Students should look for big changes coming to the ACT in 2015 as ACT, the producer of the college readiness assessment, brings the exam up to date. The changes will bring ACT more in line with the goals of colleges and universities who want to attract students better prepared for today’s college curriculum, and with the trends in business and the economy where students will need skills that reflect technology and other modern trends.
Currently, ACT scores are calculated in points for correct answers on the Math, English, Science, and Reading sections (1 point per correct answer, 0 points for incorrect ones), while the writing assessment is scored by two separate readers, collaborating to obtain a score between 2 and 12.
Now, all that will change. New scoring procedures will include a score to assess STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). This, along with a new method of scoring the English language segment, are intended to measure more relevant career readiness factors as well as reading comprehension geared toward preparation for college level reading assignments.
The new scoring assessment for the ACT will also focus on more relevant topics in its questions and essay prompts for today’s students, such as asking students to argue for or against a school’s dress code in a persuasive, timed essay format.
The changes have been made without completely overhauling the ACT’s general format, and it retains the four individual portions of English, Math, Reading, and Science, but now grading them on a 1-36 scale rather than the point-per-question approach.
All of these changes to the ACT scoring go toward streamlining the standardized test process for students, and better preparing them for the real world once they graduate. Z! Prep tutoring can help you navigate the upcoming changes and be well prepared for your ACT exam. Contact us today for more information and begin preparing for your 2015 standardized testing!
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