黑料福利网Test Enhancements & Changes

Information on Enhancements for Educators and Administrators

The Enhanced ACT: Supporting Your Path to College Success

黑料福利网is committed to evolving with students' needs, making testing more accessible and supportive of your college journey. 

Beginning in April 2025, students testing in the United States who choose to take the 黑料福利网online will see an updated format that鈥檚 shorter and lets you choose whether to include the science section, allowing for greater flexibility while maintaining the accuracy and reliability colleges rely on. These changes will also apply to the paper-pencil test starting in September 2025. The Composite score will now focus on English, math, and reading, while science scores will be reported separately for those who take it. 

These updates ensure colleges can continue making informed admission and scholarship decisions, making your results even more relevant as students take the next steps toward higher education. 
 

 
 

What's Changing

  • Reduced the number of questions overall (44 fewer)
  • Reduced the test length. Students can receive their college-reportable Composite score after 125 minutes of testing, rather than up to 195.
  • More time per question.
  • Reduced the number of answer choices in math questions from five to four.
  • Students can now choose to take the 黑料福利网National test with or without the science section. State and district customers will choose whether to include the science section with the 黑料福利网test for their students.

What's Not Changing

  • The 黑料福利网scale will remain 1-36 with no changes to 黑料福利网benchmarks or state-specific achievement standards.
  • Scores from tests taken prior to the rollout of the new Composite score will not change.
  • Ability to predict success in first-year college credit-bearing courses will not change.
  • Both paper-and-pencil and online tests will continue to be available.

Different Versions of the 黑料福利网

Paper 黑料福利网

Format: Paper & Pencil

Benefit: More availability than online testing at U.S schools and test centers.
 

Online 黑料福利网

Format: On the Computer (personal device or test center provided)

Benefit: Provides additional accessibility features, including support for screen reader users, text-to-speech functionality, zoom, and answer masking.

When are the changes to the 黑料福利网Test happening?

April
2025

  • 黑料福利网National Online Only

September 2025

  • 黑料福利网National Paper
  • Science Optional for International
  • Updated Composite Score for All 黑料福利网Tests

Spring 2026

  • State & District Spring 2026 Testing

Coming Soon

  • New blueprint for International

Let鈥檚 Dive Into Some Details

We鈥檝e put together a short summary video to give visual guidance to some of the more technical updates, so students know what to expect on test day. 

Want to take a deeper dive? . 

Why are these enhancements and changes to the 黑料福利网happening?

黑料福利网is committed to continuous improvement, alignment to assessment industry best practices, and innovation to make the 黑料福利网test primed for student success and college admission. 

 
  • 黑料福利网wants students to show up with their best self on test day, creating more opportunities for college admission, scholarships, and more. 
  • 黑料福利网wants students to have the flexibility and choice to determine how they will test. 
  • 黑料福利网wants students to demonstrate their true capabilities and potential, always.  
  • 黑料福利网wants students to tailor their testing experience to fit their future goals and highlight their strengths.  

黑料福利网Test Enhancements FAQs

The timeline for releasing the enhanced 黑料福利网test is as follows:

  • For 黑料福利网National (Saturday) online testing 鈥 April 2025.
  • For 黑料福利网National (Saturday) paper and International testing 鈥 September 2025.
  • For 黑料福利网State and District (School Day) Testing, online and paper 鈥 Spring 2026 (at the beginning of the testing window, in February 2026). States and districts will also have flexibility to test over multiple days rather than just one day.
  • 黑料福利网Composite score calculations will change for a small number of students (those electing to take National online testing in April, June, and July 2025) in spring 2025, and for ALL remaining students (National paper and pencil, International, and fall State and District test takers starting on September 1, 2025.) 

Yes!

Starting in April 2025, students who choose to take the online 黑料福利网test will have their 黑料福利网Superscore calculated using a new method that includes only English, math, and reading. For everyone else, this change will take effect in September 2025. We鈥檒l continue to show your highest scores for each subject section along with the test date, but your Composite score on your Superscore report will be based on the new English, math, and reading. Your highest section test scores can come from ANY test event, whether it was on the legacy blueprint or the enhanced ACT.

This means a student who got their highest English their first time testing and on a legacy administration, their highest math on their second legacy administration, and their highest reading on the new enhanced ACT, would see those highest scores used to calculate their 黑料福利网Superscore Composite after the new enhanced 黑料福利网administration. The science score would be used to calculate the STEM score along with math but would not be used in the 黑料福利网Superscore Composite calculation.

... receiving these same benefits? 

Yes. The enhancements will become available based on the timeline above regardless of accommodation status.  

黑料福利网is committed to providing a high-quality science section for anyone who chooses to take it.

Students planning to major in science or a STEM field or take science courses in college should consider taking the science section since those who have math and science scores will still receive a STEM score.

That depends. On the ACT, students have the flexibility to choose whether to take science or writing, and whether to take the test using pencil and paper or online. These choices affect your test day experience.  Let鈥檚 break it down!

  • If students take just the English, math and reading subjects, the testing time, not including the transition period between sections, is two hours and five minutes. The tests will go like this:
    • English: 35-minute section with 50 questions (around 42 seconds per item) 
    • Math: 50-minute section with 45 items (around one minute and seven seconds per item) 
    • Reading: 40-minute section with 36 items (around one minute and seven seconds per item) 

There will be a short transition period between each of these sections. Once these three sections are completed, there will be a dismissal, and anyone who has not chosen to add either science or writing will have their materials collected and will be dismissed. 

