This fall, students are seeing major changes to the ACT exam.
ACT-Prep teacher Anna Hernandez-Hedges said the new version of the test looks completely different from what students have taken in the past.
“Honestly, I think it made it a little more difficult than how I took the test last time,” senior Kamryn Keilbey said. “It was just, I mean, it was hard. It was the ACT.”
The test is shorter, both in time length and number of questions, and the science test is now optional, so students have to pay a little extra if they want to take it, according to Hernandez-Hedges. Since science is no longer required, it does not count toward the composite score. The composite score only comes from reading, math and English.
“Colleges already know that the science section isn’t included anymore,” Hernandez-Hedges said. “It’s always best to check if your school still wants that portion.”
Test five, an experimental and unscored section of the test, is no longer included, so there are questions in each section that do not count toward the final score. These questions were previously a part of that which have been placed inside the actual reading, science, English and math sections. There were also changes made to the way questions are asked in the English section. Hernandez-Hedges said in previous years the questions were vague, but no longer.
“They ask more specifically about things like transitions and tone, instead of leaving students to guess,” Hernandez-Hedges said.
The math and reading sections stayed mostly the same, but there is more time per question. Even though students are able to slow down and concentrate a bit more, they are seeing the differences.
“I noticed it was a little bit different from the math portion and the questions,” senior Thomas Swafford said after taking both versions of the exam.
Hernandez-Hedges shared benefits and drawbacks of the changes.
“It’s easier because of the extra time, but the fact that some questions don’t count toward your score really throws kids off,” Hernandez-Hedges said.
Despite the challenges, Hernandez-Hedges hoped the revised test would better reflect students’ abilities.
“We all know kids get bad test anxiety,” Hernandez-Hedges said. “By making the test shorter, maybe they’ll feel less pressure and perform closer to their true potential.”
As for the future of the ACT, Hernandez-Hedges does not expect any major changes coming anytime soon, but she does think students’ use of AI might hinder their abilities to take the test if they’ve become too dependent on it.
But, because it is a standardized test the results will never be completely accurate due to outside factors, Hernandez-Hedges said. In the end, the ACT does still matter for scholarships and college acceptance no matter how much the test changes.
“So it’s worth the effort to learn how to succeed on it,” Hernandez-Hedges said.
