The ACT no longer counts its science section toward the Composite score, a change that alters which students the exam favors and, according to one test preparation provider, should push families to reconsider a decision many made under the old scoring math. Mr. Test Prep, the online ACT test prep service founded by Michael Romano, is telling families that a choice made before the change deserves a second look.
ACT states that starting September 2025, all ACT tests use the enhanced Composite, which is based only on English, math and reading. Science remains a section of the exam, but it is no longer a Composite component. The enhanced ACT became available for national online testing in April 2025 and for the ACT National Saturday paper test in September 2025.
The current structure is English, 50 questions in 35 minutes; mathematics, 45 questions in 50 minutes; reading, 36 questions in 40 minutes; and science, 40 questions in 40 minutes. The implications run in both directions. A student whose relative weakness sat in science used to carry that weakness into the Composite, and now they do not. The reverse also holds, and it gets less attention: a student who leaned on science to lift a Composite has lost that lift. Pacing is the second variable, and it differs sharply between the two tests and between ACT sections. English asks 50 questions in 35 minutes; reading asks 36 in 40. For a student who is accurate but deliberate, those are not the same test. None of this shows up on a transcript.
"Two students can know the same material and produce dramatically different scores," Romano said. His position is that guessing at the answer costs a family more than measuring it, which is why the SAT versus ACT recommendation sits in a free session rather than behind a paid program.
The Mr. Test Prep Method covers content, question logic and pacing across two-hour Zoom sessions. A-Game Access covers performance under time pressure through four components: A-Game, The Nine, the A-Game Cue, and Smile Into the Action. The company states the system does not promise perfect performances, does not eliminate nervousness and does not guarantee outcomes.
Romano graduated from Duke University in 1991 with a major in Psychology, has worked with students since 1997, and has taught more than 4,000 SAT, ACT and PSAT students. The free two-hour trial session includes a diagnostic test. Afterward Romano holds a Zoom call with parent and student covering diagnostic results, which tests to take and when, prep frequency and target scores, then emails a written proposal. Sessions are held online, for students in Palo Alto, the Bay Area and beyond. Families can book by phone at +1 (650) 575-5867 or through the Mr. Test Prep website.
For families, the change means a score comparison made under the old rules may no longer reflect how a student would perform today. For the broader testing and admissions landscape, it shifts the strategic calculus between the two major college entrance exams, rewarding students whose strengths lie in English, math and reading while removing the science cushion some test-takers previously relied on.
