ACT Newsroom & Blog

Three new national test dates added; Eight dates available for fall testing

Learning from June Testing

This past weekend, we held our June ACT test. It was by no means a “normal” test experience for students or test center staff. Not all test centers were open, and those that were, underwent extra precautionary steps to social distance and adhere to CDC guidelines. All things considered, a large number of students were still able to safely test in 45 states across the US.

With the June 13 test behind us, we are experienced in testing in a socially distanced environment. We’re learning from the challenges this environment creates and listening to customer feedback to improve our process for communicating updates.

Watch the video below from ACT CEO Janet Godwin to learn how we followed CDC guidelines for a safe testing experience and how we will continue to offer safe opportunities to test as we build capacity for our July 18 national test date.

Our Commitment to July and Fall 2020 Testing

We remain committed to delivering students safe opportunities to test and will continue forward with our plans to administer a July 18 test administration. Testing will only take place in test sites deemed safe, and in accordance with CDC and local government essential business guidelines.

As more states and communities begin to “open up” in the coming weeks, we anticipate, and are preparing for, greater testing capacity for July 18 testing. We are working with state-level officials, as well as test centers around the globe, and have asked them to provide an open/closed status update to ACT by June 24th. Students registered for the July test date can expect an update on their test center status by the end of June.

Many things can happen between now and the July 18 test date and ACT is committed to actively communicating with students registered for the test on the status of their center through email and on our website.

For fall 2020 testing, we are exploring options to expand our test center network and evaluating opportunities to add additional test dates to provide as many safe options for testing as possible.

Postponing Section Retesting to Increase Capacity for Full Testing

ACT test registration for fall 2020 and spring 2021 test dates will open at the end of July.

Our priority is to expand access to full ACT testing, particularly for students in need of a composite score for admissions decisions, scholarship opportunities, placement, and career insights. In order to do this, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the rollout of section retesting, the option to take one section of the ACT® test at a time.

“Postponing the availability of section retesting for upcoming national ACT test dates will enable us to increase testing capacity for those who need to take the full ACT test,” said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. “Our priority is to provide seats for those students most impacted by COVID-19-related capacity limitations who still need a composite score. This decision will also ease the burden on higher education professionals who are navigating their own unique challenges in response to the pandemic.”

ACT remains committed to offering superscoring and online testing options at selected national test centers this fall. We will also provide an increased number of fee waivers and additional score reports to students from underserved backgrounds. In late fall/early winter, we plan to offer a remote proctoring solution, allowing students to take the test online, at home or at other safe and convenient locations. These options will improve students’ test-taking experience and increase their opportunities for college admissions and scholarships, while setting the stage for the future release of section retesting.

More on each of these options for September 2020 Testing & Beyond:

• Online testing with faster score results: Students will, for the first time, have the option of online or paper testing on national test days at ACT test centers (selected test centers initially, eventually expanding to all). The test is currently administered only on paper on national test dates. Online testing offers faster results compared to traditional paper-based administration—as early as two business days, compared to around two weeks. This faster turnaround time will benefit rising seniors in particular, as they prepare to meet application deadlines.
• ACT superscoring: ACT will report a superscore for students who have taken the ACT test more than once, giving colleges the option to use the student’s best scores from all test administrations, rather than scores from just one sitting, in their admission and scholarship decisions. ACT research suggests that superscores are just as predictive—if not slightly more predictive—of first-year grades compared to other scoring methods.
• ACT fee waivers: ACT will offer four fee waivers to qualifying students (double the number previously offered) and an unlimited number of free score reports will be available for students who have taken the ACT with a fee waiver so they may send their superscore or scores from any individual test, even those taken previously during the ACT national test and state and district tests.
• Remote proctoring solution: In addition to these new options, ACT plans to roll out a remote proctoring solution on a limited basis in late fall/early winter. While more information will be released at a later date, ACT is working with a trusted, reliable partner to deliver this capability in safe and secure environments beyond students’ homes.
  
  Remote proctoring has been around for decades and is widely used by both public and private sector organizations, including hundreds of colleges and universities around the country. Proctored assessments have run the gamut from basic history quizzes to exams that credential doctors. Today’s proctoring technology ensures that the test-taker experiences the convenience of taking an exam remotely, without sacrificing any privacy. 

At this time, ACT is planning for section retesting to be available later in 2021 but will continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on test center capacity to prioritize safe and equitable access to testing.

For the latest updates on summer testing, including FAQs, click here.

AMA Certified Professional in Management™(AMA-CPM™) helps individuals showcase their management competence, organizations leverage talent to achieve business goals

IOWA CITY, IA / NEW YORK, NY—ACT and the American Management Association, Int’l (AMA) have teamed up to launch a comprehensive management certification, the Certified Professional in Management™ (AMA-CPM™). The certification program will help individuals validate and showcase their knowledge and skills in management, while assisting organizations in identifying qualified managers who have met a set of recognized criteria.

