Is the ACT moving to a digital test?
In the months before the COVID-19 pandemic, ACT announced plans to offer an online test (see my 2019 blog post for more information) along with online, single-section retests. While ACT still has not rolled out single-section retakes (and won’t for some time), they have released a full Computer Based Test. While it seems that the computer-based version of the ACT may be the trend of the future, the transition to this format has been slow, and most tests are still being given in the original pencil and paper format.
The online version of the ACT is a Computer Based Test (or CBT). A Computer Based Test is simply an online version of the same test students take with pencil and paper. (A CBT is different from a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), which adjusts the questions students see based on their performance in a prior section). The ACT’s CBT is identical in length, format, and question type as to the paper version, and the questions cover the same content.
Although ACT now has a functional computer based version, its use is currently limited. International students use the CBT exclusively, however, and no longer have the option of taking a paper test. Some US high schools are administering CBT tests on required school wide ACT test days. However, tests given on Saturday national testing days remain paper and pencil only; students who register for the ACT as individuals are not given the option of taking the ACT CBT.
If you are curious about the ACT CBT, ACT offers a practice CBT online at ACT.org, although students must create an account to access the sample. As mentioned above, the question formats and instructions are identical to a paper copy of the test. During administration of a CBT, students will receive either scratch paper or a whiteboard to use for figuring out answers to math questions. As with the written test, these materials are provided by the school or testing site and collected at the end of the test. The ACT CBT offers students helpful onscreen tools including a highlighter function, the ability to mark and review questions from anywhere in a test section, and others.
It is reasonable to assume that eventually ACT will migrate to using the CBT more frequently, if not exclusively. However, this has been slow, and a full format conversion will not likely happen quickly. Right now, ACT prep looks very similar for students taking either test, but those who know they will be taking the CBT should at a minimum familiarize themselves with the online test tools to maximize their performance on that test.