The ACT explained: sections, scoring and how it differs from the SAT

If you are considering the ACT for university applications, what would you actually sit, how would your score be calculated, and how different is it from the SAT? Science is now optional, and the main ACT score uses three required sections. For applicants in India, the international testing rules also matter when choosing where and how to take it.

What changed in the ACT

The ACT is an admissions examination universities use to assess undergraduate applicants. Its required sections are English, mathematics and reading. Science and writing are optional additions, and neither affects the Composite, the main overall score.

ACT Global's international timeline shows two changes. Science became optional and the new Composite took effect in September 2025. The enhanced content followed in February 2026, with fewer questions and revised section lengths. Both changes are already in effect as of October 2026. Keep those dates in mind when using older preparation material.

Science remains available as an option. Each college decides whether to require it. Before registering, check the requirements of each university or degree programme you intend to apply to.

What the sections ask you to do

ACT's section descriptions and preparation guide set out the tasks and standard timings:

• English: 50 questions in 35 minutes. You revise and edit passages, making decisions about organisation, language use and standard English conventions. This required section is separate from the optional writing essay.
• Mathematics: 45 questions in 50 minutes. The content covers skills normally acquired through the beginning of Grade 12, including algebra, functions, geometry, statistics and probability, and number and quantity.
• Reading: 36 questions in 40 minutes. The emphasis is on close reading, logical reasoning supported by evidence, and bringing together information from multiple sources.
• Optional science: 40 questions in 40 minutes. It assesses interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning and problem-solving in scientific contexts, covering biology, chemistry, Earth and space sciences, and physics.

ACT says introductory science knowledge may be needed for some questions, although advanced specialist knowledge is not required. Prepare for both scientific reasoning and the relevant background knowledge.

Only some of the questions listed above count towards your score. ACT's preparation guide identifies 40 scored questions in English, 41 in mathematics, 27 in reading and 34 in science. Use the full question counts to plan your pace within each section's time limit.

How long the test takes

Adding the three required sections gives 131 questions and 125 minutes, or 2 hours 5 minutes, of working time. Adding science brings that to 171 questions and 165 minutes, or 2 hours 45 minutes.

Optional writing has one prompt and adds 40 minutes. The required sections plus writing therefore take 165 minutes. Taking both science and writing brings the working time to 205 minutes, or 3 hours 25 minutes.

These totals cover standard working time. Allow for breaks and administration when planning when you will leave the centre. Check any approved extra-time arrangements separately.

How the Composite is calculated

The ACT's scale remains 1 to 36. According to ACT's score guidance, the current Composite is the average of the English, mathematics and reading scale scores, rounded to the nearest whole number.

For example, scores of 25, 28 and 30 add up to 83. Dividing by three gives 27.67, reported as a Composite of 28. Treat this as a calculation example, not an admissions target.

ACT does not deduct marks for incorrect answers. Your number of correct answers is converted into a section score on the 1 to 36 scale. These scale scores are then used to calculate the Composite.

Before the international transition, tests through summer 2025 used a Composite that included science alongside English, mathematics and reading. ACT says previously reported Composite scores remain unchanged.

Science, writing and superscores

Taking science produces a separate science score on the 1 to 36 scale and a STEM score. The STEM score averages mathematics and science from the same sitting. It is separate from the current Composite.

Writing has its own scale of 2 to 12. Its overall score is the rounded average of four domain scores. Choosing the essay adds a separately reported result without changing the Composite.

An ACT Superscore brings together a student's best section results across multiple attempts. Under the current system, it uses English, mathematics and reading for the Composite. A Superscore can therefore use section results from different attempts, while a single-sitting Composite uses results from that sitting.

Colleges decide whether they accept superscores or only results from one sitting. Check each university's policy to see whether it will use your strongest section results together.

Booking from India

ACT's current online-testing FAQ says the test is available only online for students outside the United States. You take the online ACT at a test centre rather than from home.

Indian applicants can check available locations and sessions in the international registration system. Registration requires a free MyACT account, and session availability may vary by centre. Check for a seat in your city within the published international test window.

Use the international booking options; US descriptions of paper testing or bringing your own device apply to US testing. Check approved accommodation arrangements separately.

How it differs from the SAT

College Board describes the standard digital SAT as having two sections. Reading and Writing contains 54 questions in 64 minutes, divided into two 32-minute modules. Math contains 44 questions in 70 minutes, divided into two 35-minute modules. There is no separate science section.

That gives the SAT 98 questions and 134 minutes, or 2 hours 14 minutes, of working time. The ACT's three required sections are nine minutes shorter. Adding ACT science changes the comparison. Compare the time for the sections you intend to take, and consider more than timing when judging which examination is easier.

The digital formats also behave differently. College Board says performance in the first module affects the questions in the second module. ACT describes its own test as linear: your answers do not change the difficulty of later questions.

The scoring arithmetic differs too. College Board gives each SAT section a range of 200 to 800 and adds the two scores for a total of 400 to 1600. The ACT Composite averages three scale scores. Compare the scores on their own scales rather than as simple percentages.

What to check before choosing

Start with each target institution's requirements, particularly its position on science and superscores. Then check which international sessions are available and the working time for your chosen sections. Use these checks to decide which sections to book and how the results will fit your applications.

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