What’s the Best Strategy for the Changes to the ACT?
Last Updated on November 8, 2023 by Jill Schwitzgebel
The answer is most likely, “Yes…and No.” After a month of reading and researching, here are the things I believe that you should know and consider for your testing strategy:
Colleges Don’t Have to Accept Superscores
While most colleges have not stated yet what their policy will be, I think we will see that ultra-competitive, selective schools are not going to accept the superscored ACT. Georgetown has already indicated that they are not going to accept an ACT superscore. There are a variety of reasons for that. But, I do think that the vast majority of other colleges in the US will be happy to accept the new superscore. Most colleges want to encourage as many applicants as possible to apply and won’t want to exclude applicants based on testing.
Just as before, you need to do your homework to see whether the specific colleges your student is interested in, will accept the superscores. Colleges are likely to post their policy on their Admissions pages, or of course, you can always contact the Admissions department directly. But, if your student is likely to apply to some highly selective colleges, it’s probably best to assume that they should re-take the whole exam in one sitting.
Studying Just Got More Important
Taken in one sitting, the ACT is a lengthy test, encompassing many subjects. Students often feel like they can only focus on studying in-depth for one section at a time. So, for instance, their Math score may have suffered due to their focus on preparing for the Reading and English sections. With this change, they now only have to concentrate on studying for one part of the test at a time. Theoretically, that should make achieving high scores much more attainable for the majority of students.
In turn, that means that the competition may have just gotten a little tougher. Students who are great test-takers have always enjoyed an advantage with the longer test format. This may lessen that advantage. It’s possible that we will see average ACT scores rise, as some students take advantage of being able to prep in parts.
While I always urge families not to procrastinate signing up for college entrance exams, this makes that advice even more important! If students are going to take the full test, and then possibly take each part separately to achieve their best superscore, that’s going to mean getting an early start to studying to get all of that finished in time for applications.
Be Realistic About Re-takes
I am very worried that an unintended consequence of this new format is that some students will obsess even more about their test scores. Some students may turn studying into a full-time job outside of school. I have known kids to insist on re-taking the full test just because they want to bump their already strong score up by one more point. The testing burnout rate is already high and this may make it worse.
But, keep in mind that some colleges will require students to disclose the results of every college entrance test they have ever taken. It won’t look great to schools if the student has taken it repeatedly. They may not be all that impressed if the student finally achieved their high score on their fourth attempt at the test.
And each day, more and more colleges are becoming test-optional. Increasingly, admissions departments are no longer considering test scores as a central part of a student’s application. That being the case, there really is no reason for good students to stress themselves out in an attempt to reach some test score goal. Let the rest of the application show what the student is capable of.
Online May Not Be Better
Many students got excited about the option to take the test online. After all, these students are fully digital and comfortable with technology. I am not convinced that online is a great option though. My advice will be to stick with the paper and pencil test, until we see some statistics comparing the two formats.
It can be much more difficult to scroll back to reference something for an answer in the reading section, on the computer. Most tutors will teach students to underline or circle as they’re reading, for the sake of reference later. Remember, it’s still a timed test, so the ability to do that may matter as they’re answering questions. Studies have come out that show that student’s comprehension is better when they read a physical book, rather than reading the book online. To me, that would apply here as well. And in the math section, students might not show as much work on the computer, as they would on a piece of paper.
Students in other countries have been taking the ACT online for years. But at least one international high-end college consultant, Allen Koh of Cardinal Education, feels so strongly about the benefits of a paper exam, that he actually advises his international students to come over to the US to take the test, if they possibly can!
Conclusion
At first glance, this move by the ACT seems as though it will be beneficial to students. It should make it easier for everyone to achieve higher scores and may take away some of the stress associated with the process.
However, I also worry that this move could actually increase students’ anxiety and make them even more stressed, if they get into a cycle of never-ending testing. And, it really does mean that students need to begin preparing earlier for the test, and studying for it, as well.
Interested in the changes to the SAT? Check out The Digital SAT vs The Paper SAT; What You Need to Know
