ACT · US undergraduate admission — accepted everywhere the SAT is.
The ACT
Shortened, and science is now optional. The Composite is three sections, not four.
The shape of it
| Section | Time | Questions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 35 min | 50 (40 scored) | |
| Mathematics | 50 min | 45 (41 scored) | Four answer choices, not five. |
| Reading | 40 min | 36 (27 scored) | |
| Science | 40 min | 40 (34 scored) | Optional. Not in the Composite. |
| Writing | 40 min | 1 essay | Optional. Not in the Composite. |
Every claim, and where it came from
Hover or focus a row to read the wording that supports it; the dagger opens the page it was read from. Nothing on this list was written from memory.
Time to a Composite score 125 minutes CONFIRMED
English, math and reading — the three sections the Composite is built from.
ACT enhancements educator guide: "Students get a college-reportable Composite score after 125 minutes of testing".
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/act-enhancements-educator-guide.pdf
English 35 minutes · 50 questions (40 scored) CONFIRMED
Sections and structure table: English — "50 (40 scored)" questions in "35" minutes.
Mathematics 50 minutes · 45 questions (41 scored) CONFIRMED
Sections and structure table: Mathematics — "45 (41 scored)" questions in "50" minutes.
Reading 40 minutes · 36 questions (27 scored) CONFIRMED
Sections and structure table: Reading — "36 (27 scored)" questions in "40" minutes.
Science Optional · 40 minutes · 40 questions (34 scored) CONFIRMED
Taking it adds a STEM score; it does not change the Composite.
Sections and structure table: Science — "40 (34 scored)" questions in "40" minutes, marked "Optional".
Writing Optional · 40 minutes · 1 essay CONFIRMED
Sections and structure page: the writing section "is an optional 40-minute essay test" and "Your writing score does not affect your composite score."
Answer choices in math Four CONFIRMED
Reduced from five.
ACT enhancements educator guide: "The number of answer choices in math questions has" been reduced.
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/act-enhancements-educator-guide.pdf
Questions removed 44 fewer overall CONFIRMED
Against the previous ACT.
ACT enhancements educator guide: "There are 44 fewer questions overall."
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/act-enhancements-educator-guide.pdf
Composite score 1–36 CONFIRMED
The average of English, math and reading.
Understanding your scores: "Your Composite score is the average of your English, math, and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number." Section scores are reported "1–36".
Writing score 2–12 CONFIRMED
Reported separately.
Understanding your scores: writing is scored "2–12", is optional and "does not affect your composite score."
Sittings per year 7 CONFIRMED
National test dates.
Test dates page: the ACT is administered "7 times per year" nationally.
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/test-dates.html
Scores back About 2–4 weeks CONFIRMED
Test dates page: "Over 97% of ACT scores are released within about 2-4 weeks after your test date."
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/test-dates.html
When you can sit it
2026–2027 national test dates — read from ACT on 2026-09-08.
| Test | Registration by | Late | Scores | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September 2026 | 14 Aug | 1 Sep | 6 Oct | 8 days |
| 17 October 2026 | 11 Sep open | 29 Sep | 27 Oct | 5 weeks |
| 12 December 2026 | 6 Nov open | 29 Nov | 22 Dec | 3 months |
| 27 February 2027 | 22 Jan open | 9 Feb | 16 Mar | 6 months |
| 10 April 2027 | 5 Mar open | 23 Mar | 20 Apr | 7 months |
| 12 June 2027 | 7 May open | 25 May | 23 Jun | 9 months |
| 10 July 2027 | 4 Jun open | 22 Jun | 20 Jul | 10 months |
Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Central. ACT notes that July 2027 testing is initially limited to New York learners, with more centres opening through spring 2027. Score-release dates are ACT's scheduled first release, not a guarantee for every test taker.
Practice, from the people who write it
Free official practice tests as PDFs, plus ACT's own online prep. Official practice for the ACT.
This site reproduces no testing body’s questions. Official practice material is the only material written by the people who write the real test, and it is free for every test on this list.