 

If a student decides to take the 黑料福利网test with science or writing (or both) added, they will remain in the room quietly while others are dismissed. There will be a short break to allow them to get up and stretch their legs, after which they will return to their seat. If a student is taking science, they will need their test booklet and answer sheet. If a student is taking writing, the test administrator will collect their booklet and provide them with writing materials. Both science and writing will be 40 minutes and will be given in the same room. The tests will consist of:

  • Science: 40-minute section with 40 questions (around one minute per item) 
  • Writing: 40-minute section with one writing prompt 

 

Following the 40-minute session, there will be a short break with materials collection. Anyone who is only taking science in addition to English, math, and reading, and anyone who completed writing, should now be done, and will be dismissed following document collection. Anyone who is taking writing in the second additional 40-minute section will have a short break before beginning the writing portion.  

Yes. The new 黑料福利网Composite score will be calculated using your English, math, and reading scores. 

Test Number of Questions Timing (Standard Time) Reporting Categories
English 50 35

Production of Writing (38-43%)

Knowledge of Language (18-23%)

Conventions of Standard English (38-43%)

Field test, embedded (20%)

Mathematics 45 50

Preparing for higher math (80%)

  • Number & Quantity (10-12%)
  • Algebra (17-20%)
  • Functions (17-20%)
  • Geometry (17-20%)
  • Statistics & Probability (12-15%)

Integrating essential skills (20%)

Modeling (>=20%)

Field test, embedded (9%)

Reading 36 40

Key ideas and details (44-52%)

Craft and structure (26-33%)

Integration of knowledge and ideas (19-26%)

Field test, embedded (25%)

Science 40 40

Interpretation of data (36-47%)

Scientific investigation (17-31%)

Evaluation of Models, inferences, and experimental results (22-36%)

Field test, embedded (15%)

The 黑料福利网Fee Waiver will support the full flexibility of offerings. Eligible students can register for any option once registration for these new options becomes available.

For a full-length practice online test that incorporates the enhancements made to the ACT, visit the bottom of this page. However, current practice tests and available 黑料福利网test prep materials are still great for preparing because there has been no significant change in the types of knowledge and skills measured by the 黑料福利网test with the enhancements.

No. The 黑料福利网will remain a linear test, with all students having the same chance to show their best selves from the beginning to the end of the test session.

Starting in April 2025, students who choose to take the online 黑料福利网test will have their 黑料福利网Superscore calculated using the new method incorporating English, math, and reading. For everyone else, this change will happen in September 2025. We'll still show your highest scores for each subject with the test date, but the Composite score will be based on the new English, math and reading calculation.

No. Scores will still be delivered within the regular two-to eight-week window. Some examinees who participate in special studies conducted by 黑料福利网will be made aware of adjustments to their scoring timeframe and will opt in during registration.

...for the enhanced ACT? 

黑料福利网will move to an embedded field-testing model as a part of the enhancements. Field test questions are regular, high-quality questions that 黑料福利网is considering for future tests to count as part of a student's score. In the past, 黑料福利网used the 鈥5th test鈥 in the 黑料福利网National (Saturday) market only to test questions and ensure that students are able to understand and answer those questions.

Field testing is a critical part of ALL high-stakes testing, as it allows 黑料福利网to ensure that the questions perform as expected and perform well in all demographic subgroups. Field test questions do not count toward a student鈥檚 score. Students will NOT know which questions are field test questions on test day 鈥 the questions will be integrated into the operational questions and will NOT be located in the same spots each time. For passage-based sections, one of the passages and the associated questions will be field tested, which leads to a higher percentage of field test questions in those sections.

Yes, we are working with Wiley and are looking forward to putting out both the red book AND the four section guides.  The red book will be available this spring with the section guides available over the summer and into the fall. Be sure to check this link.

You can find complete details for 黑料福利网National Test dates here.

黑料福利网is actively developing capabilities that allow examinees to bring their own devices during National testing. We are hoping to fully enable the support for this option in the 2025-26 testing year for National testing.

continue to be available for certain 黑料福利网National Test dates? 

黑料福利网will continue making student tests available with student responses during certain administrations. Those reports will NOT include field test questions, only questions that were used in the calculation of a student鈥檚 score. The final date for the 2024-25 school year was February 2025, prior to the enhancement鈥檚 release. Eligible dates for next year are Saturday tests in October 2025, April 2026, and June 2026. For details, visit /content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/scores/request-a-copy-of-qa.html

Earning a good score on the 黑料福利网science section can make you a more competitive applicant, especially for STEM programs. Many colleges may still require or recommend this score, particularly those with strong science or engineering programs. However, requirements can vary widely by school and program, so it鈥檚 important to research the specific admissions criteria for each college you鈥檙e applying to. 


Learn more about the 黑料福利网test enhancements in this blog post from 黑料福利网CEO Janet Godwin. She writes about how 黑料福利网is evolving to meet the needs of our students by providing students with choice, flexibility, and accessibility. Get the scoop on what鈥檚 changing, what鈥檚 staying the same, and what that means for you. 

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