ACT Test unveils new retake and online options

From the September 2020 ACT test dates, students that have taken the ACT will have the option to retake individual parts of the exam, rather than resitting the entire test.

There will also be an option of taking the ACT Test online on the same day as national test dates with results delivered within two days, compared with a traditional turnaround of two weeks on paper-based testing.

And students that have taken the test on more than one occasion will be provided with an ACT ‘Superscore’ that calculates their highest possible composite score from the different elements of the test. ACT said that research suggests superscoring is more predictive of how students will perform.

Suzana Delanghe, Chief Operating Officer at ACT, said, “Students come first at ACT, and these ground-breaking new options will directly benefit them, providing more choices, an improved testing experience, and a better opportunity to showcase their readiness and reach their maximum potential.”

She continued, “With these changes, ACT is evolving to meet students in the digital world in which they live. We want to do a better job of helping them succeed.”

The ACT test, which is an option for international students to show suitability for higher education enrolment in the USA, is constituted of section tests in English, maths, reading, science and/or writing.

Sam Pritchard, Director of College Prep Programs at Kaplan Test Prep – which is an exclusive partner for live, online test preparation for ACT – welcomed the development.

“The biggest change for students testing outside the US is the new built-in superscoring. Students can know that the ACT score report colleges receive will present the best possible combination of their scores if they test multiple times. This change can alleviate some stress because if a student scores poorly on a particular day it won’t count against them in the superscore. If they do score well, they’ll raise their superscore.”

He continued, “It’s important for international students to remember that every college and university in the United States accepts the ACT, and doing well on this exam can go a long way in helping get into a top college choice and also secure merit-based financial aid.”

Sam added that the change, which he said was the most significant since 1989 when sections were amended, was following a trend of digital formatting among admissions tests, and made the SAT test the last major admissions exam in paper-only format.