The PreACT takes 2 hours of testing: English (35 minutes), Math (45) and Reading (40). If your school gives the optional Science section, add 40 minutes for 2 hours 40 minutes. With the 15-minute break and instructions, plan on about 2.5 hours, or a little over 3 hours with Science. The PreACT 8/9 is shorter: 130 minutes with Science.
The PreACT 9 Secure runs 2 hours 35 minutes with Science, and the PreACT Secure (grade 10) matches the PreACT. All four are given by schools during the school day; you don't register on your own. Put in your version and start time below to see your morning minute by minute. Every timing on this page comes from ACT on act.org and in its 2026-27 PreACT administration manual, checked November 10, 2026.
Pick your version, the time testing starts and what your school does with Science. If you have an approved extended-time accommodation, choose it too. The section lengths, test order and 15-minute break are ACT's. The 15 minutes of seating and instructions before English is our estimate, so treat end times as approximate.
Last verified against ACT's PreACT FAQ, PreACT test guides and 2026-27 PreACT administration manual: November 10, 2026.
The PreACT and PreACT Secure take 2 hours without Science and 2 hours 40 minutes with it. The PreACT 9 Secure takes 2 hours or 2 hours 35 minutes, and the PreACT 8/9 takes 100 minutes or 130 minutes. Which one you take depends on your grade and on what your school or district orders.
| Version | Best fit | Without Science | With Science | How it's given |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PreACT | Grades 9-10 | 2 h (117 questions) | 2 h 40 min (153 questions) | Paper or online; the school picks a day between Sept. 1, 2026 and May 28, 2027 |
| PreACT Secure | Grade 10 | 2 h (117) | 2 h 40 min (153) | Online (limited paper accommodations); fall window Sept.-Oct. or spring window Mar.-Apr. |
| PreACT 9 Secure | Grade 9 | 2 h (111) | 2 h 35 min (143) | Online (limited paper accommodations); fall or spring window |
| PreACT 8/9 | Grades 8-9 | 1 h 40 min (100) | 2 h 10 min (130) | Paper or online; the school picks a day between Sept. 1, 2026 and May 28, 2027 |
People searching for the "PreACT 10" usually mean the PreACT Secure, which ACT says is most appropriate for tenth graders, or the regular PreACT taken in 10th grade. Both run the same 2 hours 40 minutes with Science. "PreACT 9" can mean the PreACT 9 Secure, which only states and districts give, or the PreACT 8/9 taken in 9th grade, which is 30 minutes shorter with Science. If you're not sure, ask your school counselor which test is on the calendar. Our guide to what the PreACT is explains the four versions in more detail.
On the PreACT and PreACT Secure, English is 35 minutes, Math 45, Reading 40 and optional Science 40. The PreACT 9 Secure is the same except Science, which is 35 minutes. The PreACT 8/9 is 30, 40, 30 and 30 minutes. The tests always run in the same order: English, Math, Reading, then Science.
| Section | PreACT / PreACT Secure | PreACT 9 Secure | PreACT 8/9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. English | 48 (36) · 35 min | 44 (33) · 35 min | 40 · 30 min |
| 2. Math | 36 (32) · 45 min | 34 (30) · 45 min | 35 · 40 min |
| Break after Math | 15 min (Secure guides: 10-15 min) | 10-15 min | 15 min |
| 3. Reading | 33 (25) · 40 min | 33 (25) · 40 min | 25 · 30 min |
| 4. Science (optional) | 36 (30) · 40 min | 32 (26) · 35 min | 30 · 30 min |
| Total | 117 · 120 min, or 153 · 160 min | 111 · 120 min, or 143 · 155 min | 100 Q · 100 min, or 130 Q · 130 min |
The gap between total and scored questions is field-test questions: ACT embeds a few unscored items in each section of the new blueprints to build future forms. You can't tell which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts. The PreACT 8/9 still uses its older blueprint, and ACT says the new one is coming soon; its question counts here are the ones ACT lists in its FAQ. For what each section covers, see the PreACT format guide, and for how the new blueprint differs from last year's, PreACT 2026 changes.
