On October 8, the ACT announced changes that will occur beginning in the fall of 2020. The three major changes will provide students with more flexibility regarding test taking and score reporting. According to a statement by the chief commercial officer: These groundbreaking 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. The content and format of the test will remain consistent.
Partial Test Option
Next fall, students who have taken the ACT previously will be able to retake a section of the test online instead of retaking the entire test. For example, students who take the spring 2020 ACT may be content with three of the four sections. In the fall, they will have the opportunity to retake the section that they would like to improve.
Faster Score Results
While the current form of the test provides only paper tests on national test dates, starting in the fall of 2020, students can take online tests at national test centers. Online testing offers faster results compared to traditional paper-based administration—two days compared to around two weeks.
Super-scoring
The ACT will allow students to combine sections from different tests for super-scoring. The organization’s research suggests “superscoring” is “actually more predictive of how students will perform in their college courses than other scoring methods.”
