Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


ACT Intros Online Test Taking Option

  • By Sara Friedman
  • 10/08/19

With more colleges and universities making ACT and SAT scores optional, ACT is making changes to provide students with more flexibility in terms of how to take the test and get the best possible results. For the first time, students will have the option of online or paper testing at national test days at select ACT test centers.

Online testing will allow students to get their test scores in two days.  The traditional paper testing results come in about two weeks.

ACT is also giving students who have already taken the test the ability to retake individual sections again.  The ACT is split up into four sections (English, math, science and reading) and an optional writing test.

When students take the ACT more than once, they will get a "superscore." This new measurement will give colleges the option of using a student's best scores from all test administrations, rather than just using one test sitting.

"Our research shows that ACT scores for students who take individual section tests are consistent with those earned when they take the entire test. We are simply offering new ways to take the ACT, saving students time and giving them the ability to focus only on subject areas needing improvement," said Suzana Delanghe, ACT chief commercial officer.

All of the new options will become available on the ACT national test date in September 2020.

More information about the changes can be found on ACT's website.

About the Author

Sara Friedman is a reporter/producer for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe covering education policy and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics.

Friedman is a graduate of Ithaca College, where she studied journalism, politics and international communications.

Friedman can be contacted at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @SaraEFriedman.

Click here for previous articles by Friedman.


Featured

  • digital graph

    Building Genuinely Data-Informed School Districts

    Schools today generate enormous amounts of data. The difference between collecting it and using it effectively often comes down to quality, access, and context.

  • Neon blue security locks with a single red highlight

    With AI, Cybersecurity Focus Shifts from Finding Flaws to Fixing Them

    For decades, one of cybersecurity's biggest challenges has been finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. A growing number of security professionals now say artificial intelligence is changing that equation, shifting the focus from discovering flaws to fixing them quickly enough to prevent exploitation.

  • Top View Shot in Elementary School Computer Science Classroom

    Education's Top 5 Technology Priorities and the Challenges Standing in the Way

    Cybersecurity ranks as the No. 1 priority for education technology leaders in the United States, according to the latest State of Ed Tech report from CoSN, yet insufficient cybersecurity staffing and the lack of a dedicated budget are key barriers.

  • Engineering team implements digital guardrails on AI

    3 Starting Points for Integrating AI Guardrails in K-12 Districts

    As education leaders start to craft an AI policy that is both practical and flexible enough to evolve with this fast-changing technology, there is at least one principle that should be foundational: AI should serve to augment human critical thinking and creativity but never replace human interaction and decision-making.