{"id":15711,"date":"2020-08-17T15:58:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T22:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/act\/?p=15711"},"modified":"2020-09-22T15:58:37","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T22:58:37","slug":"covid-19-has-changed-act-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/act\/covid-19-has-changed-act-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 Has Changed the ACT. Here\u2019s How."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Change<\/p>\n

By now, you\u2019re probably well aware that COVID-19 has impacted the college application and admissions process—including new changes to the ACT. <\/p>\n

First, the ACT cancelled some test dates<\/a>, and then there were several mix-ups about last-minute ACT cancellations<\/a> for the July testing dates (you can read the ACT\u2019s statement on July National testing here<\/a>). So where does that leave anyone looking to take the ACT? What\u2019s the status with ACT retakes? What ACT updates can you expect as a result of COVID? Here\u2019s what we know so far\u2026<\/p>\n

The ACT’s Plan Before COVID-19<\/h2>\n

Last Fall, in an attempt to innovate and uplevel their testing processes, the ACT announced several new ACT testing options<\/a> to be implemented in 2020, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ACT Superscoring – Live!<\/strong>\n

    Starting with September 2020 test dates, ACT now offers superscoring<\/a>, which allows colleges the option to view a student\u2019s highest ACT scores across all testing dates<\/strong>, rather than a composite score from one test sitting. According to the ACT, new research \u201csuggests that superscoring is actually more predictive of how students will perform in their college courses than other scoring methods.\u201d<\/li>\n

  2. ACT Retakes by Section – Postponed<\/strong>\n

    The plan is to allow (for the first time in the ACT\u2019s 60-year history!) students to retake individual sections of the exam<\/a> rather than taking the entire test again. This is a pretty big deal because it allows students to laser in on the subjects they most need improvement on.<\/li>\n

  3. Online Testing – Postponed<\/strong>\n

    The plan here is to allow online testing at some (and eventually all) ACT testing centers on official testing days. Historically, the test has only ever been issued in its paper version. The core benefit of online testing is receiving test scores more quickly<\/strong>, with the goal being a 2-day wait period<\/strong> instead of a 2-week period.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These new ACT changes sound great, right?! They are! But because of COVID-19, there are delays to some of these updates that you should know about. <\/p>\n

    The ACT’s New Plan (During COVID-19)<\/h2>\n

    Online Testing and Section Retesting Postponed<\/h3>\n

    Out of adherence to safe social distancing guidelines, the ACT will be postponing online testing<\/a> for fall test dates<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    According to a recent brief<\/a> from ACT CEO Janet Godwin, the ACT will focus, instead, on improving resources at current testing centers and adding additional testing sites<\/strong> so as to reduce individual center capacity in compliance with social distancing guidelines. For those who need to take and retake tests—a growing number because of test cancellations—the goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for students to earn a competitive composite score for college admissions.<\/p>\n

    In addition to online testing being postponed, section retesting is unfortunately also on the backburner for the time being<\/strong>. The ACT wants to give as many first-time test takers the ability to test before rolling out section retesting. So stay tuned for updates on this front!<\/p>\n

    The good news is that ACT says that they were very much on track to launch online testing this Fall and will be ready to do so as soon as it’s safe, ideally no later than 2021.<\/p>\n

    New Fall 2020 ACT Testing Dates<\/h3>\n

    ACT test registration<\/a> is now open for Fall 2020!<\/p>\n

    As of right now, the ACT has added 3 new ACT test dates<\/a> to the September, October, and December roster, giving you a total of 8 testing date options:<\/p>\n

    September Test Dates<\/h4>\n