The ACT, a standard state mandated test for juniors in high school that reflects on a school’s education, was recently modified. The ACT or the American College Test, is meant to be a reflection of a student’s general education, and due to these changes, Bellevue East teachers are now putting more emphasis on studying and preparing for the test in classes.

The assessment will take place in March, and there will be many changes implemented. Some of these include shortening the test by taking off over forty questions, and giving students more time per question.

“The extra time is a reaction to us being in a different place and students don’t have the ability to focus that they used to,” English instructor David Bossman said. “And yeah, I do think the stretching of time was probably necessary.”

With cutting out over forty questions on the upcoming ACT tests, students are given more time per question to find the answers. This has largely been a result of the recent drop in scores since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Once COVID happened, colleges and universities placed less emphasis on ACT scores as an entrance requirement,” administrator Susan Jensen said. “Therefore, student motivation to prepare for or perform on the ACT may have decreased.“

According to senior Isabella Jaskot, she was given extra time on the actual ACT due to her 504, a civil rights law that ensures students with disabilities can get accommodations. This addition in time caused her score to jump up seven points.

“I think they were extremely unrealistic for the time constraints, because a lot of the questions are actually easy to answer, but only if you’re given enough time to look through it and interpret it,” Jaskot said.

Many teachers at Bellevue East have noticed the scores dropping, and have decided that these changes will overall benefit the students. Students and teachers have varying opinions on how to study and tips for the test, but most say to keep calm and work through the problems.

“I’d say don’t stress, and when you look at the clock too much, you end up wasting more time worrying about the time than you do solving the questions,” Jaskot said.

There are many different ways to practice for the ACT and many different testing strategies. The ACT website has lots of information to help students, including listing strategies like pacing yourself and answering every question, that can help students succeed.

“Students should familiarize themselves with the structure of the ACT, do their best on the preparation activities done in the classroom setting, take the practice test seriously, and participate in online practice tests available through ACT.org,” Jensen said.