"ACT is proud to collaborate with AMA, the premier experts in management, in the design, development, and ongoing implementation of the AMA-CPM program," said ACT CEO Janet Godwin. "ACT is a learning, measurement, and navigation organization, and this certification collaboration with the AMA reaches into each of these domains."

Nearly one in five employees in the U.S.—or 24 million Americans—are currently classified as “management.” Further, AMA estimates that more than 50 million aspire to hold a managerial title.

This certification can help employees stand out, particularly as the country faces high levels of unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late April, AMA asked its members if the crisis had changed the way they work. Among the more than 500 respondents, an overwhelming majority—95%—answered yes. Nearly 70% had shifted to working remotely. During this time of transition and uncertainty, the majority continued to invest in professional training. Over 50 percent of AMA members surveyed identified as a manager or director.

Though AMA has provided professional development training for nearly 100 years, creating a standardized credential to measure competence in management was an essential next step for the association.

"Getting the job done on your own is very different from getting the job done through others," said Manny Avramidis, president and CEO of AMA. "Earning certification through AMA will ensure managers have the knowledge, skills and abilities to do this essential job effectively, and provide a differentiator that will enhance their careers."

The AMA-CPM program will focus on four major content areas:

• Professional Effectiveness: Mastery of personal awareness and interpersonal skills.
• Business Acumen: Understanding of business operations.
• Analytical Intelligence: Application of systematic thinking, analysis and data interpretation.
• Relationship Management: Ability to establish and maintain professional relationships.

The industry has long been asking for a validated standard of excellence in management. When surveyed, 84 percent of managers said that certifying managers would lead to increased efficiency, and better management. Seventy-seven percent of employers indicated the demand in their organizations for individuals with validated expertise.

"For the management certification process to work, the role of manager had to be clearly defined and measured; ACT Learning and Professional Services led that effort," said ACT President of Learning, Jonell Sanchez.

ACT took an active role as a trusted collaborator to AMA in the development of the program. Members of ACT’s Learning and Professional Services team leveraged their extensive credentialing expertise and followed best practices in guiding and developing the certification program. This included providing strategic guidance about policies related to education, experience, examination and recertification requirements. The team worked with subject matter experts to guide the development and content validation of the test questions and test forms that will be used in the certification assessment.

The certification test is 175 items long, and AMA-CPM candidates will have 3½ hours to complete the assessment. The first testing window, which reached maximum capacity due to eager early applicants, closes June 29, 2020. Applications for the next testing window that opens November 2 will be accepted beginning July 1. Testing centers are located across the globe.

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply for certification, prepare for the exam, and obtain certification. Visit https://www.amanet.org/certified-professional-in-management/ to learn more.

About ACT

ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Grounded in 60 years of research, ACT is a trusted leader in college and career readiness solutions. Each year, ACT serves millions of students, job seekers, schools, government agencies and employers in the US and around the world with learning resources, assessments, research and credentials designed to help them succeed from elementary school through career. To learn more, visit www.act.org.

About AMA

American Management Association (AMA) is globally recognized as a leader in professional development. For nearly 100 years, it has helped millions of people bring about positive change in their performance in order to improve results. AMA’s learn-by-doing instructor-led methods, extensive content and flexible learning formats are proven effective—and constantly evolve to meet individuals' and organizations' changing needs. The world’s foremost organizations rely on AMA’s years of experience, expert guidance, vast award-winning learning resources and global capabilities. AMA supports the goals of individuals, organizations, and government agencies with a complete range of corporate talent transformation solutions, including public open-enrollment seminars and onsite group training, with both live and digital learning capabilities. AMA is consistently cited by industry sources as among the world's Top 20 training organizations. To learn more, visit www.amanet.org.

We’re holding our June and July national test dates in select test centers that agree to follow local public health guidelines, including social distancing and examinee pre-screening.

We know you have questions and concerns about testing amid COVID-19. We want you to know that we’re here to support you.

Watch this video from our CEO Janet Godwin to learn why we’ve made the decision to test in limited sites deemed safe, and what this means for students.


ACT's Commitment to Summer Testing

We wish you all safety and good health in these times.

See our testing FAQs for help and to learn more.

A statement from interim CEO Janet Godwin:

We will use our platform to share and lift resources to support equity, access, and justice. The thread below lists a few to start.

Black Lives Matter Resources and Toolkits: https://t.co/aBlMJFRgJP via @Blklivesmatter

— ACT (@ACT) June 3, 2020

.@ACPA - College Student Educators International Resources List: https://t.co/F8inBu8jpL

— ACT (@ACT) June 3, 2020

.@ObamaFoundation Resources for Anguish and Action: https://t.co/yLWeTxmiit

— ACT (@ACT) June 3, 2020

Supporting Black LGBTQ Youth Mental Health via @TrevorProject: https://t.co/DQ7FkbJUV4

— ACT (@ACT) June 3, 2020