Should you take ACT Science?

Take ACT Science if a college or program requires it for the ACT scores you plan to submit. Give a published recommendation weight, too. If your colleges do not need it, decide whether a separate Science result would serve a purpose before adding the preparation. ACT makes Science optional on national tests, but colleges set their own requirements.

Your intended major alone cannot settle the decision. A college can require testing without requiring Science, and a test-optional college can require Science when you choose to submit the ACT.

First, confirm whether you have a choice

For national testing, Science is an optional add-on. For state and district testing during the school day, the choice belongs to the testing contract, rather than to each student. Ask your counselor or testing coordinator which sections your administration includes.

If your school includes Science, prepare for that section as part of the test you will take. If it does not, check your college requirements before assuming that the school-day sitting supplies every result you need.

What changes when you add Science?

Science adds 40 questions and 40 minutes under standard timing. English, Math and Reading total 125 minutes; adding Science makes 165 minutes, before breaks and other test-day procedures. These totals exclude Writing. Follow your approved timing if you have accommodations. The ACT format and timing guide compares all four optional-section combinations.

The current ACT Composite averages English, Math and Reading. Science is reported separately and combines with Math for a STEM score. A lower Science result does not lower that three-section Composite. It is still a result colleges can receive and evaluate under their own policies.

Science asks you to interpret data and reason about experiments and scientific explanations. ACT says some questions may need background knowledge from introductory science courses, though advanced knowledge is not required. A good biology grade is a reason to try the section, not proof that its questions and pacing will suit you.

What do colleges require?

Check both the overall testing policy and the Science-specific statement. These examples show how different the answers can be. They concern first-year admission, not every scholarship, placement rule or special program at each institution.

Sources: each college's admissions page, linked in its row. Checked November 5, 2026. Duke labels its cycle; the other linked statements do not specify an end date. Recheck for your entry year before registering.

“Not required” and “not considered” have different meanings. The first tells you that you can meet the testing requirement without Science. The second tells you the institution will not use it for the stated purpose. Duke's policy demonstrates another possibility: the section is not required, yet the college encourages and considers it.

If a college has not stated its position, ask its admissions office: “For first-year applicants entering in [year], does an ACT submission need Science? If it is optional, do you consider it, and does [program] have a different rule?” Keep the reply with your testing notes. Check scholarship requirements separately rather than treating an admissions answer as a rule for every award.

Use your list to make the decision

Suppose your list includes Pomona and Georgia Tech, and you plan to submit ACT results to both. Pomona's condition gives you a reason to include Science even though Georgia Tech will not use it. That conclusion follows from the two policies above; it does not depend on whether you intend to major in English or engineering.

If your list instead includes a college that recommends Science, take an official Science practice section. Review where you lost accuracy or time, then estimate the work required alongside your other sections. A recommendation is a reason to consider taking it, but it does not justify a promise that the result will improve your admission chances.

If you have confirmed that no relevant college, program or scholarship needs or recommends Science, skipping can be reasonable. Where a college still considers an optional Science result, weigh your practice performance and preparation time. Where it will not use the result, there is no Science score to optimize for that admissions decision.

For an unfinished college list, taking Science can preserve the option of having a result available. That is a precaution, not a universal requirement. Include the extra testing time, any registration charge and the preparation you would otherwise spend on English, Math or Reading in your decision. ACT does not offer section-only retesting, so discovering a Science requirement later can mean another full sitting.

If you already have a Science score

Check how your intended colleges accept scores before assuming you need to repeat Science or can omit it. An ACT Superscore report includes your highest section results, including Science when taken, and supporting test-event reports. Its Composite still uses English, Math and Reading.

That reporting option is a reason to ask whether your existing Science result satisfies a college's requirement alongside a later sitting. It is not proof that every college will combine them in the same way. An earlier result also does not establish that repeating Science has no value; your reason for another attempt should be specific to the score use and preparation you have identified.

Before you register

If you are preparing for Science, use our ACT Science practice pack to work on reading graphs, comparing experiments and following competing explanations. Its 12 original questions include explanations for every choice. Use an official section separately to rehearse the timing.

Record your decision next to the college policy or unresolved question that led to it. If you choose Science, put a practice section and its review on your calendar. If you skip it, revisit the decision when your college list changes.

Use ACT's registration page for current option-change rules and deadlines. Plan to settle the choice before the late-registration deadline; do not rely on adding Science at the test center.

With your test sections chosen, see how to get started with ACT preparation on Sharp.