Major Changes Coming To College Admissions Test, Students Will Get To Redo Parts Of ACT, Build Super Scores
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The ACT has never changed in its 60-year history, but it will soon be switching things up for college hopefuls – giving them more chances to build their scores.
Not everyone is pleased about the timing of this historic adjustment.
"Students should be able to redo it if they think they did a bad job," Fort Lee High School freshman Alexander Lopez said.
On Tuesday, ACT officials announcing major policy changes to the college admission test. Soon, students will be able to take them online, compile their best sections from different tests to make a super score, and even retake one section of the test they did poorly on – without having to repeat the entire exam.
"Every child is anxious especially it's a test, so I'm hoping it will be helpful," parent Amy Derbentli said.
"Since they have a second chance, they have a good chance at joining college," sophomore Jose Venitz added.
The test is broken up into four sections and lasts about three hours. Since the adjustments take effect in September of 2020, many seniors who just submitted their scores to colleges now feel cheated.
"I studied for that test for two years," Fort Lee senior Alicia Sohn said.
"It's not fair for the people in the past who have studied so much for these four sections, to take them at the same time," senior Carlos Ferreires explained.
"I would have loved to restart one of my sections and get a better score," Michelle Dominguez told CBS2.
About two million students took the ACT last year in the U.S.
"Standardized testing is still a big piece of the college admission process," Bari Norman, a counselor at Expert Admissions said.
Norman warns these changes may not be in everyone's favor.
"You might have some choices based on these new changes, but what really is going to determine if they're available to you is, what schools are you applying to and how to be anticipate how they will react to it."
Policies may have changed but the anticipation of waiting on college acceptances notices probably never will.
The ACT's rival is the College Board's famous SAT exam.
Some colleges accept either test. Students are usually allowed to send results from both.
