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

The ACT is getting a makeover—and for once, it's actually good news for families drowning in test prep costs and stress. Starting in 2025, the ACT will shrink from three hours to roughly two. The science section becomes optional. And students who want to retake the test can now do a single-section retest instead of sitting through the entire exam again. The changes roll out for online testers first, with paper versions following in 2026. Let's break down why this matters for your wallet and your kid's sanity. **The science section is now optional** Here's the catch: many colleges don't require the science score anyway. The ACT's own data shows that only a small slice of schools use it for admissions decisions. So if your teen is applying to schools that don't care about science, why pay to prep for it? Private tutoring for the science section alone can run $500 to $1,500. Cutting it means real savings. **Retakes just got cheaper and faster** Under the old system, retaking the ACT meant paying the full $68 registration fee (or $93 with the writing section) and giving up another Saturday morning. The new single-section retest lets students focus on just the English, math, or reading portion they bombed—for a fraction of the time. The ACT hasn't finalized the retest fee yet, but it's expected to be lower than a full registration. That's a big deal. Historically, about half of students retake the ACT at least once. If your kid only needs to boost one section, you're no longer paying full price for a do-over. **Test-optional isn't going anywhere—but scores still matter** More than 1,800 colleges went test-optional during the pandemic, and most have stuck with it. But here's the fine print: test-optional doesn't mean test-blind. A strong ACT score can still unlock merit scholarships. At many state schools, a 28 versus a 24 can mean the difference between $0 and $8,000 per year in automatic merit aid. That's $32,000 over four years. So even if your teen's dream school doesn't require the ACT, skipping it entirely could cost you. **What parents should do right now** First, check the testing requirements at every school on your teen's list. Look specifically at merit scholarship grids—not just admissions pages. Many schools publish tables showing exactly what score earns what award. Second, if your teen already took the ACT and one section dragged them down, the single-section retest is your new best friend. Wait for official pricing and registration dates, expected in early 2025. Third, don't over-invest in prep. With a shorter test and optional science, a $2,000 tutoring package may be overkill. Free resources like Khan Academy and official ACT practice tests cover most of the ground. Save the paid tutoring for genuine weak spots. **The bottom line** The ACT's changes are a rare win for families: less time, less money, more flexibility. But they also mean the old playbook—prep for everything, retake the whole thing—is outdated. Families who adapt early will save hundreds, maybe thousands, while everyone else keeps paying for a test that no longer exists. **Our take:** Standardized testing has always been a pay-to-play game, and the ACT's redesign doesn't fix that entirely. But by making science optional and retakes cheaper, it hands families a genuine cost-cutting tool. Use it—just don't assume "optional" means "skip it" if scholarship money is on the line.