On Monday, the CEO of ACT announced changes to the standardized entrance exam by the same name that is used by colleges and higher-education institutions for admission standards.
CEO Janet Godwin described the changes in a blog post which she framed as an evolution meant to address the needs of students by offering more flexibility.
Blog Post
Godwin on the ACT website published a blog post where she outlined two big changes to the upcoming ACT exams.
“Continuing our legacy of innovation and guided by feedback from students, educators, and experts in K-12 and higher education, we are implementing two fundamental changes to the ACT test,” wrote Godwin.
What is the ACT?
The ACT is a test used for college admission that evaluates student’s capabilities in the subjects of English, math, reading, science, and writing.
These sections used to be all part of the same test, however the ACT had previously made writing an optional portion, and now the subject of science is going to be the same way.
Flexible Test
Godwin described the change to make science optional as a great flexible win for students.
“We have made the test more flexible for students by giving them the ability to choose whether to take the science section,” Godwin wrote.
Core Score
With this change to make science optional, the core score sent to colleges will only contain results from English, reading, and math.
“This means students can choose to take the ACT, the ACT plus science, the ACT plus writing, or the ACT plus science and writing. With this flexibility, students can focus on their strengths and showcase their abilities in the best possible way,” Godwin wrote in the blog post.
Scale Remains The Same
Although the subjects on the test are changing, the core composite score on the test will remain the same.
Scores on the ACT are reported on a scale of 1-36, and students can take the test with paper and pencil or online.
Much Shorter Test
The other major change Godwin announced in the blog post is that the length of the ACT test will be reduced by up to one-third, a result of making the science portion optional and making the reading section have shorter passages.
Previously it was recommended to set aside three hours for the test. Godwin asserts that the changes will make the new core subject test last only two hours.
Fewer Questions
In addition to the testing material itself being shorter, the new ACT will also have fewer questions. This change will result in the total amount of questions being reduced by 44.
Previously the amount of questions per section of the ACT ranged from 40 to 75 with a total of 215 questions overall.
Why the Length Change?
In the blog post, Godwin asserted this adaption is important so that students can spend more time on each question and answer them “thoughtfully.”
“This change is designed to make the testing experience more manageable for students, enabling them to perform at their best without the fatigue that often accompanies longer exams,” Godwin wrote.
Following Trends
This change to the ACT follows a similar one to the college entrance exam known as the SAT which was also altered earlier this year.
The SAT has also been shortened by about a third in length and is now administered fully digitally.
Lowered Cost
In an email to CNN, Godwin asserted another benefit of the changes is that the cost of the exam will go down.
In 2023, the cost to register for the ACT started at around $60 and could be higher depending on the options the student selects.
Controversial Changes
Some online saw the change to make science optional as further evidence that tests in America are lowering their standards.
“With science literacy going to absolute sh*t lately, this is only going to accelerate the terrible state of our country’s understanding of the world. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. Downright shameful,” said a Reddit user.
