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Last Updated: January 26, 2025

ACT Syllabus and Format

ACT is divided into five sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science and Writing. Unlike other exams, ACT is a subject-oriented test that evaluates students based on the content they have learned in high school and how they can retain it. The syllabus that is used can be generalized into concepts that have been taught in school. Given the extensive information, summarizing and learning everything can be overwhelming. Therefore, here are the narrowed-down topics that cannot be avoided.

Over the years, the ACT has brought about numerous changes. Commencing April 2025, students who choose to take online exams will experience enhanced flexibility and choices, reduced test duration, and a number of questions. The enhancements will be applied to national paper-based exams starting September 2025. Educational institutions and districts will have access to these options beginning in the spring of 2026.

ACT Test Format

The four sections in the ACT are given a total testing time of 2 hours and 55 minutes. The optional writing test is given an additional 40 minutes, making the total time required for the test 3 hours and 35 minutes. Starting in April 2025, the test duration will be reduced from 195 minutes to 125 minutes, and 44 questions will be reduced. Understanding the breakdown of the time is important in learning pacing since the availability of time is less in ACT when compared to other competitive exams like SAT.

The following lists each section's question count and time allotment:
SectionNumber of QuestionsReporting CategoriesTime Allocation per section
English75 Questions
  • Production of Writing (29-32%)
  • Knowledge of Language (15-17%)
  • Conventions of Standard English (52-55%)
45 minutes
Mathematics60 Questions
  • Preparing for higher math (57-60%)
    • Number & Quantity (7-10%)
    • Algebra (12-15%)
    • Functions (12-15%)
    • Geometry (12-15%)
    • Statistics & Probability (8-12%)
  • Integrating essential skills (40-43%)
  • Modeling
60 minutes
Reading40 Questions
  • Key ideas and details (52-60%)
  • Craft and structure (25-30%)
  • Integration of knowledge and ideas (13-23%)
35 minutes
Science40 Questions
  • Interpretation of data (40-50%)
  • Scientific investigation (20-30%)
  • Evaluation of Models, inferences, and experimental results (25-35%)
35 minutes
Writing (if opted)1 Essay-40 minutes

English

In this section, the candidate’s language use, along with rhetorical skills, is assessed. The questions are generally always related to the passages given. They might include questions that judge the observation skills of the candidate along with their understanding of the language and its grammar. They also try to assess the candidate’s eye to comprehend the passages given, for which the five different passages provided will be from five different fields. The main concepts that are questioned within language use are: Candidates will get 45 minutes to attempt 75 multiple-choice questions, with each question having four choices. Calculating roughly, one will be required to answer a question in around 36 seconds each. A common strategy used in such questions would be to read the first sentence of each paragraph, read the question, and revisit the necessary paragraph to find the answer instead of meticulously reading the passage and then moving on to the questions.

Change in online 2025 test: The English section will be a 35-minute segment comprising 50 questions.

Mathematics

This test section is further divided into two sections, one where a calculator can be used and the other where a calculator cannot be used. The topics that are covered here are high-school specific and are listed below: There are 60 minutes allotted for 60 questions. The ideal divide would be to complete one question in under a minute. The questions will all be in the multiple-choice format, with five choices for each question. Strategic learning and shortcuts will be the only methods that can help utilize time efficiently since solving every equation step by step would take over a minute and leave no extra time to revise questions candidates are unsure about.

Change in online 2025 test: The mathematics section will be 45 minutes long and consist of 45 questions. The number of answer choices for each question will decrease from 5 to 4.

Reading

The reading portion of the test assesses a candidate's ability to read closely, integrate information from various sources, and reason logically about texts using evidence. The questions center on the complementary abilities that readers must possess to study written materials in various subject areas effectively. When determining ACT score for the Reading section, the reporting categories listed below are used: This section has 35 minutes for answering 40 questions, which seems comparatively manageable compared to the English section. Both of these sections contain passage-based questions with a difference in the skills assessed. The questions are multiple-choice, with four choices each, and have referring and reasoning-based questions.

Change in online 2025 test: There will be a 40-minute reading portion, including 36 questions.

Science

The science portion assesses the ability to interpret, analyze, evaluate, reason, and solve problems necessary in the natural sciences. Multiple-choice questions follow each of the several real scientific scenarios presented in this section. The subjects covered are earth and space sciences (such as geology, astronomy, and meteorology), biology, chemistry, and physics. Three formats are used to present information in the science section: It comprises 40 questions that must be completed in 35 minutes. This section is similar in timing to the Reading section and has multiple-choice questions with 4 choices each. The questions generally contain data representation, research summaries, and questions with conflicting perspectives where students should exhibit skills in interpretation, analysis, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Change in online 2025 test: This section will be optional, and there will be a 40-minute science section consisting of 40 questions.

Writing (Optional)

The writing section, if opted for, requires carefully crafting a compelling essay containing multiple perspectives and content associated with the prompt or topic provided.

Based on the prompt, the essay has to be written in under 40 minutes. They used to focus on multiple perspectives in the answers but now require a minimum of just one perspective and a maximum of three perspectives.

Change in online 2025 test: This section will continue to be 40 minutes, and there will be no changes.

2024-25 ACT Dates

ACT Resources


Preparing for ACT


Online ACT Practice Tests



Average SAT score for Top Schools

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