ACT Releases Scores

While sitting lazily during your 11th period class, a notification pops up on your phone. After a quick glance, you instantly sit up as your senses heighten and your heart races. You read the wording of the email:

“myact – Your ACT scores are here!”

After two weeks of waiting, juniors at Hastings Senior High School received their ACT scores on April 10, 2025.

When students open their scores to see where they placed, it can be nerve-racking. For junior Mackenzie Tate, she thought she would get a low score but was relieved when she saw a composite score of 25, approximately six points higher than last year’s national average of 19.5 points and state average of 19.4 points, and seven points higher than this year’s local average of 17.8 points.

“When I opened my score, my reaction was, ‘Thank goodness.’ After that math section, I thought I was tanked… I wanted a 25, and then I got a 25,” Tate said. “It was a little bit surprising, but also, I’m not the dumbest person in the world.”

Others were less worried. Junior Yadriel Conlindres-Fonseca, who got a composite score of 34, did not place too much importance on the ACT test.

“I was happy when I saw my score. I was kind of worried I would get a bad score, but at the same time, I didn’t really care. Part of me wanted to see how well I could do without preparations, so when I retake it, I would know what to study for,” Colindres-Fonseca said.

For many academically driven students, the ACT can be a lot of pressure and may impact how they view their intelligence. However, HHS Counselor and Test Site Coordinator Courtney Benscoter believes that students should not let their results dictate their course in life.

“You take the ACT test on one day of your life, so how you perform on that one day is not going to determine the rest of your life, and some people are starting to realize that,” Benscoter said. “After my senior year of high school, once I was in college, I never got asked once what my ACT was or when I was applying for jobs… Really, it might seem like a big deal to [students] right now… but as you move forward in your life, it’s really miniscule to everything else that is going on.”

Overtime, attitudes regarding the ACT have shifted with more colleges reducing the importance of the ACT and focusing on GPA for merit scholarships instead. This change in attitude can be reflected in how well students prepared for the ACT, for some students chose to not study during their free time.

“I didn’t take time out of my personal life to study for the ACT because I think most colleges don’t look at ACT stuff anymore, so I didn’t spend too much time worrying myself about it,” Tate said.

However, changing attitudes were not the only reason why some students did not study. The ACT took place during the weeks leading up to the school musical, which made it difficult for those involved to find time to prepare. Other extracurriculars and activities outside of school are also reasons juniors cited as to why it was difficult to find time to study.

“Juggling activities was horrible. It was just musical honestly and then a couple of outside school stuff like church and work… [It] kind of sucked. That’s [also] why I didn’t really study outside of class,” Tate said.

Some students explained their lack of studying was due to the workload students already get at school. Colindres-Fonseca attributed his score to his prior knowledge and the time teachers took out of class to teach ACT concepts rather than regular coursework.

“I don’t think it’s that students feel like they don’t need to study as much. Maybe it’s more like what I was going through, where there [was] a lot of stuff piling up so it’s harder for students to actually try to put in the effort,” Colindres-Fonseca said. “I wish teachers were… I guess… a bit more lenient when it came to projects, [taking] into account the fact that a lot of us need to study for this so we don’t feel as stressed out for the ACT or school. I’m sure there’s also students who might have neglected their own schoolwork to just study for the ACT.”

Students who did not get a satisfactory score or did not study may also be planning on retaking the ACT now that it has become simplified. The changes to the following ACT tests include having 44 fewer questions, more time per question, a 70-minute shorter test length, and the science section of the test being optional.

“I’m a little annoyed that we’re the last class to take the ‘harder’ version, but since it’s getting easier, I hope that helps me with my retake chances,” Colindres-Fonseca said. “I’d like to try to retake it to see if I can get a 36 just because there’s a scholarship at 36, [the UNL President’s Scholarship].”

Though the test will be experiencing changes next year, rumors that some tests administered this year were different than the normal test are untrue.

“I think there’s a teacher starting that [rumor],” Benscoter said.

Students planning on retaking the ACT can see the registration and testing dates on the ACT website or in the counselor’s office. The ACT is hosted during the national dates at Hastings Senior High School and costs 65 dollars for the base test, but it can be waived with the free-and-reduced lunch program by speaking to a counselor.

“If you are taking it for the second time… You’ve got the first time under your belt… Now [you] know how all that works and now you’re really able to focus on the actual questions and answers,” Benscoter said. 

Unlike the regular national ACT, the test students took on March 25 was the required NSCAS-ACT, which meant neither HPS nor students had to pay to send scores or register. In 2016, the Nebraska State Statute 79-760 was updated, which required juniors to do state accountability testing. The test had to be a college level entrance exam, so the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) partnered with ACT during the spring of 2017 to make the NSCAS-ACT exam. 

“Although it’s an official ACT exam, it is used as a state assessment for juniors, similar to 3rd-8th graders taking the NSCAS test in the Spring,” HPS Director of Learning Lawrence Tunks said. “NDE entered a contract with ACT… because of that, the Nebraska Department of Education pays for the test, not HPS.”

This year was the first time students at Hastings Senior High School took the ACT digitally. Despite the switch to online testing and fewer students finding the need to prioritize the ACT, Benscoter thinks the ACT was a success this year overall.

“So many teachers are like, ‘Study for your ACT, do this, and make sure you don’t fail. This is the hardest test you’re going to take ever,’ [but], the hardest part about it is sitting still for three hours,” Tate said.