Are Your Students Looking to Take the Online ACT®? Know the Facts, First
Waaaaay back in 2018 (when a modern pandemic was only a premise for fictional end-of-the-world books and movies, and mortgage prices were under 5% …), we called #FakeNews on misinformation that ACT was rolling out a computer-adaptive online test. In that same post, we noted that ACT did, however, have plans to offer a computer-based online test to (first) international and (then) national test takers.
Three years later, in our post Is Computer-Based Testing Still the Future for the ACT® and SAT®?, we explained:
CBT for the ACT® is not a new development; the ACT® has been piloting CBT over the past several years on a limited and controlled scale—mostly internationally and through private contracts. In fact, the ACT® has had CBT in the works since as far back as 2013, with CBT being used in a few schools as early as 2015.
Internationally, the ACT® has been utilizing CBT since 2018. In 2019, the ACT® had announced its plan to expand CBT nationwide; however, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in the works. As of 2021, however, some schools and districts are now offering the online ACT® as either a choice or the only option.
ACT has since offered computer-based ACT® tests for state and district testing. At this time, the computer-based ACT® must be administered through your students’ schools.
Investigative Journalism
In my preparation for providing our readers with the most up-to-date information, I did some sleuthing. I kept finding a lot of misinformation out there stating that the online ACT® is being administered through “certain” test centers nationwide.
This is not true.
I donned a journalist hat (it’s actually just a regular hat, really), and called ACT to make sure that I had the facts straight.
Per the representative I spoke with:
“At this time, the online ACT® is only being offered for state testing through the districts and schools that select that option. National testing through all test centers nationwide is paper-based testing only.”
— A very friendly, helpful ACT® Representative
And there you have it. The facts. Take that, #FakeNews.
Online ACT® State and District Testing
It is important to note that not all districts and schools offer the online ACT®. The CBT format must be chosen by the districts and schools. Typically, districts and schools will decide to either offer the paper-and-pencil format or the CBT format, but in some cases they may offer a choice of format.
Again, the format administered is chosen on a district- and school-level. We highly recommend advising your ACT® test takers to speak with their school counselors to find out which format their school is offering, so they can prep and plan accordingly.
Most schools (thanks, in part, to the era of remote instruction) have adopted 1:1 technology initiatives. Schools have computer labs and mobile carts filled with test-ready devices, like Chromebooks and laptops, suitable for the online ACT® and other state-mandated digital tests.
While technology access was once the largest barrier to entry for CBT initiatives, more school districts than ever are now equipped with the tools to administer tests to the majority, if not the entirety, of their student populations.
For more information on what districts and schools (nationally) require in order to administer the online ACT®, click here for ACT’s technical requirements and guides.
For more information on ACT international CBT, click here for FAQs and answers.
Why Go Digital?
There are many benefits to switching from paper-and-pencil to digital testing. Some of the most notable include:
Lower costs for test takers and administrators (think of all of the materials needed to take a pen-and-pencil test!)
More accurate scoring
Simplified test administration
Faster score reporting
Improved security
The age of paper-based testing may soon be a thing of the past. While some schools and testing centers may hang on to the pencil-and-paper model as long as they can, the truth is, it simply isn’t going to be as viable as CBT in the long run. Sure, there will likely always be students and/or institutions that require paper-based options, but this will almost certainly become the exception and not the rule. As digital testing has become more ubiquitous, the technological snafus and general resistance to the format have diminished. CBT, when it works as designed, is simply a better, more efficient way to test large numbers of students fairly, quickly, and efficiently.
For ACT® and CollegeBoard, digital testing also opens the door to new opportunities like offering multiple test versions and adaptive-testing formats. Students sitting next to each other in a testing room can wind up with totally different questions, question orders, or tests altogether.
As a result, the sharing of test questions and answers becomes a more challenging prospect. Given the negative press that comes with a cheating scandal (Varsity Blues, anyone?), both companies are hard-pressed to ignore structural changes that improve test security.
Preparing Your Clients for CBT
The best way to transition your clients from paper to digital is to use computer-based test-prep software and materials. The more practice students have using digital format, the better prepared they will be.
Familiarizing your students with online test-specific tools (like flagging questions, X-ing out answers, marking up the texts, and using a line reader or magnifier) will help them become more comfortable using those tools come test day. Be sure to model how to make the most of these digital tools throughout their practice.
At Clear Choice Prep, we’ve got what your test prep needs to prepare your clients for computer-based testing. Make sure that your test prep offers the best ACT®-prep curriculum available. We offer full-length computer-based ACT® practice tests complete with comprehensive ACT® score reports. Interested? Sign up for a free demo!
Thanks for reading! If you’re interesting in more information on this topic, check out our related posts:
Is Computer-Based Testing Still the Future for the ACT® and SAT®?
Students Need Experience with Computerized ACT® and SAT® Test Tools
We Are Ready for the All-Digital ACT® and SAT®! Are you?
As the SAT® and ACT® transition to all-digital testing, we are ready to support your tutoring business with the first and best custom-branded, fully-digital test-prep courses. Our white-label, all-digital, adaptive Digital SAT® practice tests include accurate, algorithmic scoring. This gives your tutors and clients access to the actionable data they need for tailored instruction and score optimization.
Ready to take your test prep to the cutting edge? Schedule a free demo and try it for yourself!