Everything You Need to Know About the Current ACT and SAT

As students and teachers settle into the second half of the 2025-2026 school year, it’s important for parents to consider what is coming down the pipeline for your high schooler: the ACT or the SAT. 

The most recent changes to the ACT were rolled out in 2025, and the digital SAT has been out since 2022. If you haven’t thought about the ACT/SAT since you took them, or if you have an older child that took the ACT/SAT years ago, it’s important to note that your current high schooler will be taking one of these two new test forms, which means the same advice and preparation that once worked may no longer apply.  

For this reason, let’s review the most up-to-date versions of the ACT and SAT so that you have a full understanding of the tests your high schooler will soon be taking. 

The Enhanced ACT

The most newsworthy change to the ACT is that the Science section is no longer required. By making the Science section optional, it means that a student’s composite ACT score is calculated differently. When the Science section was required, it meant that a student’s composite score was equally made up of English (25%), Math (25%), Reading (25%), and Science (25%). 

Now, without the required Science section, the ACT is composed of three section scores (English 33%, Math 33%, and Reading 33%), which means the new composite score now favors English/Reading skills (66%) over Math/Science skills (33%). Students opting to take the Science section will still receive a scaled score out of 36—which may be quite important in college applications—but that Science section score will not be incorporated in their composite score. This is something to keep in mind when you and your student are discussing if they should take the ACT or SAT. 

However, there is another major change to the ACT that is not getting nearly enough press and has enormous practical repercussions for students: the number of “field test items” on the new ACT. 

Just like SAT’s pretest questions, ACT’s field test items are used to gather student information to help with developing future tests. These items not scored, and students will not know which questions they are. However, the ACT has a total of 23 field test questions, compared to a total of 8 on the SAT. This means that which questions a student gets right or wrong is now crucial to their composite score. 

Where this may really impact ACT students is on the English and Reading sections, where questions are attached to passages. For instance, the Reading section has 4 passages, each with 9 questions. On this section, one entire passage and its correlating 9 questions will not count towards a student’s score. 

English has 10 field test questions. Because there are 6 passages (with either 5 or 10 questions each) this means that either 1 passage and its 10 questions will not count, or 2 passages with 5 questions each will not count. 

Note that field test items also apply to the optional Science section, which has 7 passages with 5-6 questions per passage. Because there are 6 field test items in the Science section, it is likely that 1 passage and its corresponding 6 questions will not be counted. For Math, which has no passages, there are only 4 field test items, and they are scattered throughout the section. 

At one point, ACT announced that the first and last passages in a section would not be the ones with field test items. However, they later released practice tests that contradicted this claim. Until we know for sure, students should try their best on all passages. 

The reason parents and students need to understand how field test items affect scoring on the ACT is because of how this will impact their preparation. In the past, charting students’ scores on practice tests was a relatively accurate portrayal of their growing progress and how they will perform on the official ACT. 

Now, it is very possible that a student will miss the exact same number of questions on two practice ACTs but because of which questions happen to be the field test items, they may receive two very different scores. For this reason, we want to emphasize a few things:  

1. Receiving varying scores will be emotional for students (good or bad), and parents should be prepared to offer extra encouragement or grounding and remember to contextualize your student’s scores. When taking practice tests, it may help to focus on the number of items answered correctly rather than the final score as an indicator of progress.  
2. It is more important than ever for students to take as many practice tests as possible. Not only will the extra practice benefit your student, but it will help paint a more realistic picture of the kind of score your student will receive on test day.  
3. It is vital to make sure your student signs up to take the ACT at least twice to account for this wide range of score variability. You don’t want your child to receive a lower score due to field test item distribution and there is not enough time for them to re-take the test. Note that ACT testing sites often fill up months in advance, so be sure to plan accordingly. 

On a more positive note, the new ACT is shorter, with 44 fewer questions, and with more time available per question. This may sound like a small change, but it is truly a game changer for many students because timing has historically been such a challenge on the ACT. Previously, it was not uncommon for students to run out of time and leave multiple questions at the end of a section (or multiple sections!) blank. Hopefully the increased overall time per question puts fewer students in that position.  

Some smaller changes to the ACT that are important to note are that Math questions now have 4 answer choices (where they previously had 5) and English questions now have additional context added to them that makes it easier to identify what kind of question they are (which should help student accuracy and efficiency). 

The option to add on the Science and Writing sections, and the option to take the ACT in a paper-and-pencil and a digital format, are also important features of the ACT because of the flexibility they offer students. 

The Digital SAT

The SAT has radically changed from when you may have taken it as a student. For one, the test is now completely digital, and secondly, it is adaptive on a modular level and has an entirely new structure. What does that mean? 

