How is the ACT Changing?
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, the ACT is undergoing significant changes in the coming months. Starting in April 2025, ACT will begin phasing out the current “classic ACT” in favor of the new “core ACT”. You can read a fuller description of the core test and find a full timeline of the rollout of the new ACT here.
HIghlights of the new, core ACT:
- Science section becomes optional
- Shorter test by about an hour
- Shorter passages on Reading and English sections
- Fewer questions overall
- More time per question
- Available on computer or paper
While all of these updates may initially sound attractive to test-takers, the options available on the new test present a great deal of complexity and uncertainty. It’s important for students to put together their testing plans carefully. Like many people in the testing world, we have unanswered questions and concerns about the new test.
Class of 2026
The SAT is a Good Option
We always recommend that our students take one diagnostic SAT practice test (or the PSAT) and one ACT diagnostic to determine which test is the best fit for them. If your scores are roughly similar (or the SAT is the better of the two), if you prefer the SAT for any reason, or if you prefer testing on a computer in general, we recommend you lean into the SAT. This path allows you to skip the current complexity related to the ACT and focus your energy on the SAT.
Taking the ACT? Focus on the Classic Test and Finish by July 2025
Taking the classic version of the ACT should be the first choice for all class of 2026 ACT students. The core ACT will be introduced in April 2025, but the classic ACT will still be available through July 2025. We urge juniors taking the ACT to focus on the classic test and finish testing with the July 2025 ACT at the latest. The classic ACT is a known quantity that doesn’t raise any of the concerns inherent to the new, core test, and we have been successfully preparing students for this version of the test for 25 years. Important note: when you register for the ACT through July 2025, make sure to sign up for the paper version of the test.
If You Plan to Take the ACT in the Fall of 2025: Take the Core ACT on Paper and Include Optional Science Section
It’s not the end of the world if you’re a junior and you end up needing to take a last ACT in the fall of 2025. But, there are choices you can make to ensure a smooth transition and maximize the impact of your preparation.
- Choose to take the paper test
- To date, ACT’s digital platform is unstable and quirky
- Access to digital ACT’s is quite spotty at the moment
- Taking the paper test eliminates these variables and makes the core ACT more similar to your experience on previous, classic ACT’s
- Always include the optional Science section
- Some colleges and departments will likely encourage or require students to take Science
- Keep your options open and don’t skip Science
Class of 2027
The SAT Is Still a Good Option
As noted above for the class of 2026, if you like the SAT, do better on the SAT than you do on the ACT, or just want to skip the complexity that the ACT currently brings with it, we recommend that you go with the SAT. Avoid the ACT madness and move forward confidently with the SAT.
Taking the ACT? Take the Core ACT on Paper and Include Optional Science Section
This recommendation will hopefully change as the digital ACT platform becomes more dependable and access to the digital ACT becomes more widespread. That said, in the short term, at least through the ACT in September 2025, we recommend that ACT test-takers opt for the paper version of the test and always include the optional Science section.
Class of 2028
You’ve got time! We typically don’t recommend that students start prepping for the SAT or ACT until the summer after sophomore year, at the earliest. That’s summer of 2026 for the class of 2028. By that time, we hope the dust will have settled and we’ll have an updated (and much simpler) set of recommendations for our students and families.
A Note on ACT Diagnostic Tests
At this time there is not a reliable practice test available for the new, core ACT. Among other concerns, that is one reason why we’re recommending the classic ACT for the class of 2026. That said, we are confident that taking a classic practice ACT on paper is still a good diagnostic test experience for students. We will have core ACT diagnostic tests available in the spring of 2025, but students can still take classic ACT diagnostics in the meantime and be confident in the recommendations that we derive from them.
