The ACT has announced that it will allow students to retake sections of the test individually starting in September 2020.
The ACT said the change better accommodates the needs of students taking the test.
“We’re trying to save them time. We’re trying to save them money,” Ed Colby, ACT’s Senior Director of media relations, stated.
The change has incited some controversy, with some alleging that it will further benefit privileged students and inflate scores overall.
“The ability to customize test results in this way could make test prep even more important than it is now, disadvantaging those who cannot afford it or are not advised to seek it out,” Anemona Hartocollis, an education correspondent for The New York Times, opined.
Chapel Hill students have expressed mixed opinions about the change.
“I don’t believe that the change is beneficial in any way. It will lower the value of a high ACT score, as obtaining [it] will be easier since you won’t have to deal with the endurance aspect of the test,” senior Can Kilic said. “All that is needed now is a mastering of one subject at a time.”
Specifics about the change remain unclear, such as whether colleges will consider if the student took multiple section tests when evaluating test scores. Additionally, the ACT has yet to announce the pricing of individual section tests.
“I think it will probably give an advantage to kids with more money to spend on retests, who can retake and retake until they get it right,” junior Cameron Pehlivanzade said. “It seems like it could be unfair.”
The change comes at a time when many universities are moving away from standardized test scores, allowing applicants to choose not to submit their scores.
Junior Ava Lea thinks the change will elevate the scores of many students taking the test.
“I think being able to retake parts of the test will benefit us students, as we’ll be able to focus on certain parts we didn’t do as well on,” she said.
The ACT will also allow students to take the test online, something that was previously only an option for school-administered tests and international testers.
“It’s all about what works for [students] individually,” Colby said.
The results of the online test can be delivered in just two business days, as opposed to the two to four weeks it takes to grade the pencil and paper tests.
