What does it mean to void your ACT essay? Why would someone want or need to void their ACT essay? This article will explore what voiding an ACT essay entails and the potential reasons and implications of taking this action.
The ACT offers test takers the option to void, or cancel, their essay scores after taking the test. Voiding the essay does not impact the multiple choice scores, but it does remove the essay portion from being sent to colleges or considered in the student’s overall ACT composite score. When a student voids their essay, colleges will see an indication on the score report that no essay score was submitted.
If a student is satisfied with their essay performance and wants colleges to consider it alongside their other ACT scores, no action is needed – the essay score will be automatically sent to colleges listed on the student’s ACT registration. There are some circumstances where voiding the essay may be strategically advantageous.
Perhaps the most common reason a student would void their ACT essay is if they feel they significantly underperformed or made major mistakes on the writing sample. The ACT essay is scored on a 1-12 scale based on three dimensions: ideas and analysis, development and support, and organization and language use. A poor score could negatively impact a student’s otherwise strong ACT performance and raise questions for colleges about their writing abilities.
In this situation, voiding allows the student to withhold a subpar score that does not accurately represent their true writing talents. Colleges will have no essay score to consider at all rather than a low one. The thinking is that no score is generally better than a weak one if the rest of the ACT went well. It preserves the strength of the multiple choice results.
Some colleges note on their applications if a student voided their essay, so it’s not a totally invisible action. Admissions staff are aware voiding was a strategic decision. Repeated voiding over multiple ACT test attempts could also raise eyebrows versus a one-time void. Still, most would agree one void is less harmful than submitting a poor essay score.
In another scenario, a student may void if they feel overly stressed or rushed during the writing portion on test day. Even strong writers can falter under time pressure. By voiding, the student avoids having one poor sample define their writing abilities to colleges in a high-stakes context. They preserve the opportunity to showcase their talents through supplemental essays or classwork instead.
Sometimes voiding occurs because a student wishes to retake the ACT again in hopes of a higher composite score which includes improving their essay result. By voiding the first essay, they aren’t locked into that initial score on their record when they retake the test later. Their full application will reflect improvement across all ACT sections over time versus being defined by one subpar early performance.
A final less common reason for voiding relates to formatting issues or technical problems during the digital ACT writing task. If something goes wrong with the online platform and the student is unable to properly complete and submit their essay for reasons completely out of their control, voiding preserves them from an unfair score resulting from the technical glitch rather than the quality of their writing.
While voiding can help mask a less-than-stellar essay performance from view in some cases, it’s important test takers understand voiding isn’t a totally risk-free choice either and it does call attention in its own way. In these situations, thorough and honest explanations for the void on college applications are recommended. Communication and transparency are key so admissions staff understand strategic decisions in the proper context.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is for students to be at peace with their choices. They don’t want to wonder “what if” or feel regret if they submit an underwhelming score. But they also don’t want colleges to view voiding actions as attempts to cover weakness versus taking control of application elements within their power. With careful consideration of the circumstances, voiding can be a reasonable decision for the right student at the right time. But no strategic choice is without its optics, so self-awareness is vital as well.
Voiding an ACT essay allows test takers to protect themselves from real or perceived weaknesses in a singular writing sample on test day. Reasons for voiding vary from score or performance concerns to issues beyond a student’s control. While it risks drawing some attention from admissions readers, voiding is generally preferable to submitting a subpar essay result according to standardized test experts. As with any strategic choice, full transparency on applications is important so voiding decisions are seen in complete context by colleges. Weighing these implications carefully helps students make wise choices for their individual situations.