We'll talk about how shortening the test affects the ACT's content in just a second. 

Change #4: Paper-And-Pencil and Digital Test Formats 

In early 2024, the ACT piloted a digital version of the ACT to compete with the now all-digital SAT exam. Moving forward, ACT will allow students to choose between the paper-and-pencil and digital versions of the ACT tests. 

Now, let's take a look at how the content of the exam is changing. 

The ACT test is getting sliced up slightly differently in the future.

ACT Changes to Sections and Questions

ACT is also making additional changes to the content of the ACT exam. Specifically, there will be fewer questions on almost all the sections of the ACT.  The ACT says they’re making this change so students have “more time to answer each question thoughtfully” and to make the test more manageable, overall.

ACT hasn’t yet confirmed how many questions will be in each test section or how long students will have to complete each section, so the information in the right column and the specifics included in the section breakdowns below is all based on educated guesses. We’ll update it as soon as we learn more. 

*The ACT Writing isn’t included in this breakdown. This section of the test won’t be changing as of now—it’ll still be an optional section including one 40-minute essay question.

As you can see, there are 44 fewer questions on the Enhanced ACT + Science than there were on the old ACT. The new ACT + Science is also about 10 minutes shorter than the old ACT. 

And for students taking the new ACT without the optional ACT Science section, there are 84 fewer questions, and it’s about 50 minutes shorter than the old ACT.

Changes To ACT Test: English

The ACT English section will still be required, but it’ll look different on the new ACT. There are 50 questions on ACT English (25 fewer than the previous ACT), and you’ll have 35 minutes for the entire section (10 fewer minutes than previously). 

Here’s how those changes break down:

Students gain 6 seconds per question on the new ACT English, plus the passages are shorter.

Changes To ACT Test: Math

ACT Math will also still be required and will have 45 questions (15 fewer than the old ACT) and the entire section will take 50 minutes (10 minutes less than previously). 

Here’s the section breakdown:

Just like with ACT English, you’re gaining about 6 more seconds per question on ACT Math. 

Changes To ACT Test: Reading

Last but not least, ACT Reading will be the final required section on the enhanced ACT. The new ACT Reading section has 36 questions (4 fewer questions than previously) and runs for 40 minutes (5 minutes longer than the old ACT). 

So with this section you’re losing questions and gaining time. Let’s take a look at the ACT Reading breakdown:

As you can see, this section has the most significant change: you’re gaining over 14 seconds per question on ACT Reading! 

Just like with ACT English, the passages on ACT Reading are going to be shorter, so you’ll have even more time per question on this section than on the old ACT. 

Changes To ACT Test: Science

The biggest change impacting the ACT Science section is it becoming optional. However, the length of the Science section is changing, too. The new ACT Science has 40 questions (exactly the same as the old ACT), but you’ll have 40 minutes for the section—5 more minutes than the old ACT. 

Here’s the ACT Science breakdown:

If you choose to take this optional section, you’ll be gaining 7.5 more seconds per question on ACT Science. 

ACT Exam Changes: Digital and Paper ACT Options Available

As of September 2025, students are able to choose between taking a digital ACT or a paper-and-pencil version. The two tests are identical (both using the new Enhanced format) other than their delivery method, so test takers can pick the type of test that works best for them. 

Note that students taking the school-day ACT will see these changes beginning in spring 2026.

Should You Take the Digital or Paper ACT?

Talk about customizable! ACT Science? ACT Writing? Digital ACT? Paper ACT? The possibilities are endless! (Well, not really… but you get the idea.)

The changes to ACT testing are helping to make the exam personalized to each test taker and their goals. Not only do you have to choose which content to take on your ACT—you also have to choose how you want to take the ACT. 

So which is better, the digital ACT or the paper ACT? The short answer is that it all depends on you. 

The launch of the digital ACT is still so recent that we haven’t seen any score reports from the digital exams. Without those, we can’t yet determine whether there’s any real difference between the digital ACT and the paper ACT when it comes to scoring and student performance. 

For now, deciding whether you should take the digital ACT or the paper ACT really comes down to your preferences and strengths, though the ACT has reported that “students have already noticed enhancements like seamless pacing, improved efficiency, and streamlined essay writing” when taking the digital ACT. 

Here are a few things to consider as you decide which test format is for you. 

Tip #1: Think About Your Experience

You don’t want to switch things up on exam day! Going with the type of test delivery you’re more familiar with will help you be more comfortable on test day. 

If you have more experience with digital exams and are more comfortable with them, then taking the digital ACT may be the right option for you. 

The same applies to the paper exam—if most of your school exams are administered on paper and that’s the delivery method you’re the most familiar with, then the paper-and-pencil ACT may be the better option. 

Tip #2: Match Your Prep Method

If you choose the digital ACT, then your most valuable prep materials will be digital ACT practice tests that simulate the exact format and question types you’ll see on the real ACT. The opposite is also true—if you choose to go with the paper-and-pencil ACT, then official ACT paper practice tests will be an important part of your prep. 

If you’re looking for ACT practice tests and materials, look no further: we’ve got a massive collection of online ACT sources waiting for you! Just make sure to simulate realistic testing conditions to make sure and give both the digital and paper ACT a fair chance!

Recap: ACT Changes

In this article, we’ve shared everything we know about the upcoming changes to the ACT, including:

• The timeline for the changes
• The ACT Science section becoming optional and whether you should take the ACT, the ACT + Science, the ACT + Writing, or the ACT + Science + Writing
• The experimental questions being sprinkled in throughout the entire test
• The length of the ACT being reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours
• The digital and paper ACT options and which one is best for you

 What’s Next?

Like we mentioned earlier, the ACT now offers a digital option. Here's everything you need to know about this new version of the test. 

Ready to start studying for the ACT now? Our ultimate ACT study guide will help you build the right skills to make your best score. 

If you're ready to take your ACT prep to the next level, check out these 18 tips and tricks you need to know.