You may have noticed a nifty little announcement from ACTStudent.org concerning a new testing policy this fall. But in case you didn’t, let me fill you in: starting in September 2020, students will be able to retake single sections of the ACT…as opposed to sitting through an entire 3+ hour-long test just to improve a single section (in hopes of putting together the best possible superscore). Here’s everything we currently know about this new policy, and EXACTLY what it means for YOU.
How the ACT test works NOW
At the moment, the way ACT testing works is as follows: Student takes the ACT, which includes the English, Math, Reading and Science sections. If Student needs to take the essay (the “Writing” component), he or she will sign up to take that as well, turning a 3-hour-long test into an almost 4-hour-long test. Student gets scores back in 2-8 weeks, most likely not thrilled with every single one the section scores. Luckily, most of the schools on Student’s college list allow for superscoring. Thus, Student registers to take the ACT again. Student retakes ALL sections of the test, in hopes that the disappointing section or two improves this time, and thus, improves the overall superscore. Student still needs to improve? Student will register and retake the entire ACT again, hoping to improve in the desired section. Rinse, repeat. (Whew. I hope Student doesn’t have to!)
How ACT Retesting Will Work Now—In September and Beyond
Here’s how the process will go once this new rule takes effect: Student registers and takes the entire ACT, meaning the English, Math, Reading and Science sections, all in one sitting. Student doesn’t love all the resulting section scores. However, instead of having to retake the entire ACT, Student can just register to retake 1, 2, or 3 individual sections. Student can continue to retake up to three sections at each of seven different ACT test dates annually. These (hopefully) new high scores will be considered in Student’s superscore to colleges.
Here are some important facts about the new ACT single section retest rule you should pay attention to.
1) You must have taken a full-length ACT FIRST, before retaking single sections.
In other words, you can’t just take one section each test date and put all of those together and call it your super score—you have to have TAKEN the entire test before you can “re”-test, know what I mean? Now, this initial test you take can be one of the seven ACT weekend test-dates, OR it can be a state- or regionally-administered test that occurs in participating schools during a schoolday.
2) The section retests only can improve your superscore, NOT your composite score—and colleges will see both.
When you ask the ACT to send your scores to your colleges, they’ll send in your superscore (highest scores in each section, all put together) AS WELL AS your highest composite score in a single test sitting. So if you took the whole test once, got a 26 composite, and then retook sections, which bumped up your superscore to a 30, the ACT will report that your superscore was a 30 and that your highest composite score was a 26. After all, you only ever sat down and took the whole test in its entirety once. You never sat down and scored a 30—that was only ever accomplished by parsing together sections taken at different times.
3) None of these ACT retest policy changes matter if your college list doesn’t superscore.
If your colleges say they’ll accept superscoring for the ACT, fantastic! Keep retaking a section here or there until you get the points you need. But if you have a college on your list that does NOT accept superscores for the ACT, they will want a true composite score…meaning you will need to sit down and retake the entire ACT and hopefully get the composite target score in that one test sitting. And if you don’t…sit down and retake ANOTHER entire ACT until you do.
4) You can retake the Essay (“Writing” section)!
This will just count as one of your up-to-three sections to retest. You could retake JUST the Writing, or the Writing, Math + Reading, for example. Or, just multiple-choice sections.
5) Under the new testing rules, all ACT section retests are done ONLINE.
This is some news: while most students who take a full-length ACT take a paper test and bubble in answers, students who retake only a section or two or three must complete them digitally, on a computer. This means: you can only do section retests at testing locations that offer computer testing. This means: you may need to revamp strategies for certain sections. For instance, if you’re used to writing in notes to analyze grammar rules or comprehend Reading passages, you will have to practice reading everything from a screen and coming up with an alternative way of annotating during your retest. This also means: you can get your section retest scores back in as quickly as TWO BUSINESS DAYS!
6) We don’t know how much the registration fees will be.
ACTStudent.org will be making an announcement once they’ve figured out their fee schedule. Right now, we don’t know if it’ll be a certain amount per section retested, or if it’ll be one blanket retest fee, or if the Writing will be the same fee as a multiple-choice section.
Some more questions I know you’ll have about the new ACT retesting policies:
Will colleges count the score the same on a single-section retest as they would if a student retook the entire exam and then got a higher score on the section?
This is the BIG question that lots of parents have asked me. In truth, we don’t know. And we won’t know until we’ve actually had our first class of seniors take their single section retests next fall and then apply to college with their new-fangled superscores.
But I DO have a prediction: I have a hunch that, more than likely, colleges WILL weigh a 35 in a Science section from a single section retest as much as they would a 35 in the Science section in which the student retook the entire ACT. Here’s why I think this. At the end of the day, colleges allow these “perks” like super scoring and score choice not just to make applicants feel less stressed out, but also to raise THEIR OWN median test scores! After all, if a school claims their median 50-percentile ACT scores are 32-34, it looks more prestigious than it would if half their incoming freshmen scored between a 25-28. We can’t help it: as a society, we just think bigger and “more” means “better.”
That’s AWESOME! Now I can get my target ACT score more easily and not have to work so hard!
WHOA there! Hold your horses! Remember: every time there’s a new perk for YOU, that means there’s a new perk for EVERYONE else! Now that it’ll be easier to retest only targeted sections of the ACT, and retest them up to seven times a year, you BET more people will be doing it, likely with favorable results and higher superscores. If anything, this means that YOU will be at a DISadvantage if you DON’T take the time to retest sections and pump up YOUR superscore.
So my best advice? If the ACT is better for you than the SAT, this is fantastic news that you can retest sections with less time commitment and headache. I’d still work smarter AND harder to make sure I take full advantage of these new perk, and not just score “good enough.” If this seems confusing to you where to draw the line, or you need help choosing between the ACT and the SAT in the first place, or you just need the expert of experts to execute the perfect study plan for you, schedule your Game Plan™ and let me help!
