The ACT in 2025: What Parents Should Know About Changes

In 2025, the ACT exam — long a staple of college admissions — is undergoing one of the most turbulent periods in its history. From technical failures affecting thousands of students to sweeping structural changes that raise questions about fairness and validity, this year’s rollout of the revamped ACT has left many parents, students, and educators frustrated, confused, and concerned. 

Technical Failures Undermine Confidence

This spring, the ACT faced massive disruptions in multiple states due to computer system failures during digital testing. 

In one major state, more than 11,000 students were unable to complete their ACT on the first day of mandated statewide testing. A server malfunction froze the platform, delaying or halting testing for many. Although some schools were able to resume later that day, others had to scramble to reschedule makeup exams before the narrow testing window closed. Outcomes varied widely across districts, deepening concerns about fairness and reliability. 

Another state experienced a similar crisis when juniors were forced to abandon the ACT mid-exam after proctor platforms crashed, preventing the unlocking of subsequent sections. State officials responded by suspending all online ACT testing until further notice. 

These glitches weren’t mere inconveniences — they disrupted graduation requirements where the ACT is mandatory, caused significant loss of instructional time, and severely rattled student confidence. 

A Rocky Return: From SAT Back to ACT

Adding fuel to the fire, some states abruptly shifted back to the ACT after nearly a decade of using the SAT. While this change followed a competitive bidding process in which ACT secured a multi-million dollar contract over the College Board, the timing could not have been worse for students. 

Educators and students alike expressed frustration over the sudden pivot. Many students had spent years preparing for the SAT — from classroom instruction to practice exams — only to be told they would now take the ACT, which has different content, pacing, and a separate scoring scale (0–36 instead of 400–1600). 

Teachers reported that students felt like their last two years of preparation were rendered useless. Counselors had to overhaul prep curricula with little warning, and students were left trying to adjust to a test with unfamiliar expectations under tight timelines. 

Major Format Changes in the ACT Test Bring New Risks

In an effort to modernize and remain competitive with the SAT’s new adaptive digital format, the ACT is rolling out its own major changes: 

• Fewer questions (from 215 to 171) 
• Same total time but more time per question (a 22% increase) 
• An optional science section 
• Shorter reading passages 
• A fully digital — but not adaptive — format 

While some students welcome the extra time per question, educators worry these changes could increase score volatility. With fewer total questions, every answer carries more weight. A single error now has a disproportionate effect on a student’s score, especially in high-stakes environments. 

Some test prep experts speculate that early versions of the revised ACT might be easier to inflate scores and build confidence.

This creates a double-edged sword: an opportunity for some students to benefit — and a risk for others to fall behind in an unstable scoring environment.

👉Checkout Complete Info On: New ACT Changes in 2025

College Admissions Uncertainty and Skepticism

Even as the ACT makes sweeping changes, college admissions offices are left with more questions than answers. 

Some experts question the test's validity in its new, shortened form. Admissions officers are now facing challenges like how to equate older ACT scores with newer versions, whether to accept superscores across two different test formats, and how to interpret results from a radically revised testing instrument. 

Others believe the ACT’s changes may have been driven more by a desire to remain competitive with the SAT than by sound educational or psychometric principles — a rushed redesign that prioritizes market share over test reliability. 

Why Expert Guidance — and Possibly the SAT — Makes More Sense in 2025

With so many moving parts — technical instability, state-level policy changes, and test redesigns — 2025 is arguably the most complex and high-stakes year for families choosing a standardized test. 

For that reason, now more than ever, it is essential that students and families seek expert guidance before committing to the ACT. Understanding a student’s strengths, testing style, and college goals is crucial, and only experienced educators and counselors can provide the nuanced advice needed in this moment of uncertainty. 

In many cases, the SAT may be the better option in 2025. Despite its own changes in recent years, the SAT's digital rollout was smoother, its structure is now well-established, and it continues to provide a stable and widely accepted metric for college admissions. Its adaptive format and shorter test time are also more familiar to students who’ve prepared using newer tools and school-based platforms. 

While the ACT may eventually stabilize, the current testing landscape suggests that the SAT offers a more predictable, secure, and interpretable option for most students applying to college this year.