Upon hearing that the results of the Enhanced ACT were bringing out conflicting reactions, a tutor told us, “You know, this reminds me of Taylor Swift’s 2010 hit Innocent.
One of its lines captures the resilient spirit of the high school students preparing for the ACT: “Today is never too late to be brand new.“
Sure, the new ACT requires you to rethink a number of things. If anything you’ve heard about the Enhanced ACT made you feel a little anxious, relax. It’s perfectly normal to be anxious about something that’s important to you.
In this post, we look at the difference between what was expected from the test and what was delivered.
We also spoke to students who took the Enhanced ACT and tutors. We examine how to best prepare for the test and bring in some expert tips on how to navigate through the Enhanced ACT.
But first, a little about the Enhanced ACT.
The Enhanced ACT is a newer, digital version of the traditional ACT that has three major changes, among other small changes: it has fewer questions, is shorter in terms of time, and has changed the number of compulsory sections. It’s designed to give students more flexibility and clarity in showcasing their academic strengths.
Looking for a more detailed understanding of the format of the test? Here is a great resource on the new ACT; be sure to check it out.
Because we spoke to a number of people, we’re putting aside for a moment what only a couple of test-takers mentioned. Here are the three high-level impressions of the Enhanced ACT that were shared by most of the ACT-takers.
The test format and the interface were exactly like the ones you get to experience on the official ACT website. We are proud to say that EdisonOS is one of the first to recreate the test experience. Why not give your students a mock, practice ACT test by signing up here?
The passage for the reading questions was noticeably shorter. However, as expected, the questions were more focused. That is hardly surprising, because if shorter questions were less intensive, they’d become easier, thereby diluting the ACT.
The opinion was a little divided here, but many test-takers say they found the Math questions slightly difficult. This may have happened, in part, because the test covered nearly every variety. We’ll return to this in our detailed analysis.
Many of the top-level elements of the ACT have been kept unchanged. They are:
There are some changes that can be easily pointed out and explained. Other changes aren’t that straightforward. And if we go by the test-takers’ opinion, some of these differences are subjective, which means not all students may experience them.
Here is a brief summary of how the Enhanced ACT is different from the traditional ACT.
English, Math, and Reading are the only compulsory sections. Science, which was earlier compulsory, is now optional.
There will be a total of 131 questions across the three sections - 44 fewer than the traditional ACT.
The Enhanced ACT is shorter, but because there are fewer questions, on average, you now get more time per question than before.
The number of answer choices has been reduced to four from five.
We’re starting with something that’s certainly not the most important, but it was so common we thought it should be mentioned first.
A student who also took the Science section received the following scores:
The student expected a composite score of 28 because the average of all four sections is 27.75. However, under the Enhanced ACT, the composite is based only on English, Math, and Reading. Since Science is now optional, the correct average is (28 + 26 + 26) / 3 = 26.66, rounded to 27.
The real lesson here is not that the Science section doesn’t count in your composite score. The important lesson, as you noticed above, is how it will impact your composite score now (we discuss it in detail in the section “A short note on ACT composite scores” a little later in this article).
Time to drill down to the finer details.
Overall, the English section in the Enhanced ACT felt nearly identical to previous versions.
When testing for grammar, the instructions are short: Which choice is the most grammatically acceptable? Grammar featured subject-verb agreement and degrees of comparison questions, which have long been a feature of tests like the ACT.
Just like before, experimental or field-test items were not easily distinguishable.
The Math was slightly more difficult than expected, even if you discount the experimental questions. That’s a clear message for tutors helping ACT-aspirants and the students themselves: you need to re-pivot your math prep.
For example, some students encountered a few questions from statistics that have almost never been covered before: regression analysis, for instance. Regression is associated with SAT, but not with the ACT.
Secondly, the ACT may use less familiar phrasing, such as systems of equations vs. simultaneous equations. This may be a little overwhelming for students who were tutored on a very narrow range of questions.
And lastly, even for a seasoned ACT tutor, the Math of the Enhanced ACT wasn’t all that easy. It may be because the difficulty distribution was a little unusual. By the time students reached the 5th or 6th question, most of them began to sense the section was a little more challenging than they had anticipated.
You could still find those common, popular question types, like where you’re asked about the central idea of the passage. And some (but not many) questions were difficult.
Also, the passages were shorter than the legacy ACT. That’s a big relief, because you can imagine the difficulty of scrolling up and down a lengthy passage just to find what you’re looking for.
In case you see a passage that covers two or more questions, remember that any annotation or highlighting you’ve marked for one question will disappear in the next. Also, digital note-taking is not possible. So if you read something important, feel free to note it in the paper. Remember, you will have a scrap paper all through your test.
Previously, the ACT composite score was the average of the four section scores, rounded off to the nearest whole number. The average could end in only one of four values:.00, .25, .50, or .75. So there was a 50-50 chance you'd benefit from rounding off. For example, both 25.00 and 25.25 would round off to 25, while 25.50 and 25.75 would round off to 26.
With the new ACT, the composite is still calculated by averaging the section scores, but now there are only three sections. This means the average can end in only three decimal values: .00, .33, or .66. As a result, 25.00 and 25.33 round off to 25, while only 25.66 rounds off to 26. This reduces the chance of benefiting, because only in one case out of three can you end up with a slightly higher score.
The tests were scored and processed in a random order. So not everyone received their scores at the same time. In response to the queries on score delays, the ACT Corporation clearly said, "They are scored randomly, and scores are released as they become available during our normal business hours, which are M-F 8 am-5 pm Central."
While the Enhanced ACT was held on April 5, scores didn’t begin to arrive till the first week of May. During this period, some test-takers contacted the ACT for clarification. The ACT reps said the scores would be reported between 4 and 8 weeks from the test. However, in the age of digital tests, some felt this delay was a bit unusual. In online forums, there were some speculations on curving the ACT scores because the scores might turn out to be too low or too high than expected.
First, look for an experienced tutor, because the new digital ACT has many similarities with the earlier one. And two, be sure to understand how your tutor will use practice tests to help you score better. Your scores on those tests will help your tutor understand you better and tutor you with a personalized plan, so any random testing platform will be of little use. And finally, make sure you get enough digital practice with questions that accurately reflect the actual ACT.
The general consensus seems to be that the language sections (English and Reading) were easier, while Math was a little more difficult.
Most test-takers, including tutors who also took the test, agreed that Math was on the difficult side. A few questions used slightly different terminologies that made the questions unusual. Also, the timing alerts weren’t noticeable, so it was easy to miss them. On the other hand, questions on traditional grammar and rhetorical skills were familiar. Finally, almost no one we spoke to said they had run out of time, so we concluded that the test wasn’t lengthy, per se.
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