Hello all. I’ve been working with a tutor twice a week for the past month, and as I’ve taken my practice tests, I’ve noticed something.
Practice test #1 composite: 28
E: 30 (69/75 questions)
M: 24 (38/60)
R: 31 (36/40)
S: 25 (31/40)
Practice test #2 composite: 29
E: 32 (69/75)
M: 27 (43/60)
R: 30 (33/40)
S: 26 (33/40)
Practice test #3 composite: 28
E: 32 (69/75)
M: 25 (42/60)
R: 28 (33/40)
S: 25 (28/40)
Practice test #4 composite: 27
E: 32 (69/75)
M: 24 (40/60)
R: 26 (30/40)
S: 26 (28/40)
Looking at the breakdown, I’m confused. For test 1 English I got a 30 subscore but for all the others I got a 32, even though I got the same amount wrong every time. On test 2 math I got a 27 subscore, but on test 3 math, I got a 25, even though there was only a 1 point difference between the two. I’ve also noticed that some math tests are more geometry based, and some reading tests are more vocab based than comprehension. Some science tests have very difficult graphs while some have very easy graphs.
Whats up with this? Does this mean that ACT releases tests that vary in difficulty? Did I get a 27 subscore on one math because it was harder and they gave a more generous curve? If they DO release varying difficulty tests, how is that fair to the test takers?
This is making me very nervous for tomorrow’s test. Based on these practice tests I could score anywhere between a 27 and a 29, and I need a 29. If ACT truly does release these varying tests, is there any way to know which one tomorrow’s will be? For example, in the past, have fall tests been easier than spring tests, or vice versa? Based on that, Is tomorrow’s test going to be harder than tests that have been taken previously this year?? Really stressing out about this!
Also if anyone has any tips on how to relieve test anxiety, I’m desperate :((
Act and SAT do not release tests of varying difficulty, but do change the questions from sitting to sitting so students do not have the opportunity to learn information from one test to the next. I assume if you are wondering whether you would get a version you had taken previously. If that is the case, I suspect you, and lots of other students, retaking the test, would have studied the questions they missed and then expect a higher score. That’s unfair to persons who are taking the exam for the first time.That is why the testing agencies change tests each time.
As far as your scores…If you look at the scores for each area, you find that there is consistency from test to test. For example, your composite scores are 27, 28, 28 and 29. There are narrow ranges for each academic area. A narrow range of scores from version to version is absolutely expected. The SAT and ACT measure overall preparation for college and do that reliably as demonstrated by consistency in scores.
If you developed a test of college preparation that reflected what you learned in three or four years, how many possible questions could you write to cover clearly and thoroughly your range of knowledge? Thousands+! Nobody would sit exam with your multi-thousand test items.
You want a realistic number of items in your test. However, you want scores to be consistent from sitting to sitting, meaning each student will earn a score that is comparable to his or her scores from time to time. Items are selected from scads of potential items to result in composite scores that are comparable. God bless statistics!!!
Because of our unique profiles of what we know and how well we know it, some tests will seem harder because items are included in areas that you feel insecure or, conversely, you consider strong. My ideal test would probably differ from yours, but that’s OK because we individually score within a narrow range in each area and cumulatively.
There is simply no reason to stress out because the you have no control over item selection. You might encounter my favorite test items and I could get yours, but that’s life. You’ll get the current version of the test and should expect to earn about the same scores, irrespective of your opinion about the relative difficulty for you of particular items or groups of items.
@zannah I thought that tests did range in difficulty. Of course they compensate for difficulty in the scaling of the scoring. Is it true that all the tests are “equally difficult” and if so, why do scales change from test to test.
