The registration window is now open at ACT.org for students to take the ACT in April, June, and July. The big question is whether your student should register for the new enhanced ACT test on the computer or take the paper-based older version. We recommend the paper test for many practical reasons.
The new ACT – also called Core ACT or Enhanced ACT — will be available only on computers starting in April. It’s a shorter test that allows more time for students to answer each question. Under the new core ACT format, the Science section is optional, leaving the three core sections: English, Math, and Reading. For students who choose the paper test, ACT will continue with the current format with four required sections for April, June, and July. In September 2025, both the paper-based and computer-based tests will have the same new structure.
Most of the shortening comes from making the Science section optional. The new optional Science section will have 40 questions (unchanged) to answer in 40 minutes (instead of 35). The fifth section with experimental questions will be removed. The core ACT is expected to include some experimental questions (unscored) in the English, Math and Reading sections. The ACT Writing section (essay) will continue to be optional, and less than 5% of our students choose to do the essay. We expect many more students will choose to take the optional Science section.
How the New ACT Helps Students
As shown in the chart above, students will have more time to answer each question on the Core ACT. The ACT folks say that question difficulty will remain the same, but that remains to be seen. They plan to use the same concordance tables, which means the new ACT test will require the same level of skill to achieve a given composite score as needed for the older ACT. The new scoring scales also remain to be seen, so we won’t know about changes in difficulty or scoring scales until after the tests in April and June.
Overall, the other features of the ACT test will remain about the same. The scoring (1-36) remains the same. In the English section, the passages to test grammar and mechanics will be shorter. In the Math section, each question will have four answer choices instead of five. The other ACT sections and SAT sections all have four answer choices.
ACT Composite Score
On the current ACT, the composite score is the average of the four section scores. On the digital ACT for April, June, and July, the composite score will be the average of the English, Math, and Reading scores. Even if students take the optional Science section, the Science score will not affect the composite. On the paper test during this transition period, the Science score will still be included in the composite. Starting in September, all composite scores will be the average of the English, Math, and Reading scores.
ACT Superscoring
The superscoring process allows a student to create a new composite score using their highest ACT section scores from all their test dates. Not all colleges allow superscores. For students who take only the current version of the ACT, the highest Science score will be included in their superscore. If a student takes the new ACT at least once, their superscore will no longer include a Science score.
Which ACT Test Is Better?
At Dogwood, we recommend that students take the paper-based tests if they take ACT in April, June and July. First, there will be limited availability to take the digital ACT in these early months. The ACT has a history of technical issues with digital testing. Part of the technical challenge is the ACT digital process requires constant internet connection throughout the whole test. By comparison, the digital SAT requires only brief internet connections at key points of the testing process. The ACT digital test does not allow Apple devices at this early stage.
Another major concern about taking the core ACT before September is the lack of practice materials. We expect the release of one core ACT practice test in January. A new ACT book with five core ACT practice tests may arrive around May. The ACT wants us to believe that older practice tests are still excellent resources to prep for the new ACT. While that may be true in theory, the core ACT will have a new structure, possible changes in the mix of question difficulty, and new scoring curves that will be unavailable for a while. The good news is we already have an abundance of actual retired ACT tests to help students prepare for the paper-based ACT tests in April, June, and July.
Your Next Step
Now is a great time to have your junior take a paper-based ACT practice test to compare with their recent PSAT test. Contact Dogwood to schedule the free test and consultation. We will help you determine which test(s) and test dates are best for your student’s individual needs.