ACT Affects All

By LINDSAY LANDSBERG

The pressures of the ACT exam faced by high school students will potentially ease off next September when the process for testing will change dramatically through the implementation of partial retesting, online testing and the ability to report superscores.

Beginning with the September 2020 national testing date, students dissatisfied with their ACT scores will be able to retake any selected portion of the exam without having to repeat the entire test. Never in the 60 years since this test was first administered has there been an option for partial retesting. Junior Hallie G. feels that partial retesting can allow for students to receive their dream scores in a much easier manner. “The entire testing ordeal is so draining and time consuming, so any way to receive a higher score in an easier way is a great idea,” she said.

Another significant change is the new option to offer online testing for students who sit for the exams—enabling them to get results in as few as two business days. Students who take the paper version usually wait around 2 to 3 weeks for scores. The less time it takes for students to receive scores, the faster they can use that information to narrow down potential college choices and make important decisions about test retakes. Junior Gabriella F. believes that online testing can help ease testing anxieties, due to the rapid return of scores. “I tend to be very fearful about the long waiting period for scores, so receiving scores within two days seems like a great idea to me” she said. 

The 4 subsections on the ACT—English, Math, Reading and Science are scored on a scale of 1 to 36, and the optional writing section is scored out of 12. Currently, scores are averaged into a composite score, based on the 4 required sections on a given day. But students’ highest composite score that day may not necessarily reflect their highest subscores in total or their true testing potential. In a third shift, the ACT will enable students to choose to send colleges their highest score on each section from multiple exam attempts, which is known as a superscore. Many colleges already allow high-school applicants to self-report ACT or SAT scores using the format of a superscore, but the ACT’s policy shift will boost the legitimacy of this technique. Junior Esther M. is in favor of all colleges accepting ACT superscores. “A superscore shows a student’s true capabilities, not just their luck of the draw on a specific testing day,” she said. Similarly, junior Olivia D. believes that ACT superscores can optimize a student’s chances for success. “Any policy that allows for a student to receive their best score possible is a great idea in my eyes,” she said. 

These new policy changes will affect current high school juniors and continue to govern the way in which younger students decide which pre-college entrance exam they should take. Junior Shania M. believes that this new approach will help to boost test scores, which might be misleading. “The test scores won’t show a student’s true testing capabilities, since they can manipulate their scores to present them in the best possible light for colleges,” she said. Similarly, junior Carly H. said, “I think these changes will definitely help ACT scores rise, but colleges might know that students’ scores aren’t from one sitting.” 

However, since these changes won’t be put into place until the 2020-2021 school year, senior Tobi A., and the rest of the graduating class, will not be able to take advantage of the modifications. “I’m upset that I won’t be able to benefit from these new policies, since it could’ve made me a lot less stressed for this test than I was last year,”  she said.

Conversely, underclassmen are excited about the switch. Sophomore Emily Z. said, “I’m so grateful that these changes affect me and my grade, since it will make the college application process much smoother and less stressful.”