NEWSFLASH: We now know more about the Computer-Based ACT, which will be the only form of ACT administration offered internationally beginning this September.
Some of you may remember from my April post that the ACT will officially be entirely computer-based at all international test administrations beginning this September.
Some of you may also remember that there were a number of questions still unanswered at that point -- what the testing interface would look like, whether the timing would be the same, what testing centers will be available, etc. -- and that you could expect more updates released by the ACT (and delivered by yours truly) coming sometime in June/July.
And so, here we are! The ACT has recently released a more detailed picture about what exactly the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) will look like, which answers quite a few of the questions that we were left with in April:
What will the testing interface look like?
Generally, the testing window will be split into two parts -- the passages will appear on the left side of the screen, and the questions will appear on the right.
Although you won’t be able to write on the screen (meaning that some of your strategies will have to change), you will get scratch paper to work on, and there are some neat tools on the testing interface that will help you adjust to the CBT format (see the ACT’s infographic below).
Among the features that caught my attention:
The Test Timer in the upper right-hand corner is a built-in way for you to ensure that your pacing is on track within each section.
The Navigation Bar allows you to see how many questions you have left in the section, to flag questions to come back to and to see which sections you’ve flagged.
The Highlighter allows you to highlight words and phrases in the passages. I’m super excited that you have the ability to do this, especially for the Reading section, and I think it will make the transition to the CBT format much easier.
The Line Reader allows you to zero in on a specific block of text (or figure), which could be a really helpful tool to help you avoid getting distracted from unnecessary or unrelated information.
If you’ve ever had a Reading lesson with me, you know that one of my favorite strategies is to “answer the questions in your own words first, then look for the choice that best matches.” The Answer Masker allows you to mask the answer choices and then reveal them one at a time, so you can do just that!
Or… if you’re trying to use the process of elimination on a question, the Answer Eliminator allows you to keep track of the answers that you don’t like.
Will the timing be the same?
Yep! The same timing that you’ve been practicing all along will still apply.
What about the Writing section?
This is actually one of the sections that I think will be easier with the CBT format. You’ll now get a text field that does not have a spell-check function but that does give you the ability to copy and paste. This will allow you to plan out the skeleton of your essay, then elaborate on each point, and then even decide to switch the order of your points if you wish (not to mention, allow you to type instead of writing by hand, which is much faster for most of us!).
What testing centers will be available on what dates?
We have this question half-answered so far:
The 2018-2019 International Test Dates have been released (see below, or check out the ACT's website). You may notice that there is now a February test offered internationally (there didn’t used to be!) and that both Friday and Saturday are offered for each of the testing windows. The ACT also reports that “for each of the two days within a testing window, there will be morning and afternoon sessions offered,” which could potentially give you more opportunities to make a test work with your schedule (and your body clock).
However, registration hasn’t opened yet, so there’s still no information available about where the tests will be offered. Because of the increased technical requirements for test centers under the CBT format, we expect that seats might be limited. My personal recommendation? Sign up for a text or email alert on the ACT's website to be the first to know when the September test registration opens, and then sign up as soon as possible to ensure that you get a seat in your preferred location.
Still have more questions?
Check out our original "Digital ACT" post - there’s a lot more information there. And if you have any dúvidas that haven’t yet been addressed, reach out to your instructors and Academic Advisors. They’ll help you come up with some CBT-specific strategies for the new testing format and make sure that you’re well prepared come September!