Have you ever noticed that across the street from every single Walgreens, you can be sure to find a CVS? Or driving past a Mattress Firm, you realize there’s a Factory Mattress directly next door? Although competitors building in proximity to their competition is nothing new or unusual, some companies seem to come in pairs, always building around the corner or updating their products to make sure you don’t forget about the other. In the collegiate testing world, the SAT and the ACT are really no different.
While the tests have always been distinct-–providing students options on which to take based on general preference-–they have really always been a duo; when one makes an update, the other is sure to follow to ensure a competitive edge. In March of 2023, the creators of the SAT at College Board rolled out some major changes to the test, including making the test entirely digital, removing the essay portion, and eliminating subject tests (click here for more details on the dSAT). Suddenly the SAT and the ACT were more different than ever before, which provided an interesting opportunity for testers. More science-inclined students could take the ACT (which included an entirely separate science module as opposed to the SAT sprinkling science questions sporadically over all sections), or perhaps those who were weaker in math would choose to take the SAT, given the math section focused mostly on algebraic and geometric knowledge and required little to no memorization of equations. But once that Walgreens went up, it seemed inevitable that a neighboring CVS would follow; sure enough, this past week on July 15th, 2024, the CEO of ACT announced some significant changes to the test for the upcoming testing cycle. Here’s what we know so far:
What will be different?
- On the new ACT, the science section will now be optional. In the past, students had to complete an entirely separate science module along with reading, English grammar, and math; now, however, students can choose to take the science section, as well as the writing, but they are not required to do so.
- The test will now be significantly shorter in terms of both time and the number of questions. Previously, the test was almost 3 hours long; by removing the science section, the new core ACT (English, Reading, and Math) will be just two hours long and have 44 fewer questions. Although of course, if one chooses to take the science or writing portion, the time frame will be significantly extended.
- The English and Reading sections will now include shorter passages, and they will allow students more time to answer each question.
A few things staying the same:
the ACT will still be scored on a scale of 1-36, and students will continue to receive a composite score (averaging their English, reading, and math scores) and section scores. Students will also still have the option to take the test online or on paper, while the SAT stays strictly digital.
Although some may argue that the SAT and ACT are relatively comparable, their origins are actually quite distinctive. The SAT was originally designed to test how well students thought independent of any body of knowledge (in other words, what was being taught in schools). How well could students reason through questions without necessarily using any prior knowledge? The makers of the test intentionally asked questions in a way that seemed unfamiliar so that students had to reason their way through them. By contrast, the ACT was designed to test students precisely on what they were learning over their four years of secondary education. Therefore, they split the test into the four main sections that high school covers extensively: math, science, reading comprehension, and English grammar.
As the tests have evolved over the years, they have started to look more and more similar; however, there have always been key differences in the two tests that echo these earliest design intentions. The SAT still tries to test reasoning–now it just uses the language of math, grammar, and reading comprehension to do so. Previously, one of the main ways the tests felt different was in the way the questions were worded, and how much time you were given to process those questions. Since the SAT was more concerned with reasoning, they provided more time per question; since the ACT was more concerned with prior knowledge, you essentially either knew how to answer the question or you didn’t, and therefore the time you were provided was significantly less–about half. With these new changes, however, it is unclear if the ACT is moving towards more reasoning-based questions, or simply providing more time for students to access their prior knowledge.
For some, there’s concern that the qualities that made the ACT attractive and unique from the SAT (such as a stronger focus on science and a more accessible reading level) will now be molded to make it look and feel more like its main competitor. What will be the driving factor of choosing one test over the other if they are essentially the same? For others, these changes are welcome and long overdue. According to Dr. Elizabeth Doe Stone in her article “Is the ACT About to Dethrone the SAT?,” she argues that the “new changes announced to the ACT will not only make it more popular but could also challenge the dominance of the Digital SAT. The ability to choose which sections to take allows students to present their best selves to colleges […] and could attract students who feel the traditional format doesn’t showcase their abilities effectively.”
While the SAT remains slightly more popular among prospective collegiate students (according to College Board data for the year 2023, 1.9 million high school students took the SAT, while roughly 1.4 million students took the ACT), what remains attractive about the ACT is the option to take additional sections. Although the science section is now made optional (along with writing), students who excel in these areas could benefit from choosing to take them. And perhaps students who do not excel in these areas could now do even better on the ACT given its tendency to use grade-approximate reading level passages and extra provided time. Another attractive feature is the ability for students to take the test by hand, an option not provided by the SAT without extensive documented accommodations. Only time will tell what truly sets these tests apart now that these changes have made them seem even more similar, or what impact these changes will set into motion.
The ACT will begin to introduce the new version of the test in the spring of 2025, starting with students taking the online ACT on standard national test dates. Students taking the ACT during school-day testing will see the new version in the spring of 2026.
For more information, you can read ACT’s announcement here.
This article was written by:
Jaye Constanzo
Beyond Education Test Prep Manager
English and Test Prep Mentor