ACT test format: how many questions, how long, and what’s on it

ACT test format: questions and time by section

The tests come in that order, with a short break after the second one. If you add writing, you get five minutes to get ready before the essay.

What each test covers

• English: revising and editing short essays and texts, from punctuation and grammar to word choice and how ideas are organized.
• Math: the math students usually learn up to the start of 12th grade, such as algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability. A permitted calculator is allowed, but only here.
• Reading: close reading of passages, reasoning about what they say, and pulling together information from more than one text.
• Science (optional): reading graphs, tables and experiments in biology, chemistry, and Earth and space science.
• Writing (optional): one essay where you give your view on an issue and weigh it against other views.

What changed in the ACT test format in 2025?

• The test got shorter. With science, it’s 44 fewer questions than before. English went from 75 to 50 questions, math from 60 to 45, and reading from 40 to 36.
• Science became optional. If you skip it, you don’t lose anything from your Composite.
• Math questions now have four answer choices instead of five, like the other tests.
• The changes started with online testing in April 2025 and reached paper testing in September 2025.

How your score is worked out

Each test gets a score from 1 to 36. Your Composite is the average of English, math and reading, rounded to the nearest whole number. Science is scored separately and is combined with math into a STEM score. Writing is scored 2 to 12.

There’s no penalty for wrong answers. Your score depends only on how many you get right, so never leave a question blank.

So what score do colleges look for?

It depends on the college, so look up the score range each college on your list publishes for the students it admits. Some colleges require scores and some are test-optional.

ACT’s own reference points are its College Readiness Benchmarks: 18 in English, 22 in math, 22 in reading and 23 in science. Meeting one means you have about a 50% chance of a B or better in a related first-year college course. For the class of 2025, the average Composite was 19.4, and 30% met at least three benchmarks.