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Starting in 2025, the enhanced ACT made science optional for most students. That change cut the core test to English, math, and reading — but it also created a new decision at registration time. This guide explains what is actually optional, what changes in your score report, and how to decide whether to add science based on the colleges and programs on your list. For the full enhanced-ACT format, see our Enhanced ACT guide.
Facts verified against ACT’s official publications on October 1–2, 2026.
Is science optional?
The answer depends on how you take the test.
| Testing channel | Who decides whether science is included? |
|---|---|
| National Saturday / weekend testing (online or paper) | You decide at registration. |
| State/district or school-day testing | Your school or district decides in its ACT contract. |
| International testing | ACT offers the enhanced test globally; check your registration details for the sections included. |
For national weekend testing, science and writing are separate optional add-ons. You can register for science without writing, writing without science, both, or neither. For school-day testing, the same add-ons exist, but your school or district chooses which ones to administer. Ask your counselor what your contract includes — you cannot add science on test day if it was not part of your school’s registration.
Science and writing are not bundled. A school can offer science without writing, writing without science, both, or neither. Do not assume your school-day test includes science just because it includes writing.
What science does and doesn’t change
Taking or skipping science changes three things: your score report, the time and money you spend, and how some colleges read your application.
- Composite score: Science does not count. Your enhanced ACT composite is the rounded average of English, math, and reading only.
- STEM score: ACT reports a STEM score only if you take science. It combines your math and science section scores.
- Test length and cost: Science adds 40 questions and 40 minutes. As of fall 2026, the science add-on costs $5 on top of the $70 EMR test fee.
- College requirements: Some colleges and programs recommend or require the ACT science section; others ignore it entirely.
| What you take | Composite includes | Also reported | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| English + math + reading only | English, math, reading | EMR section scores | $70 |
| + Science | English, math, reading | Science score + STEM score | $75 |
| + Writing | English, math, reading | Writing score + ELA score (if English/reading/writing all taken) | $95 |
| + Science + writing | English, math, reading | Science, STEM, writing, ELA scores | $100 |
A strong science score will help your STEM report, but it will not raise your composite. Likewise, skipping science cannot lower your composite — it simply means no science or STEM score is reported.
How to decide (the checklist)
Treat this as a two-step process. First, confirm whether your testing channel even lets you choose science. Second, check every institution and program on your actual list, because policies are not universal.
- Confirm your testing channel. National weekend testers choose at registration. School-day testers should ask a counselor what the district contract includes.
- List every target institution and program. Science policy can differ by major, school, or honors program within the same university.
- Find the official admissions page for each. Look for wording like “ACT with Science,” “ACT science recommended,” “test-blind,” or “not considered.”
- Record the URL and the date you checked. Policies change, especially between admissions cycles.
- Decide before registration. You cannot add science on test day for national or school-day testing.
Use the worksheet below as a template. Copy it into a spreadsheet or notebook and fill one row per institution. The example rows show how to record a verified policy; replace them with your own schools.
| Institution | Program/major | Entry term | Science policy | Official URL | Date checked | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University (example — verified) | Any; science strongly recommended, especially for science majors | Fall 2027 | Recommended | https://uadmissions.georgetown.edu/apply/first-year-applicants/how-to-prepare/ | 2026-10-01 | Take science; submit a full ACT official score report |
| University of California, all undergraduate campuses (example — verified) | Any | Fall 2027 | Not considered for admission | https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/preparing-freshman-students/freshman-requirements.html | 2026-10-01 | Science not needed for UC admission decision; may be used for course placement after enrollment |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (example — verified) | Any | Fall 2027 | Not required / optional | https://mitadmissions.org/apply/firstyear/tests-scores/ | 2026-10-01 | Take the ACT; science section is not required |
Search each school’s site for the phrase “ACT science” plus your entry year. Avoid relying on third-party trackers alone; even accurate trackers go stale, and a single university may have different rules for engineering honors programs, pre-med advising tracks, or scholarship eligibility.
If policies are unclear
Admissions websites are not always explicit about the science section specifically. When the policy is fuzzy, do this in order:
- Check the institution’s current first-year testing requirements page directly.
- Search for “ACT science” or “ACT with Science” on the same domain.
- Email the admissions office and ask whether the ACT science section is required, recommended, or not considered for your specific program and entry term.
- If you are applying to a competitive STEM program and cannot get a clear answer, taking science is usually the safer default — it preserves the option to report a STEM score.
Do not assume that “test-optional” means “science not considered.” A college may be test-optional overall but still recommend or require science for certain majors if you choose to submit scores. Read the fine print for your program.
Preparing for science
If you decide to take science, prepare with current-format materials. The enhanced ACT science section has 40 questions in 40 minutes and includes the same mix of data interpretation, research summary, and conflicting-viewpoints passages as the legacy test — but the section now sits outside the composite, so your preparation should be calibrated to the score report you actually want.
Start with ACT’s own resources. The free ACT test-prep page includes full-length enhanced-format practice tests with form-specific scoring keys, plus section quizzes. The enhanced-test FAQs explain how optional sections work for national and school-day testing.
Because science is an optional add-on, you can prepare for the core English, math, and reading sections first and add science study only after you have confirmed it makes sense for your list.
References
- [1] ACT, Inc. (2026). The ACT Test — Test Overview. act.org. act.org
- [2] ACT, Inc. (2026). ACT Test Enhancements FAQs. act.org. act.org
- [3] ACT, Inc. (2025). Interpreting Scores on the Enhanced ACT. act.org. act.org
- [4] ACT, Inc. (2026). Free ACT Practice Tests and Test Prep. act.org. act.org
- [5] Georgetown University Office of Undergraduate Admissions (2026). Preparing for Georgetown: Testing Requirements. uadmissions.georgetown.edu. uadmissions.georgetown.edu
- [6] University of California Admissions (2026). First-year requirements. admission.universityofcalifornia.edu. admission.universityofcalifornia.edu
- [7] MIT Admissions (2026). Tests & scores. mitadmissions.org. mitadmissions.org
Frequently asked questions
No. Science is a section you take on test day, not a score you can add to an existing score report afterward. If you want colleges to see an ACT science score, you must take a future administration that includes the science section and have the new official score report sent.
No. The enhanced ACT composite is the rounded average of English, math, and reading only. Science is reported separately and does not raise or lower your composite. A STEM score is reported only if you take science.
It depends on the institution. Some engineering or science programs recommend or require the ACT science section; others do not consider it at all. Check the official admissions page for each program and entry term, and record the URL and date.
For individual students taking the national weekend ACT, science is optional and chosen at registration. For school-day testing, whether science is offered is decided by your school or district’s contract with ACT, not by the student on test day. Ask your counselor what your school administers.
Test-optional means the college does not require scores overall, but if you choose to submit scores, some programs may still prefer to see science — especially for STEM fields. Read the program-specific policy before deciding, and remember that you cannot add science after test day.
The STEM score combines your math and science section scores into one reported score. ACT reports it only if you take the optional science section. It does not affect your composite, but some STEM programs may look at it.
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