ACT Goes Digital?

On May 30, the ACT published a blog post titled The ACT is Evolving, in which they announced that they are “taking steps to offer the ACT test online for test takers on national test dates.”

Their choice of the word “evolving” is apt—evolution is a slow process, and when new traits appear it takes time for them to spread through a population. The evolution the ACT is talking about here is a process that has been going on for some time now. In fact, there's a chance you have already encountered the online version of the ACT!

In 2016 the ACT introduced the option for schools who participate in state or district level school day testing to offer the ACT digitally. In September of 2018 they rolled out online testing for all international students.

The new information is that in December of 2023 there will be a handful of test centers across the US equipped to offer the online version of the ACT on the national test date as part of a limited pilot for 5,000 testers (a small fraction of the students who will test that weekend). They plan to increase the number of test centers that can offer the online version of the test, and the number of available testing slots, throughout 2024.

Key takeaways

• The online ACT is not new. The only thing that is new is that a small fraction of American students will have the option to take it on national test dates starting in December, with that opportunity growing throughout the year next year. Applerouth already has an on-demand online practice ACT if you want to try out how it feels to take the test online.
• Unlike new digital SAT, which is a complete overhaul of the test, the online ACT really is just a digital version of the same paper test. There are obviously small differences in the experience, which we have outlined for international students previously, but almost all preparation you have done for the paper ACT will apply to the online test as well.
• The ACT has stated that their goal is to “provide students with choice, flexibility, and accessibility.” At least for now, they plan to continue offering the paper test alongside the online version, even at American test centers that have been equipped for online testing. Starting in late July, when you register you will be given two options for testing format: Computer and Paper. You will have to choose which version you want to take before you choose your test center. If it appears that there are no available test centers (which will be the case for most students for the computer version in December), try the other version!

Regardless of which ACT version you choose, Applerouth is here to help you achieve your best. You might even end up enjoying it!

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