Start ACT Prep with Confidence
Navigate the New ACT Format with Expert Guidance
The ACT has undergone significant updates as of April 2025, aiming to provide a more flexible and student-friendly testing experience. These enhancements include a shorter test duration, optional science section, and revised scoring methods. To help students adapt to these changes, we offer a free ACT Diagnostic Test to identify strengths and areas for improvement before beginning a tailored prep program.
Key Updates to the ACT (April 2025 Onward)
What Students and Parents Need to Know About the New ACT Format
In April 2025, the ACT introduced several major changes to improve the test-taking experience and better align with college-readiness goals. These updates affect timing, scoring, and test structure — all of which impact how students should prepare. Whether you're testing online or on paper, it's important to understand what's changed so you can build a prep strategy that reflects the latest standards.
ACT Test Format (April 2025)
The ACT follows a standardized structure with multiple-choice questions across four timed sections. Recent updates have adjusted question types and timing, making it important for students to review the format before starting their prep:
Reading Test:
36 multiple-choice questions
40 minutes
Includes 9 experimental questions
English Test:
50 multiple-choice questions
35 minutes
Includes 10 experimental questions
Math Test:
45 multiple-choice questions
50 minutes
Includes 4 experimental questions
Science Test (Optional):
40 multiple-choice questions
40 minutes
Includes 6 experimental questions
If taken, contributes to a separate STEM score
Writing Test (Optional):
1 essay prompt
40 minutes
Includes 1 experimental task
Total Testing Time:
Core (English, Math, Reading): 125 minutes
With Science: 165 minutes
With Writing: 205 minutes
Additional Notes
Total Test Time: Approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes
With the optional Writing Test, total time is about 3 hours and 35 minutes
Breaks:
One 10-minute break after the second section (Math)
If taking the Writing Test, a brief break is offered before that section
Scoring:
Each of the four main sections (English, Math, Reading, Science) is scored on a scale of 1–36
The Composite Score is the average of those four section scores
The optional Writing Test is scored separately on a scale of 2–12
No penalty for wrong answers — students should answer every question
Tips for Students
What to Know Before You Start ACT Prep
Understanding the ACT’s format and scoring can give you a big advantage going into your prep. Here’s what every student should know about the latest ACT structure as of 2025.
ACT Test Sections (April 2025)
The ACT is made up of four required sections—Reading, English, Math, and Science—with an optional Writing Test. Each section is timed and tests specific academic skills. Knowing the format and pacing of each section helps students approach the test with confidence and focus:
Reading Test:
4 reading passages, including one paired passage:
Passage types: Literary Narrative, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science
36 multiple-choice questions with 4 answer choices each
Includes 9 experimental questions
Total Time: 40 minutes
English Test:
Includes 5 passages and 50 multiple-choice questions
Focuses on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical skills
Now includes 10 experimental (unscored) questions
Total Time: 35 minutes
Math Test:
45 multiple-choice questions with 4 answer choices each
Covers algebra, geometry, functions, and data analysis
Calculators are allowed
Now includes 4 experimental questions
Total Time: 50 minutes
Science Test (Optional):
40 multiple-choice questions with 4 answer choices
Includes graphs, charts, and brief research summaries
Includes 6 experimental questions
Total Time: 40 minutes
Writing Test (Optional):
1 essay prompt with 3 different perspectives
Students must present their own argument while addressing the other views
Includes 1 experimental task
Total Time: 40 minutes
Test Dates and Registration Deadlines
ACT Test Availability and Scheduling
Stay on track with your ACT planning by reviewing the most current test dates and deadlines directly from ACT’s official site:
View U.S. ACT Test Dates →
For students testing in the United States.View International ACT Test Dates →
For students testing outside the United States.
ACT National Average Scores
| Year | English Test | Math Test | Reading Test | Science Test | Composite Score | Students | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 17.8 | 17.0 | 19.5 | 19.0 | 18.5 | 1,400,000 | ||||||||
| 2023 | 18.0 | 19.0 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 19.5 | 1,386,335 | ||||||||
| 2022 | 19.0 | 19.3 | 20.4 | 19.9 | 19.8 | 1,349,644 | ||||||||
| 2021 | 19.6 | 19.9 | 20.9 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 1,295,349 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 19.9 | 20.2 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 1,670,497 | ||||||||
| 2019 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 20.7 | 1,782,820 | ||||||||
| 2018 | 20.2 | 20.5 | 21.3 | 20.7 | 20.8 | 1,914,817 | ||||||||
| 2017 | 20.3 | 20.7 | 21.4 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 2,030,038 | ||||||||
| 2016 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 20.8 | 2,090,342 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 20.4 | 20.8 | 21.4 | 20.9 | 21.0 | 1,924,436 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 21.0 | 1,845,787 | ||||||||
| 2013 | 20.2 | 20.9 | 21.1 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 1,799,243 | ||||||||
| 2012 | 20.5 | 21.1 | 21.3 | 20.9 | 21.1 | 1,666,017 | ||||||||
| Source: ACT 2012-2024 | ||||||||||||||
ACT National Distributions of Cumulative Percents for ACT Scores (2023-2024)
| Score | English Test | Math Test | Reading Test | Science Test | Composite Score | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | |||||||||
| 35 | 99% | 99% | 98% | 99% | 99% | |||||||||
| 34 | 97% | 99% | 96% | 99% | 99% | |||||||||
| 33 | 95% | 98% | 94% | 97% | 98% | |||||||||
| 32 | 94% | 97% | 92% | 96% | 97% | |||||||||
| 31 | 92% | 96% | 90% | 95% | 95% | |||||||||
| 30 | 91% | 95% | 88% | 94% | 94% | |||||||||
| 29 | 90% | 94% | 86% | 93% | 92% | |||||||||
| 28 | 88% | 92% | 84% | 91% | 90% | |||||||||
| 27 | 87% | 90% | 81% | 89% | 8% | |||||||||
| 26 | 85% | 87% | 79% | 87% | 85% | |||||||||
| 25 | 82% | 83% | 76% | 84% | 81% | |||||||||
| 24 | 79% | 79% | 74% | 80% | 78% | |||||||||
| 23 | 75% | 75% | 6% | 74% | 74% | |||||||||
| 22 | 71% | 71% | 6% | 67% | 69% | |||||||||
| 21 | 66% | 68% | 59% | 62% | 64% | |||||||||
| 20 | 60% | 65% | 53% | 56% | 59% | |||||||||
| 19 | 55% | 61% | 48% | 50% | 53% | |||||||||
| 18 | 51% | 56% | 43% | 44% | 47% | |||||||||
| 17 | 47% | 50% | 39% | 37% | 41% | |||||||||
| 16 | 43% | 41% | 34% | 30% | 35% | |||||||||
| 15 | 38% | 29% | 30% | 24% | 28% | |||||||||
| 14 | 31% | 17% | 25% | 18% | 22% | |||||||||
| 13 | 25% | 8% | 19% | 13% | 14% | |||||||||
| 12 | 20% | 3% | 14% | 9% | 8% | |||||||||
| 11 | 16% | 2% | 8% | 6% | 3% | |||||||||
| 10 | 10% | 1% | 4% | 3% | 1% | |||||||||
| 9 | 5% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 8 | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 7 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 6 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 5 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 4 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 3 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 2 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| 1 | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | |||||||||
| Source: ACT 2023-2024 | ||||||||||||||