ACT Changes Coming Fall 2020

FAQs From the LogicPrep Team

UPDATE: As of June 18, 2020, ACT announced they will postpone the option of Section Retesting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All other new features will be available as announced.

In October 2019, ACT announced in a press release that they will be providing three new options for test-takers beginning in September 2020:

1. The option to retest a single section at a time (Update: this has been postponed as of June 18, 2020)

2. The option to use ACT superscoring (meaning the ACT will report superscores directly to colleges)

3. The option to take the test on a computer

We’ve received many questions about what this means for our students, so we’ve created this FAQ pages to provide answers to our testers.

TIMELINE

Will this affect my test prep plan?
Let’s first determine whether or not this is relevant to you:

• If you’re currently a Senior (graduating in June 2020), you’ve either finished with the ACT/SAT or are nearing the end. None of the new options will apply to you.

• If you’re currently a Junior (graduating in June 2021), the changes will probably not impact you. If you’re planning on getting your standardized testing done in the spring, you’ll be finished before any of the new options become available. If, on the other hand, you might be finishing up with the ACT in the fall of your senior year, yes, your plans may be affected.

• If you’re currently a Sophomore (graduating in June 2022) or younger, all of these new options will definitely apply to you.

I’m a Junior in high school. Does this affect me?
If you’re currently a Junior (graduating in June 2021), the changes will probably not impact you. If you’re planning on getting your standardized testing done in the spring, you’ll be finished before any of the new options become available. If, on the other hand, you might be finishing up with the ACT in the fall of your senior year, yes, they likely will.

Is it better to wait it out so I can take advantage of these new features?
If you’re already a Junior, definitely not! Follow your test prep plan or get started soon, as waiting could affect your college applications. We’re happy to discuss your individual plan; just give us a call! 

Will there be additional dates added to the testing schedule?
There is no indication that the testing schedule will change at this point, although we won't know for certain until the ACT posts their test dates for the 2020-2021 school year (which they do here). Normally, the next year's test dates get added in the early spring, so we'll stay tuned in the beginning of 2020 to see if there are any changes to report! 

Section Retesting (UPDATE: this feature has been postponed as of June 18, 2020)

What does section retesting mean?
Imagine the scenario -- a student takes an official ACT, gets amazing scores on three of the four required sections, but is super disappointed with one section score. As the ACT is right now, that student is stuck sitting for another entire test in order to improve that single section score (a > 3-hour ordeal). Beginning in September 2020, however, a student in this situation will be able to retest in just the section(s) that they want to, without having to repeat the exam in its entirety.

What are the benefits to section retesting?
Not only is that a big deal because it saves a few hours of a Saturday morning but for some students, it can also make a big difference in their actual section scores. The ACT is a long test, and the third and fourth sections (Reading and Science), are difficult in large part because they require test-takers to maintain stamina and focus through a multi-hour testing period. Many students experience what we sometimes call “test fatigue,” especially on the Science section, meaning they score more poorly simply because they’re exhausted from the other sections that they’ve already completed. This makes the quick thinking and pattern recognition that the Science section requires much more difficult than it is when taken in isolation, which is something that students will soon be able to do in a retest.

Does section retesting apply to all sections, even writing?
The section retesting option will apply to all four of the required sections of the ACT (English, Math, Reading, and Science) as well as the optional Writing section.

Will scores prior to September 2020 be able to be super scored with a section taken after September 2020?
Our understanding from the ACT's press release is yes, but the ACT has not offered confirmation one way or the other (even when called on the phone) as of October 2019.

If you just want to take one section, when do you show up?
We still don’t know but we’ll keep you up-to-date when the ACT shares more information.

Will the questions get harder now that you can take individual sections?
We do not anticipate an increase in difficulty of the individual sections.

Superscoring

What does superscore mean?
Superscoring is the composite calculated by averaging a student’s four highest section scores, regardless of test administration date, and is something that some, but not all, colleges and universities currently consider.

I thought colleges already acccepted superscored ACT tests. How is this different?
With the new reporting options available in September 2020, ACT itself will calculate the superscore and send it to schools. So the new difference is really a question of how much information these schools will see besides the superscore itself.
Take a student, for instance, with the following real test scores:

With the ACT’s current score reporting, schools that consider superscores would receive just the real test scores and would calculate the superscore (in orange) themselves. With the new changes, ACT itself will be sending scores. 
Now, there’s still a lot that’s still unclear here. Will it be obvious to admissions committees whether the score reported is a superscore or a test score from a single test administration? Will it be apparent whether each section in the score was achieved in the context of a full-test administration or a single-section administration? Will admissions committees take into account these factors, if they’re indeed able to distinguish them?
None of these questions have answers just yet, so stay tuned for more information -- we’ll keep you posted as it gets released.

Will all colleges accept the superscores?
Not all colleges and universities currently consider superscores. As our Director of College Consulting, Eli, noted after attending the 2019 NACAC conference, “The reason that we've seen a split in schools that superscore the ACT and schools that don't is that, initially, the ACT recommended that colleges shouldn't superscore, but some decided to anyways. With this shift in recommendation and reporting from the ACT, I anticipate that more schools will change their policy on ACT superscoring, but it will most likely take a little time.”

If a school doesn’t allow superscoring, will they accept individual section scores?
Probably not but this information hasn’t been released publicly.

Will colleges be able to know how many tests I took to get my superscore?
This answer is not clear to us yet, but we’ll update you as we know more!

Online Testing

How does the new online testing option work?
LogicPrep’s international students, who have been taking the computer-based ACT since September 2018, have had varying experiences with the online test format -- some students don’t find the format to be significantly more/less difficult, while others have had such difficulty that they’ve switched to the SAT in order to be able to take a paper-based test.
For test-takers in the US, the ACT will still be available on paper -- so there’s no forced switch to the digital format in September 2020; it will simply be an option. If you were to ask us, though, we’d venture that it’s only a matter of time until the ACT is completely computer-based worldwide, except in the cases of approved accommodations.

How can my child take online practice tests?
Because the ACT tested this change internationally in September 2018, LogicPrep has developed an online testing portal to simulate the ACT’s digital testing experience. Students who wish to take digital practice tests can come to our office (or opt for online proctoring) to take digital tests, just as they would take a paper test. 

What are the benefits to taking an online test?
The big benefit of taking an online ACT, and one that they are promoting heavily, is that you get your scores back much faster -- in as little as two days. As a result, test dates that cut it close for application deadlines become real options for students who will then be able to receive their scores in the appropriate timeframe. See the above question: “How does the new online testing option work?” for more information.

Do I still have the option of taking a paper-based test?
For test-takers in the US, the ACT will still be available on paper -- so there’s no forced switch to the digital format in September 2020; it will simply be an option. If you were to ask me, though, I’d venture that it’s only a matter of time until the ACT is completely computer-based worldwide, except in the cases of approved accommodations.

International Students

Do these changes affect international students?
As of the end of October 2019, the answer from ACT is unclear. When called, an ACT representative said that “all literature at the moment points to national testing,” but at that all the details haven’t been worked out yet.  The representative recommended that international students keep checking back at the website for updates over the next few months.
However, as our students know, digital testing was already introduced internationally in September 2018 and as far as we can tell, nothing will change. Students are unable to take a paper version of the test internationally.