Revealed Preferences and the Optional ACT Science Section

There are a lot of nice features to the new ACT, but the rollout of the new test has been fraught with confusion: no actual practice tests were delivered to the public before the first new ACT was given to students in April, families were unsure when the new ACT was rolling out because it does so at different times depending on the chosen format (the digital format ACT became the new ACT in April; the paper format ACT becomes the new ACT in September), families are unsure how colleges will use the Science section given that it will be optional to take on the new ACT (and most colleges themselves are unsure how or if they’ll use that section in the fall), and no one yet knows exactly what composite and superscoring with or without the Science section will look like in the Common App).

As much as it’s possible to do at this point, let’s dispel that confusion. Let’s start with the silver lining of greater transparency from some colleges first.

Silver Linings

Anything that provides more transparency to the college admissions process is always welcome. Surprisingly, giving students the option of whether or not to take the ACT Science section has already provided more transparency at some colleges through “revealed preferences.”

Edison Prep did a great job reaching out to the admissions offices at over 200 universities and tracking their ACT Science section policies.

Of the surveyed test-optional colleges, 23% recommend or require the “optional” ACT Science section score.

For instance, Boston University is test-optional. Except, not for the ACT Science section. If a student submits an ACT score, then they must report a Science score with that ACT score as well.

At first, this makes absolutely no sense. Why would a college that essentially says “Whether you submit an SAT/ACT score or not, you will not be disadvantaged” require that if you do submit an ACT score then you must submit all four ACT section scores — including the section score that it’s optional to take?

Good SAT and ACT scores give students an advantage, even at test-optional schools — not just for getting in but also for affording college with more merit aid and scholarships.

But, still, a lot of people take colleges at their word that students without test scores will not be disadvantaged. At any selective college, of course they will be. Colleges first have to answer the question, “Can this student succeed academically here?” They have to answer that question through evidence, and SAT and ACT scores provide significant evidence to help answer that question. (In fact, the latest research shows that SAT and ACT scores are 3.9 times better at predicting a student’s success than high school grades.) Colleges lacking that evidence through an SAT or ACT score have to look elsewhere. Grades can be helpful, but they are also rampantly inflated. Even grades in AP courses do not automatically signal mastery of the subject — which is why more and more selective colleges expect to see an AP exam score for every AP course listed on a transcript (and Caltech even requires that students submit their AP exam scores).

Test-optional colleges that recommend or require an ACT Science score are just giving additional information about how much they value test scores: they don’t just want 3 out of 4 ACT section scores. They want them all. That doesn’t sound very optional because, in fact, test scores are not very optional if you actually want to get admitted to a selective college. But those colleges are very happy to keep test scores optional for you to apply, so that they get more applicants, their admit rate goes down, and they appear more selective.

Consider the verbal statements made in a few state university board meetings:

• James Ryan, President of the University of Virginia: “It is absolutely the case that there is independent predictive value with standardized tests above and beyond GPA and other elements that we look to in applications… [but] there would be a competitive disadvantage that would be especially true of recruited student-athletes” if UVA went back to test-required admissions.”
• UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Governor Gene Davis said likewise in defending test-optional admissions: “Do we want to put ourselves as a university system at a competitive disadvantage?”
• The University of Iowa Board of Regent David Barker said that he reluctantly voted for test-optional admissions in order to “stay competitive with other universities.”

A lot of colleges are solely staying test-optional because other colleges are staying test-optional, and they don’t want those other colleges to out-compete them in applicants.

But, otherwise, they would require test scores. They’re test-optional and not test-blind because they value test scores, and the recommendation or requirement to submit an ACT Science section score even to “test-optional” universities is just further evidence of that.

Dispelling Confusion

Ok, so the additional mix of test-optional or test-required ACT Science section policies has introduced more complexity. But, at least it has given more transparency: a lot of these test-optional colleges have tipped their hand even more that they really value test scores.

Great. So what should you know and do?

• If a student’s Science section score is significantly bringing down their composite score, then likely get rid of the Science section score. Take the digital ACT in June and July. The digital ACT’s composite score is only comprised of the English, Math, and Reading sections, so getting rid of the Science section score (as long as they perform as well as they did in the past on English, Math, and Reading) will boost their composite score. Exception: If all the colleges on a student’s list superscore the ACT (take the highest section scores from any test dates to make a new composite superscore from those), then there’s no reason to take the digital ACT to drop the Science from the composite because those colleges use a superscore regardless (whether they will use the Science in the superscore in the next admissions cycle is unclear, but the vast majority of colleges likely will not include the ACT Science section in the superscore because the ACT itself will not be including the Science section in students’ superscores).
• Still take the Science section at least once. For those colleges that recommend or require an ACT Science score, you should have one. Students can still take the ACT Science section on the digital ACT — they just have the option not to take it. I still would. If they do well, that’s great. If they don’t, then that’s not too bad because the ACT Science section is now the least important section of the test. Still try to get that score up, but put more effort into the English, Math, and Reading sections that — for all students — will comprise their superscore.
• As just mentioned, the ACT superscore will, starting in September, solely be comprised of the English, Math, and Reading sections — the ACT Science section score will be a stand-alone score (like the score for the ACT essay, which no one needs to take).
• Starting in September, the paper format of the ACT will also become the new ACT (so students will get more time per question, and the Science section will be optional to take — but, again, still take it at least once).

It would have been nice if the ACT had rolled out the new version of the ACT simultaneously to the digital and paper formats. That would have helped. But, this is temporary. In September, both formats will be the new ACT (with the optional Science section), and colleges will adapt accordingly. Most likely, the ACT Science section will continue to decline in importance, just as the optional ACT essay did as well.

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