The ACT Test Just Got Shorter. Here's What It Means For Your Teen

If you've got a high schooler, you've probably already heard the news: the ACT is getting a makeover. Starting in 2025, the test that generations of American students have sweated over is being trimmed down, and honestly, it's about time. Here's the short version. The ACT will drop from four required sections to three. The science section—long the weird cousin of the exam, since it mostly tested reading graphs rather than actual science knowledge—becomes optional. The total testing time shrinks by roughly a third. And students who want to retake the test can now do a single-section retake instead of sitting through the whole thing again. For families, this is a big deal, and not just because your kid gets out of the testing center earlier. Let's talk money first, because that's what most of us actually care about. The full ACT currently costs around $68 without the optional writing section, or about $93 with it. Single-section retakes will run cheaper than a full retest, which matters if your teen just needs to bump up one score. And if your family qualifies for a fee waiver—which covers low-income students—those waivers still apply. But the real savings might be in prep. Families in the U.S. spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars on tutors, prep books, and online courses. A shorter test with an optional science section means less material to prep, which could cut those costs. It also means less stress, fewer late nights, and fewer arguments at the kitchen table about practice tests. Now, a few things worth knowing before you get too excited. First, colleges decide what they require. Some schools may still ask for the science score. If your teen is applying to a competitive engineering or pre-med program, check each school's requirements before skipping it. The test changed, but admissions offices move slower than testing companies. Second, "optional" doesn't always mean "skip it." If your teen scores well on science and is applying to a school that looks at it, including it could help. If the science section drags the composite down, leaving it out might actually boost the overall number. That's a strategic call, not a default one. Third, the SAT is still out there. The ACT's changes are partly a response to the SAT going digital and shorter, and to the fact that more colleges went test-optional during the pandemic. Some schools have stuck with test-optional policies permanently. So before you spend a dime on prep, check whether your teen's target schools even require a test score. Here's what I'd do this week: pull up the admissions page for two or three schools your teen is considering. Look for the words "test-optional," "test-blind," or "test-required." That one search could save you hundreds of dollars and months of unnecessary stress. The bottom line is simple. The ACT just got shorter, cheaper to retake, and a little less miserable. That's good news for families. But the test still rewards preparation, and colleges still set the rules. Know the rules before you pay for the prep. **Our take:** This is a rare win for families—less time, less money, less anxiety around a test that never deserved this much power. But don't treat "optional" as "ignore." Do twenty minutes of research on your teen's target schools before you spend a single dollar on tutoring, because the smartest move here isn't studying harder. It's knowing exactly what's required.