Beginning with the September 2020 test date, students will be able to register to take individual subject tests/sections of the ACT test, as long as they have taken the whole test once. You will still pay for these individual tests, but instead of always having to retake the entire test to try to achieve a higher composite score, you will be able to just take certain subjects/sections over. The subject tests will likely not be available at all National ACT Test sites, however, as the subject tests will only be given online.
Along with this change, students will be able to choose whether they want to take the ACT test on paper or online. This will apply to the National Test Dates. (The online choice will produce faster results, according to ACT -- as soon as 2 business days, as opposed to the 2-8 weeks it can take for the traditional paper testing.) Again, it is possible that not all sites will be able to offer both paper and online right away.
Also, ACT will offer what is called “Superscoring,” meaning, for a student who has taken the ACT Test multiple times, ACT will pull the highest Section (Subject) Scores from the multiple tests or possibly subject tests, and combine them into a new composite, which can result in a higher composite than the original composites from each test date. Colleges will have the option of using the regular scores or the Superscore.
It is unknown at this time which college/universities will accept the ACT subject tests and/or the superscoring. As a student perusing colleges and having to make decisions on what tests to take, always be sure to consult the college(s) in which you have an interest to see if they will be accepting these new testing options.
For more information and greater detail, go to: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/more-choices-for-the-act-sept-2020.html. ( Some information for this blog was taken from this site.)
Mary Joan - NW Iowa ICAN Student Success Advisor
