Choosing Optional ACT Science and Writing

By Muntasir Jul 26, 2026 6 min read

TL;DR

On Enhanced ACT National test dates, Science and Writing are both optional and neither changes your Composite score. Composite is now the average of English, Math, and Reading only, on the 1-36 scale. If you add Science, you get a separate Science score plus a STEM score, an average of Math and Science. If you add Writing, you get a separate 2-12 Writing score plus an English Language Arts (ELA) score, an average of English, Reading, and Writing. ACT does not publish one list of colleges or majors requiring either score. Check your target colleges' testing policy pages and your district's graduation rules before you decide, and lean toward Science if you plan to apply to STEM programs.

Choosing Optional ACT Science and Writing

The Enhanced ACT no longer forces every student into the same four sections. Science and Writing are both optional add-ons now, and skipping either one leaves your Composite score untouched. The freedom also means you have to make a call: which sections match your major, your target colleges, and your schedule.

Your Composite is now the average of English, Math, and Reading only, on the 1-36 scale, and ACT applied this calculation to every student beginning with the September 2025 test. Adding Science earns you a separate 1-36 Science score and a STEM score averaging Math and Science. Adding Writing earns you a 2-12 Writing score and an English Language Arts score averaging English, Reading, and Writing. Neither add-on moves the Composite up or down.

Science Is Now Optional

ACT moved Science out of the required core with the Enhanced ACT. On ACT National test dates you are allowed to sit with or without the Science section, and for State and District testing your district decides whether Science and Writing are included. Skipping Science still leaves you with a valid, college-reportable score for the sections you do take. It also gives you a shorter test day.

Rollout Timeline

The optional-Science format did not launch everywhere at once. ACT phased it in by testing channel and by format, online first and paper later. Confirm your specific test date and format against the official ACT enhancements page before you register, since your channel decides which version you sit. The dates below cover each channel.

Online National testing: Enhanced ACT available from April 2025.
Paper National Saturday testing: Enhanced ACT available from September 2025.
State and District testing, plus international testing: moved to the Enhanced ACT, online and paper, in Spring 2026.

How the Composite Score Changes

The biggest shift with the Enhanced ACT is how ACT calculates your Composite score. Science no longer feeds into it. Since the September 2025 test, every student receives the new Composite calculation, whether or not they sat for Science. The table below shows which scores each section unlocks.

Score	What It Averages	Scale	Requires Science?
Composite	English, Math, Reading	1-36	No
Science	Science test only	1-36	Yes, you must sit for it
STEM	Math and Science	1-36	Yes, you must sit for it

Composite is the average of your English, Math, and Reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. Adding Science does not raise or lower the Composite. It only unlocks two extra scores, a standalone Science score and a STEM score averaging Math and Science, for students who want to show this work to a college or program. For a full breakdown of how each subject score rolls into your report, see our guide to ACT scoring.

When Colleges Still Want a Science Score

ACT does not maintain a public, official list of which colleges require or recommend a Science score. The decision sits with each college, not with ACT. The safest path is to treat this as a per-school lookup, not a rule the test itself sets. Run the three checks below before you register for a date.

Check the testing policy page on each target college's admissions site before you register, since requirements vary school by school.
Lean toward taking Science if you are applying to STEM majors or programs weighing quantitative and scientific reasoning, since a Science and STEM score gives those programs more data to evaluate.
Ask your school counselor whether your district's graduation testing policy still expects a Science score, separate from any college requirement.

Science on the Enhanced ACT reports on the same 1-36 scale as English, Math, and Reading. Sitting for it returns two extra scores, a Science score and a STEM score, instead of none. Skipping it costs you those two scores and nothing else on your report. For a closer look at what the Science section covers and how to prepare for it, see our ACT Science section guide.

Writing Is Optional and Scored Separately

The ACT Writing test is optional, and taking it does not change your Composite score either. Writing adds its own subject score plus a combined ELA score to your report. Neither one adjusts the 1-36 Composite colleges read first. Decide on Writing separately from your Science decision, since the two sections speak to different programs.

Writing Score Scale

Writing is not on the 1-36 scale used by English, Math, Reading, and Science, so read it on its own terms. Four domain scores feed one subject score, and the subject score is the rounded average of the four. The list below covers the scale, the typical range, and the ELA score Writing unlocks.

Your Writing subject score runs from 2 to 12, the rounded average of four domain scores: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use and Conventions.
Typical Writing scores land around 6 to 7.
Taking Writing also adds an English Language Arts (ELA) score, the average of your English, Reading, and Writing scores.

As with Science, ACT's own advice on Writing points you back to your target schools and your district, not to a fixed ACT rule. Check your target colleges' requirements and your district's graduation policy before deciding whether to sit for Writing. For question types and prep strategy, see our ACT Writing section guide.

Deciding Based on Your Major and Colleges

Both sections are optional and the Composite is unaffected either way, so your decision comes down to two questions: what you plan to study, and what your target colleges ask for. Neither add-on carries a scoring downside, since neither one lowers the Composite. The real cost is test-day time and prep time. Match the four cases below to your situation.

Applying to STEM majors: sitting for Science gives you a Science and STEM score, extra data quantitative programs use to evaluate you, on top of your Composite.
Applying to majors emphasizing writing or humanities: an ELA score from the Writing test gives those programs an extra data point beyond Composite.
Undecided on major, or applying broadly: check each target college's testing policy page directly, since requirements are set college by college and are not standardized by ACT.
Under a district graduation testing mandate: confirm with your counselor whether your district still requires a Science or Writing score, independent of any college's policy.

Once you know which sections you are sitting for, build your prep plan around them. Practice the exact lineup you plan to sit, including Science or Writing if you are opting in. We offer free ACT drills and full-length mock tests, no signup required, covering English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing. Start on our ACT practice page.