Students will soon be able to retake individual portions of the ACT

GLASGOW Ky.-Read each question carefully. Use logic on difficult questions. Pace yourself. Easier said than done, especially when talking about the ACT test.

The American College Test commonly known as the ACT is a timed test that is split into four sections; English, math, reading, and science. After September of 2020, students wishing to improve their scores in any of those subjects will be able to do so in any of the individual portions rather than re-taking all of the sections at once.

“It’s a godsend that they’re going to be able to come in and just take that one section that they’ve been struggling with instead of having to focus on all four sections. That way, they can focus their energy on that one section that’s been causing them issues,” Glasgow guidance counselor Lori Siebold said.

Most colleges use ACT scores for scholarships, though Western Kentucky University has recently made the decision not to.

“We made the change at WKU not to require the ACT for most of our scholarships because of this. It doesn’t really predict much in terms of success,” said university president Timothy Caboni.

For those colleges that do, students who have retaken the ACT said it’s just as unbearable as the first.

“Your kind of too tired to perform exceptionally, so your composite score will go down and that will jeopardize your composite score,” said Glasgow High School Senior Lauren Witt.

“It’s just the time and everything like the anxiety. The test isn’t that bad, but all the aspects that go along with it,” said Glasgow High School senior Saba Mir.

“Three sections were really good, and I had one that was really bad. Basically, my composite was lower than I expected even though I studied really well,” said Glasgow High School senior Juliana Bastien.

School officials said taking individual portions of the test will allow students to slow down and not have to race to the finish.