Advice for taking ACT with accommodations

My D20 will be taking ACT in June with extra time. This will be her first time using the accommodation. It makes the test very long-- six hours, I suppose. For those who have done this, any advice about how to pace herself so that she is not completely exhausted by the end? She works slowly, which is why she has the accommodation to begin with. Are the breaks different/longer than normal? I suppose she’ll need more snacks and/or a lunch. Just trying to figure out what to expect as this test is rather daunting for her. Thank you.

I suggest calling the ACT accommodations support number and speaking to someone to get the EXACT expectations for your specific case, rather than relying on CC. Accommodations can vary so much.

My S took the ACT with extended time last year. He has VERY slow processing speed, ADD, and is a slow writer but does pretty well if he has time (he actually got a perfect Reading score, reading is his strength).

His accommodations allowed him to take the test over two days. Math took him the longest and even with extended time he only finished 2/3 of the problems. (He guessed on the ones he didn’t get to.) He probably got the majority of the problems he did, but it’s a painfully slow process. (When he does math homework at home he does very well, but it takes him 4X the time you might expect. Unlikely his scores would have changed significantly if he’d taken the test a second time because of the time factor.

Thank you @Acadia2023 for sharing your son’s experience with the ACT w/extended time. Did he consider taking the SAT instead? My 16 year old DD works slowly and took the ACT in Feb. with extended time, she is not satisfied with her score and is considering sitting for the SAT in June (although her prep has only been with ACT work).

@OhiBro You are right, I suppose I could call the ACT. They are likely sick of hearing from me about the accommodations requesting process! I thought the accommodation was standard for many: time and a half. It’s still given in a group classroom with others who have the same accommodation. I know that it lengthens each section and you can’t move ahead even if you finish a section. You must use the full 150% time on each individual section.

So I was just looking for practical suggestions. It will be a different pace from her prior ACT and her practice tests.

@Acadia2023 Did your S do anything special during the time, like stretch/wiggle/drink water/? Was it hard to sit for so long?

It does not take 6 hours for time and a half extended time students to take the ACT. It is only 4 hours 45 minutes. English will be first for 70 minute, then Math for 90 minutes followed by a 15 minute break. Then the reading and science sections at 55 minutes each. When taking the ACT without accommodation, there is a 5th experimental section that does not count toward the score. The experimental section is not given to kids with extra time accommodation. The breaks are the same length with or without accommodations. Just the actual test time is different.

  • 60 minutes for the writing section, so 5 hours 45 minutes. OK, that is not exactly 6 hours but from prior experience it takes 15+ minutes to get kids situated in the rooms before the tests begin. Glad to hear there is no experimental section.

Will your D be taking the ACT at her school? At our high school SAT and ACT accommodation testing is done in house even though we don’t offer it for everyone. All arrangements were made through guidance and they have all the details regarding breaks.

IIRC, the times end around 2pm for ACT and past 3pm for SAT with essay.
If your kid has any medication that wears off by early afternoon (Adderall comes to mind) a second dose may be needed if they’re not used to being in a classroom that long.