High school students taking the ACT test this spring might have a slightly easier time with the college entrance exam.
The nonprofit that oversees the admissions test has announced a pair of changes on the way: Reducing the length of the test by as much as an hour and making the science portion of the test optional.
“With this flexibility, students can focus on their strengths and showcase their abilities in the best possible way,” CEO Janet Godwin wrote in a blog post.
English, reading and math will remain core components of the ACT, which is an alternative to the SAT test for prospective college students. Students will now have the option to take the ACT (which focuses just on those skills), the ACT plus science, the ACT plus writing, or the ACT plus science and writing. (Writing was made an optional component of the ACT some years ago.) Regardless of which they choose, the composite score will be the average of the English, reading and math scores.
Additionally, Godwin announced that the core test will now last just two hours, compared to three hours currently. That will mean shorter passages in the reading and English sections and 44 fewer total questions. The reduced number will allow students to “answer each question thoughtfully” and “perform at their best without the fatigue that often accompanies longer exams,” the group said.
The updated tests will begin to be administered in the spring of 2025 for national online testing and in-school testing the following year.
“For more than 65 years, ACT has embraced innovation, and we are focused forward on delivering our vision to transform college and career readiness pathways so that everyone can discover and fulfill their potential,” wrote Godwin.
The moves follow changes made to the SAT, which also was shortened by one-third earlier this year and made into a fully digital test.
ACT scores have been falling, possibly a result of the disruption of the educational process due to the pandemic. The class of 2023 had an average composite score of 19.5 out of 36, down from 19.8 by the 2022 graduating class, the group reported last October. More than four in 10 seniors met none of the college readiness benchmarks.