It’s that time of year again, as seniors scramble to accomplish their graduation goals, attain credits, and submit admissions to their dream colleges and universities. The pressure is also on to do well on standardized tests used to gauge student capabilities before they become accepted. These tests are the SAT and the ACT, both of which are taken by many students throughout the nation. However, the ACT may soon become a more popular option among students. This is a result of a recent advancement within the test that will allow students to schedule a retake of a section of the exam in order to try and improve upon a score that they feel was poor, or simply wish to improve upon to help balance themselves out.
An online article written by Anemona Hartocollis of the New York Times details this particular advancement, “Officials at ACT, which makes the exam, said on Tuesday that starting next September, students who want to improve their scores would be able to retake single sections of the five-part test.” The reasoning for this advancement is rather simple when explained by Ed Colby, one of the spokespersons for the ACT, “We’re trying to save them time. We’re trying to save them money.”
The idea is that the advancement will work to the overall improvement of the testing process, as well as help the ACT gain a competitive advantage over its primary rival, the SAT. According to the article, “Several experts said the ACT announcement would put pressure on the College Board to make similar changes to the SAT.”
Head Counselor Salvador Garcia commented positively on this development on the ACT, “I think it could be good, say you just need to retake the math portion. You would go in, take the section, and then leave.” He then compares this to the process one would have to take in the case of the SAT, “Let’s say you took the SAT and got a good score, but you didn’t take the essay and later you realize you want to take the essay, you have to take another test, go through both math and English sections, then take the essay.”
To also gauge student opinion on the matter, Junior Mariyah Miller was interviewed on the matter and how it would affect her plans for attending college. When asked about which tests she plans on taking for admittance, she explained, “I plan on taking both tests, but if I had to only choose one, I would take the SAT.” When explained how she would be able to retake any section of the ACT to improve her score, compared to taking the entire test for the SAT, the opinion was promptly changed. “In that case I would most likely take the ACT rather than the SAT”, and she continues with “I’d only take the ACT in that case”, commenting that it would overall be easier to do for her.
Overall, these advancements may very well result in a greater number of students taking this newer ACT. With the advantage of being able to redo whichever section you feel needs the most improvement, it is likely that more students will decide simply taking the ACT and then doing a retake is a more efficient option than to take something like the SAT all over again just to improve one particular score or include an addition like the essay.

These changes are likely to prompt the SAT to do something similar in the near future, resulting in an improved testing process that many students will likely appreciate.