Updated 7/29:
Due to COVID-19, ACT required testing staff to adhere to local public health and CDC guidelines for social distancing, which greatly reduced testing capacity for our June and July national test dates. Some sites cancelled late into the night on Friday, July 17, resulting in unprocessed communications and confusion for some students.
We are truly sorry this happened to the students and families impacted and we are committed to providing opportunities for testing in a socially distanced environment. Where possible and with public health officials’ requirements in place, we were able to administer a makeup test on July 25 at various sites across the country.
Students affected by cancellations who were not able to test this weekend will be offered full refunds of their registration fees and will have the opportunity to register for an expanded calendar of fall test dates when registration officially opens on Monday, August 3 at 10 a.m. CT.
COVID-19 has created many challenges for large-scale testing. We’re working to accommodate the demand and serve our customers, while acknowledging that seat and site capacity is subject to change, due to the changing nature of COVID-19. We will work closely with test sites to keep students posted on their test center status.
Communicating the many up-to-the-minute changes with our sites has been a stumbling block. We are improving our processes and updating our technology to ensure students are properly informed of future test changes and cancellations, as well as any updates to CDC health and safety guidelines.
We have work to do to earn back trust, and we are eager to provide a positive experience for all customers. Many of us at ACT are also parents, and know these times are frustrating and difficult for families. Our top priority is to provide testing opportunities for all students who are in pursuit of college and career pathways. Our mission demands it, now and always.
Post from 7/20:
We are currently looking into an unfortunate situation where students showed up to cancelled test centers for the July 18 national test administration. We will provide more information as soon as we can.
We are truly sorry that this happened, and we will do everything we can to provide solutions to students affected by this situation, including offering a makeup test date where we can. Our top priority is to provide testing opportunities for all who wish to pursue a path to college and career. We know we have work to do to earn back trust and provide a positive experience for all who engage with us.
Based on the information we have available, we know that more than 88,000 students successfully tested at more than 1,100 sites on July 18, while adhering to COVID-19 public health guidelines and social distancing guidelines and procedures for the health and safety of examinees. Around 1,400 examinees (at approximately 21 sites) were not able to test. We know that some sites cancelled up until late Friday night, including some we were unaware of, resulting in unprocessed communications to students.
We will follow up directly with students who were impacted by same-day cancellations so they may receive refunds and plan for future opportunities to test.
This page will be updated with more information as it becomes available.