I have a S26 who is considering taking the Feb ACT. He needs to decide TODAY! He had planned to wait to take it until summer when he’d have more prep time, but the key provided after the Feb exam makes it more appealing. But given that the science section will become optional in April, should he opt to take the science section now or not? What will that mean for future superscoring? Any word on whether colleges will require science
for the Class of 26- the last list I saw showed a lot of colleges still silent on that topic.
I encourage him to take the ACT with science. Big Changes to the ACT Coming in Spring
IMO, it’s too early to handicap what the college policies will be.
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Frankly, I wouldn’t bother taking the Feb ACT at this point. The April ACT is going to be easier and less stressful. See link provided by @Mwfan1921
The current test is a marathon and is MUCH longer than the revised test coming in April. Science is not optional in Feb. Has your kid had time to prep? There is zero point in taking this test as a dry run, IMO. It’s so long.
The content will be the same, just less of it. Science is optional, but I think any kid planning to aim high, or any kid aiming for STEM, should probably take the Science section.
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Re super scoring on new test.
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Thank you all for the feedback! I think the only reason he was looking at taking it in Feb was for the Q&A key. The ACT site says Feb is the last key for the year. When does the year end for them? Will the ACT really not have a key available with the June or July tests?
Also, I am confused about the change in length. I get that the lengths will change for the individual sections, but unless I am missing something it seems like the total time is similar - 2hrs 55 min for the curent ACT with science and 2 hrs 45 mins for the new ACT including science. Do I have that right?
Yes. New ACT is only 10 mins shorter than current one (called classic), if the student takes all 4 sections.
But, there will be more time per question:
Graphics from the compass prep link I posted above.
For comparison, digital SAT is 2 hours 14 mins.
The key is that there are many fewer questions overall.
Current English, 75: new, 50.
Current Reading, 40: new, 36.
Current Math, 60: new, 45
Science will remain 40 questions, but with an extra 5 minutes.
Thank you for asking and for all the helpful answers. We had similar questions and this makes our decision so much easier!
If your kid is a good test taker and doesn’t mind the extra time, I think it only helps to have a strong Science score; my second kid thought the Science section was intuitive/easy.
My first kid hates testing and would absolutely have skipped Science if that had been an option.
The one downside to the Science section is that the curve has historically been pretty harsh; missing a single question often = 34…which is a great score! But the other sections are a little more forgiving.
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The official ACT study guide has six offical tests, with answers. Does he have that? Plus ACT publishes one test with answers free, online.
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Thank you, all - lots of good info. He is going to hold off on the ACT for now. His schedule is packed, so little time for prep, and he needs to prep for the SAT in March. He had a 225 index on the fall PSAT, so hopefully,
that bodes well for the SAT.
With fewer questions on the ACT, is the thought that the questions will be harder?
The questions for the April test appear to be exactly the same as the current format, but for the verbal sections, there will now always be a question stem. Currently, there may be no question stem at all for some English questions.
Hello, everyone. I am going to resurrect this thread to ask a few related questions.
By way of background, my D had terrible testing conditions during her in-school test due to ACT server capacity issues. She completed her exam but was in the testing room for 9 hours. The ACT (with science, essay, and 50% extended time) was already scheduled to last 6 hours, but the technical issues resulted in a very late start. Although they added a 20 minute lunch break (given at 3:10 pm), it was a grueling day with little food/drink and lots of ancillary stress (e.g., the test went well past the end of the school day so students were lined up during the break to use the proctor’s phone to call parents, coaches, workplaces to let them know they would be missing games, practices, work, etc. as the test pushed into late afternoon…)
As a result of the technical difficulties, and without seeing their score, students were given the option of either voiding their ACT and re-testing, or keeping it with no re-take. My D has decided to keep her test, see her score, and re-take it on her own in June or July. However, given the length of the last exam, she is a bit skittish; she wants to keep this exam shorter so she can stay focused. We will definitely drop the essay, but are not sure what to do about science. She is interested in a STEM major, maybe nursing.
Initially, I was thinking she should drop science and keep it short and sweet (after all, the SAT has no science). But this thread is making me reconsider. Is it still everyone’s advice to take science??
AIso, the initial post suggested there is a list of schools that want the science section. Can someone please point me towards that list?
Thanks