ACT English Superscoring

Test Preparation
1

I recently took the ACT without writing and the ACT with writing. I got a 36 in English on the w/o writing, and I got a 35 in English and a 33 on the combined English/Writing with a 10/12 on the writing on the with writing test.
Do colleges superscore with the combined English/Writing score or do they superscore with the English score?
If only the English is superscored and the combined English/Writing is not taken into account, then my superscored composite score is 35, but if they take the 33 instead of the 36 then my composite is 34.
Can anyone explain how the tests are superscored, and how the combined English/Writing score factors into all of this?
Thank you!

2

Scores are good either way so it really does not make a large difference. The combined English/writing score is a score that is considered separate from the English score. Moreover, the English score is used in determining composite not the combined English/writing score. Colleges that compare sections on multiple test will not consider the combined English/writing score as the one to compare to another test’s English score. if they would actually supersore your test you would have a 36 English and a 33 combined English/writing score. However,your question appears to make assumptions that are subject to question:

  1. Unlike the SAT, majority of colleges do not superscore ACTs. They use the one with highest composite and, if they require the writing section, they use only the ACT with writing, and thus one without writing will be ignored even if it has the highest composite.
  2. Also, many colleges that require the writing section, and usually do superscore if you submit two ACT's, won't do so unless both the ACT's have the writing section; instead, they will just use that ACT with writing to determine admission and ignore the other.
  3. Some colleges that supersore and normally require the writing with ACT will consider one without writing if you also submit one with writing. A problem, however, is determining which colleges those are since they do not tell you on their sites what they do if you submit both ACT with writing and another without. You cannot assume that just because a college superscores it will do so using any ACT without writing and thus you need to contact the colleges to which you intend to apply to learn an answer.