Now that ACT Science is optional, how do you decide whether to take it?
Deciding whether to take the optional ACT Science section: weigh target-program requirements, STEM ambitions, your relative strength in Science, and the low downside, since a strong Science score lifts the STEM profile without affecting the Composite.
A focused answer on deciding whether to take the now-optional ACT Science section: checking the published requirements of target colleges and scholarships, considering STEM pathways, weighing your relative strength, and the low downside, since Science feeds the STEM score without touching the Composite.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this topic is asking
Because the enhanced ACT made Science optional, you now face a decision the legacy test never offered: do I take it at all? This is a strategic call, not a content question, and the right answer depends on your goals, your strengths, and the requirements of the places you are applying to. This page gives you a clear way to decide.
Start with the target programs
The decision begins outside yourself, with the requirements of the colleges, scholarships, and programs you plan to apply to. Since the enhanced ACT, institutions vary:
- Some recommend or require a Science or STEM score, especially for science, engineering, computing, and health pathways.
- Some are indifferent, looking only at the Composite or at English, Math, and Reading.
- Some superscore or value the extra data point even when they do not require it.
Because policies differ and change, the reliable move is to read the current admissions and scholarship pages of each target, or ask an admissions office directly. If even one important target wants Science, that settles it: take the section.
Reasons to take Science
Beyond an explicit requirement, several factors point toward taking the section.
- You are STEM-bound
- If you are heading for science, engineering, medicine, computing, or a similar field, the STEM score (Math plus Science) is exactly the metric those programs look at. Adding Science gives you a STEM score to present.
- Science is a strength
- If your practice scores show Science is one of your stronger sections, taking it produces a high score that lifts your STEM profile and adds a flattering data point, even where it is not required.
- You want to keep options open
- Applying to a range of programs, some of which may want Science, is a strong reason to take it. It is far easier to have the score and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Reasons you might skip it
Skipping is reasonable in specific cases.
- No target wants it
- If you have checked and none of your target programs ask for a Science or STEM score, and you are not STEM-bound, the section adds little.
- Severe time or energy constraints
- If preparing for Science would meaningfully harm your work on the three Composite sections, and no target requires it, your effort is better spent where it counts most.
- A non-STEM direction with confirmed policies
- A student certain of a humanities or arts pathway, whose targets are confirmed not to use Science, can reasonably leave it off.
Even then, weigh the low downside: if you are on the fence, taking the section usually preserves the most flexibility.
A simple decision checklist
Work through these in order.
- Do any target programs require or recommend a Science or STEM score? If yes, take it.
- Are you aiming at a STEM pathway? If yes, take it.
- Is Science one of your stronger sections? If yes, taking it adds a flattering score with no Composite risk.
- None of the above, and time is tight? Skipping is reasonable, but remember the downside is small, so when unsure, take it.
Try this
Q1. Give two distinct reasons a student should take the optional ACT Science section. [2 points]
- Cue. Any two of: a target college or scholarship requires or recommends a Science or STEM score; the student is aiming at a STEM pathway; Science is one of the student's stronger sections.
Q2. Explain why the downside of taking Science is described as low. [2 points]
- Cue. Science feeds the STEM score but is excluded from the Composite, so a strong score helps and a weaker score does not drag down the three-section Composite; the main cost is the preparation and testing time.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of ACT exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
ACT Science (style)1 marksA student plans to apply to engineering programs and is consistently strong on the Science practice sections. On the enhanced ACT, the best advice is to: (A) skip Science, since it is optional. (B) take Science, because it feeds the STEM score that engineering programs value and it cannot hurt the Composite. (C) take Science only if it raises the Composite. (D) take Science only if Math is weak.Show worked answer →
A 1-point decision item that applies the optional-section logic.
The correct answer is (B). The student is STEM-bound and strong in Science, and Science feeds the STEM score that engineering programs look at, with no downside to the Composite, so taking it is clearly worthwhile. (A) ignores a chance to strengthen the application. (C) misunderstands the scoring, since Science does not enter the Composite at all. (D) is irrelevant; a strong Science score helps regardless of Math.
ACT Science (style)1 marksBefore deciding whether to sit the optional Science section, the single most important thing a student should do is: (A) guess based on what friends are doing. (B) check the published testing requirements of their target colleges and scholarships. (C) always take it, no matter what. (D) never take it, since it is optional.Show worked answer →
A 1-point item on the first step of the decision.
The correct answer is (B). Because Science is optional, the decision starts with the requirements of the specific programs you are targeting: some want a Science or STEM score and some do not. (A) is unreliable. (C) and (D) are blanket rules that ignore the student's own goals; the right answer depends on the target programs and the student's strengths.
Related dot points
- The ACT Science format: 40 questions built from short passages with figures, now an optional section on the enhanced ACT that feeds the STEM score but not the Composite, with a legacy 35-minute form offered through late 2025.
A focused answer on how the ACT Science section is structured and why it is now optional: 40 questions from short scientific passages with figures, 40 minutes on the enhanced ACT (35 on the legacy form), scored 1 to 36, feeding the STEM score but no longer the Composite, and what that change means for your plan.
- ACT Science scoring: a raw count of correct answers scaled to 1 to 36, no penalty for wrong answers, reported separately and combined with Math into the STEM score but excluded from the Composite on the enhanced ACT.
A focused answer on how the ACT Science section is scored: a raw count of correct answers converted to a 1 to 36 scale, no guessing penalty, reported as a section score, combined with Math into the STEM score, and excluded from the Composite on the enhanced ACT.
- ACT Science measures science reasoning - interpreting data, understanding experimental design, and evaluating models and conclusions - rather than content recall, with almost every answer found on the page.
A focused answer on what the ACT Science section really measures: science reasoning rather than content recall. Covers the three core skills (reading data, understanding experiments, evaluating conclusions), why almost every answer is on the page, and the rare questions that need basic outside knowledge.
- The three ACT Science reporting categories - Interpretation of Data, Scientific Investigation, and Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results - and the skills and approximate proportions of each.
A focused answer on the three ACT Science reporting categories: Interpretation of Data (the largest), Scientific Investigation, and Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results. Covers the skills each one tests, their approximate proportions, and how recognising the category guides your answer.
- Pacing the ACT Science section: budgeting roughly one minute per question across the passages, spending less on figure-driven passages to bank time for the reading-heavy one, and never leaving a blank.
A focused answer on pacing the ACT Science section: about one minute per question (40 questions in 40 minutes on the enhanced ACT, 35 on the legacy form), banking time on figure-driven passages for the reading-heavy one, using a per-passage time check, and bubbling a guess on everything.
Sources & how we know this
- The ACT Test for Students: Enhancements — ACT, Inc. (2025)
- Understanding Your ACT Scores — ACT, Inc. (2025)