Students will take two modules in each section 1) Reading and Writing and 2) Mathematics. Depending on how well students do on the first Reading and Writing module, they will be given a slightly easier or harder second Reading and Writing module. The same process repeats for the Math section. 

Additionally, there are 8 “pretest questions” throughout the SAT that are not scored (though students will never know which questions they are) and are used by College Board to gather data on student performance to help them write future tests. 

Unfortunately, between the 8 unscored pretest questions and the modular adaption of the SAT, the reality is that not every question on the SAT is “worth” the same, which, like the new ACT, means that students may receive widely varying scores on their practice tests or official tests depending on which questions they get correct.  

We tell parents and students not to worry about the modular adaptations or the weight of questions because there is no way to know which questions are omitted or weighed differently on a given test form. Stressing about it is simply not a good use of anyone’s time. Similarly, there is no way to “game” the test to give students the harder second module (beware of anyone advertising that they can cheat the test this way), so focusing on “tips and tricks” is a poor strategy.  

Although students may not want to hear it, the best strategy to prepare for both the SAT and ACT is to focus on mastering the fundamental grammar, reading comprehension, and mathematics skills that will appear on both tests. 

How do they compare? 

At their heart, the new ACT and SAT test the same foundational English, reading, and mathematics skills. It’s important to keep this in mind when deciding which test to take. Neither test is inherently better than the other, but one might be a better fit for your student than the other. 

While the differences are generally superficial, that doesn’t make them unimportant. When all the differences between the ACT and SAT are accounted for, the primary difference is in the test-taking experience.

Below are some key differences between the ACT and SAT. 

How do ACT and SAT scores compare to one another? 

Below is a table that shows the equivalent SAT score ranges for each ACT score. 

Which test should my student take? 

You may be thinking there’s an obvious answer to this question (“whichever test they score higher on”) but there are several factors to consider when determining the best test for a student. 

The student’s test-taking experience matters. The more information you have about your students’ testing preferences, the better informed you’ll be to help them decide between the ACT and SAT. We suggest parents start by asking their student about their:

• preferred testing format (digital vs. paper), 
• if they feel strongest in English/Reading or Math, and 
• if they have interest in taking additional Science or Writing sections (which may depend on where they are applying to college or what they plan on studying). 

How should we start preparing? 

The easiest answer, of course, is to give Academic Approach a call. Our expert directors can answer any additional questions you may have and set up a complimentary diagnostic exam for your student to take. 

We use the results of this diagnostic, along with the information you provide about your student’s timeline, goals, and schedule to set up a personalized tutoring program for their recommended standardized test. In short, we simplify the process, and you can have the peace of mind of knowing that your student is taking the test that will best utilize their strengths and are preparing for it with an expert instructor that has all the support and resources of Academic Approach (like our detailed score reports) behind them.  

For those who want to seek other forms of test preparation, the first step is to identify which test is the best fit for your student. Then, consider the available testing dates (and testing locations—sometimes the only testing location available on your preferred date will be more than an hour away!) and work backwards to determine when your student needs to start preparing. 

We recommend students allow enough time to take the ACT/SAT at least twice before applying to colleges—that way, if they don’t receive the score they want the first time, there is time to try again. They also can use multiple test dates to build the strongest possible “superscore,” which combines their highest subject scores across multiple test dates.  

It is also good to consider your student’s goals (are they planning to apply to an Ivy League? Will they apply early decision anywhere? Are they planning to apply to a STEM program?) and their starting point (what scores are they getting on practice tests? Did they take the PSAT? Are they a strong test-taker overall? Do they struggle with a particular subject, like math?) before determining when to start test prep. Some students may need a lot of time to review material (or learn material for the first time). 

By far, the most successful ACT/SAT programs are ones that start early because they allow time to work around other demands on students’ schedules such as sport seasons, extracurriculars, school breaks, or unexpected sickness. Ultimately, the earlier you can get the test prep ball rolling for your student, the better positioned they will be to integrate test preparation into their lives. 

Conclusion

Standardized test prep is not something students are usually excited about, and it is completely natural for students to try and put it off for as long as possible. This is why we recommend families begin talking about the ACT and SAT early on to help alleviate some of the enormity and pressure that these tests can carry in students’ minds. The more well-informed parents can be, the better they can help their students through this experience. 

It’s also why our onboarding process is so successful: it breaks up the prospect of starting ACT/SAT test prep into easy steps. You don’t have to convince your student to start ACT/SAT prep today; you just have to convince them to take a diagnostic test with us. You don’t have to drop hints about the importance of test prep; you just need to ask them questions about their goals and testing preferences. 

Academic Approach knows how stressful the ACT/SAT experience can be. It’s why we do everything in our power to be a source of information and support for students and families. If you have any questions or would like to schedule our complimentary diagnostic, give us a call at (888) 594-4899.