Truth: The scoring remains norm-referenced, so difficulty is relative.
Some assume the enhanced ACT will be easier due to shorter passages and more time per question. Others argue it will be harder, since each question will carry more weight.
In reality, neither is exactly true.
“What it means is that the enhanced ACT test and its scoring curve are calibrated the same way as the former version of the test,” Gehring says. “The test still differentiates between student ability levels in the same way. A 30 on Math is still a 30 on Math, from test to test.”
Because the ACT is norm-referenced, scores are scaled relative to the performance of other test takers. So while the experience may feel different, schools can expect score distributions to remain consistent overall.