On the PreACT, about 44 seconds per English question, 1:15 per Math question, 1:13 per Reading question and 1:07 per Science question. English is the fastest section by far, and Math gives you the most time per question.
| Section | PreACT / Secure | PreACT 9 Secure | PreACT 8/9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 0:44 (44 sec) | 0:48 (48 sec) | 0:45 (45 sec) |
| Math | 1:15 (75 sec) | 1:19 (79 sec) | 1:09 (69 sec) |
| Reading | 1:13 (73 sec) | 1:13 (73 sec) | 1:12 (72 sec) |
| Science (optional) | 1:07 (67 sec) | 1:06 (66 sec) | 1:00 (60 sec) |
Reading and Science look generous on paper, but the clock also has to cover the passages. ACT's own advice in its PreACT test guides is to subtract the time you expect to spend reading passages, then divide what's left by the number of questions. On Reading, if you spend about 15 minutes in total reading the passages, that leaves 25 minutes for 33 questions, closer to 45 seconds each. English moves at under 45 seconds a question, so you can't stop to reread a whole paragraph for every item.
There's no penalty for guessing: ACT scores only the questions you get right. Answer every question before time is called, even if you have to guess on the last few.
Only slightly. The enhanced ACT is 2 hours 5 minutes without Science and 2 hours 45 minutes with it, 5 minutes longer than the PreACT, because ACT Math is 50 minutes instead of 45. The bigger difference is the number of questions: the ACT has 131 questions without Science, 14 more than the PreACT.
| Section | PreACT | ACT | Per question: PreACT vs ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | 48 Q · 35 min | 50 Q · 35 min | 0:44 vs 0:42 (+2 sec on the PreACT) |
| Math | 36 Q · 45 min | 45 Q · 50 min | 1:15 vs 1:07 (+8 sec on the PreACT) |
| Reading | 33 Q · 40 min | 36 Q · 40 min | 1:13 vs 1:07 (+6 sec on the PreACT) |
| Science | 36 Q · 40 min | 40 Q · 40 min | 1:07 vs 1:00 (+7 sec on the PreACT) |
| Writing | None | 1 prompt · 40 min (optional) | No PreACT equivalent |
| Total | 117 Q · 2 h, or 153 Q · 2 h 40 min | 131 Q · 2 h 5 min, or 171 Q · 2 h 45 min | About 5 sec more per question on the PreACT |
That means a PreACT sitting is a fair rehearsal for the ACT's rhythm: the same section order, the same 35-minute English and 40-minute Reading, and very similar pacing. When you move up to the ACT, the main adjustment is Math (45 questions instead of 36, about 67 seconds each instead of 75) and slightly faster English. For the full ACT test-day picture, see how long the ACT is, and to see what your PreACT score predicts, try the PreACT to ACT score converter.
Science is optional, and your school or district decides, not you. There is no writing test on any PreACT. Since fall 2026 (spring 2026 for the two Secure versions), every PreACT builds its Composite from English, Math and Reading. When Science is given, it gets its own score and feeds the STEM score.
Most schools give the PreACT in the morning, in one sitting: instructions, English, Math, a 15-minute break, Reading, and Science if your school includes it. ACT's administration manual tells schools to start early enough to finish by their normal lunch break and to plan about 2.5 hours for a standard-time administration.
A few other things affect your day:
For when schools usually test, see PreACT test dates.
ACT lists time and a half, double time and triple time as PreACT accommodations, and the extra time is now exactly the multiple: on time and a half, PreACT English is 52 minutes 30 seconds, not 55. Your school arranges accommodations for you.
| Timing | English | Math | Reading | Science |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 35 min | 45 min | 40 min | 40 min |
| Time and a half | 52 min 30 sec | 67 min 30 sec | 60 min | 60 min |
| Double time | 70 min | 90 min | 80 min | 80 min |
| Triple time | 105 min | 135 min | 120 min | 120 min |
With time and a half and no Science, the PreACT is 3 h of testing, and an 8:15 start ends around 11:45 AM. With longer accommodations, your school's test coordinator decides whether you test in one session or across several days, so the timeline tool can only show a single-day version.
Take at least one full practice test on the real clock, in the real order: 35, 45, a 15-minute break, then 40 minutes, plus Science if your school gives it. ACT offers a free online PreACT Secure practice test (timed and untimed) on TestNav that it says works for every PreACT version.
For shorter timed sets, try our PreACT practice questions or the PreACT math practice set, then estimate your result with the PreACT score calculator. If you're taking the 8th or 9th grade version, the PreACT 8/9 guide covers what to expect.