The ACT is Changing!

The ACT is Changing

Earlier this week, through a press release, ACT, Inc. announced changes to its testing structure and score-reporting options. Continuing the trend in education towards a student-centered focus, the test maker plans to introduce “ACT section retesting,” “Online testing with faster score results,” and “ACT superscoring” by the September 2020 test date. The decision to implement these changes, ACT claims, is a response to “feedback from students, parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and higher education officials.” However, it is likely that the standardized testing company is also responding to some colleges and universities deemphasizing the importance of standardized test scores in the admissions process, moving towards optional reporting, or doing away with testing requirements altogether in an effort to diversify applicant pools and higher education as a whole.

For those students who will be completing their college applications to schools that still require standardized testing next fall, the announcement brings about a welcome change to the testing experience, so let’s break them down.

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ACT Section Retesting

There is nothing more frustrating and disheartening than getting your ACT score back after weeks of waiting to find out that you rocked three out of the four sections (four out of the five if completing the optional writing section that is required by some schools). Instantly you think of having to endure the almost three-hour-long process (three and a half if including the writing section) just to raise your score in the one section in which you underperformed. We, as tutors, feel that frustration as well. It is not easy to convince a student to retake an entire exam so as to impress those schools with selective admissions processes.

With section retesting, ACT is hoping to alleviate some of that frustration and make it possible to retake only the sections that students feel are not representative of their full potential. The key word here is “retesting.” Students will still have to complete an entire exam prior to taking advantage of this option, meaning they will not be able to take the exam in four or five parts. Preparation for the first exam will still focus on all sections and the initial testing experience will still be a long and arduous one. However, thereafter, students will be able to focus their preparation on specific sections and, come test date, avoid some of the anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion. This is a positive change for all students, but especially for those students who require extra time per section and for whom the exam is very long. It will likely also be far more cost effective, as retaking sections will be cheaper than the entire exam (how much cheaper will be announced at a later date). However, there is a slight concern that students will elect to retake single sections too many times to raise their superscore (highest combined total in each section, discussed below) now that they only have to focus on a single section.

Online Testing with Faster Score Results

In a digital world, the idea of paper-based testing seems archaic to some. Teachers and administrators have adapted to students’ reliance on technology and have gradually changed the educational landscape, but the ACT has been slow to match the classroom. Students who have grown accustomed to online or computer-based testing have had to revert back to, or even learn in the case of some, skills that are not always relevant in their day-to-day education in order to take standardized tests. For some, this presents a challenge as they are not used to or comfortable with paper-based exams.

Beginning in September 2020, “selected testing centers” will begin offering an online version of the exam to cater to the digitally-inclined. ACT is hoping to roll out online testing to all test centers eventually, so if you’re in a small market, it may take a while for this option to become available. However, those who are able to take advantage of this option will not only have access to an online exam, they will also be able to view their test scores (for the multiple choice sections only, of course) after only two days instead of weeks.

ACT Superscoring

The score reporting requirements and the way multiple scores are evaluated vary somewhat depending on the college or university. Some schools would only consider the highest composite score from a single test date, while others would combine the highest section totals across multiple exams to calculate a “superscore.” According to ACT, “research suggests that superscoring is actually more predictive of how students will perform in their college courses than other scoring methods.” As such, they will be migrating to reporting superscores after September 2020, along with one composite score from single test-date.

Because of the variability across institutions, it’s difficult to determine the impact superscoring will have on each student’s admissions process. Beyond that, section retesting also throws another wrench into the works, as students who sit for multiple complete exams will have their superscore compared to those who may only sit, and therefore only have to focus on, a limited number of sections or just one section. Only time will tell how superscoring will be adopted by the colleges or universities to which you are applying.

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Regardless of the motivation for the changes, whether “research-based,” as the ACT claims, to improve the testing experience and the use of the exam as a predictor for collegiate performance, or commercial, to keep the test relevant in an environment that appears to be slowly moving away from standardization, students will undoubtedly benefit. How much they will benefit remains to be seen.