Hi - not sure if this is the right discussion thread but am looking for information to help figure out ACT strategy. My daughter took the Feb ACT with extended time. She took it with the writing section. Despite having 1.5 time - she still comes nowhere near to finishing the math and science sections. Because ACT lets you break up the 6 hours anyway you want - she only used the last 30 minutes for the writing. Her scores were: Reading:34, Verbal:30, Math: 26, Science: 26 for a composite of 29 which she is pretty happy about. Kicker is her writing score came back today and is only an 18!!!
For colleges that dont require a writing score - can you submit without it or is she stuck with that 18 now?
She is planning to take the test again in April - she wants to sign up for writing section again so she can use that time (she has a friend who used all 6 hours on the multiple choice and didnt write a word of the writing!) but I am wondering if she needs a clean score. Thoughts? Am totally confused here. Thanks
You can’t not send in the writing portion. So, if she doesn’t do any writing the schools will see that. I suggest she just take the test without writing. Most schools do not require the writing. Have you looked at what her schools of interest require?
@Clementine7624 I talked to a friend who’s very knowledgable about the tests and here’s what he had to say about your daughter’s situation:
Can you submit the ACT composite from a test sitting w/o submitting the writing score? I’m not positive, but my research suggests this not generally possible.
The next question then is, should they submit this ACT including a writing score they are not happy with? If they are quite happy with the composite, then I would say yes.
The next question they had is, should she devote an inordinate amount of time to the writing section next time she takes the test? I would say yes, she should spend extra time on the writing section, but she should not skip other sections or totally tank them. She should still work through them, but budget more time to work on the writing and less to work on the sections she has already done strongest on.
He was also confused by what you mean by the 18 on the Writing section, as the ACT writing section is scored on a 2 - 12 scale.
Has she taken the SAT? Maybe she’ll have a better result with that test. My son had trouble finishing the ACT as well, and he didn’t have any learning disability.
Bear in mind that the ACT writing rubric was recently revamped and there are lots of reports of kids scoring 30+ composites but in the teens on the writing. Even the schools which require the writing section generally admit to not weighing it the same way they do the rest of the test. I seriously wouldn’t sweat it.
(For context: One of my kids got a 34 composite but only a 21 on the writing, and we paid for a rescore, and they didn’t budge. He still got into a highly competitive university. I think they know the writing scoring tends to be inconsistent.)
You could also look into schools that superscore the ACT. Since she did well on the Reading and English sections already, she could concentrate on the Science and Math sections the next time around and then submit both scores to schools that superscore.
@megan12 - she started with the SAT. Took it twice and her highest score was a 1280. ACT of 29 is equivalent to 1350 so seems like she should stick with the ACT.
My son scored a 33 composite and only an 18 in the writing section. He Submitted the scores and he got in to all schools he applied except 1. They were highly competitive schools so don’t worry. Most top LAC’s do not even look at the writing. However, I would suggest she take the ACT again without the writing and try to improve her composite a bit. A 30 or higher will definitely help her with admissions at top schools. Also a number of schools super score therefore, taking it again and getting higher scores in some areas can be a real benefit. Good Luck
You could ask for a re-score on the essay and see if you can get a couple of extra points. They charge you and then refund you if the score goes up. The score cannot go down.
She could retake it and try writing again.
She could take it “without writing” as suggested above.
However, I wouldn’t worry too-too much about the writing score. This is a common problem. My DS got a 34 composite and a 19 on the writing. UGH! A lot of schools prefer to access a student’s writing ability with the multiple essays they have to submit.
My understanding is that schools hardly use that writing score at all. I’d vote for sticking with the current scores if you are content with the composite, etc. Don’t worry about writing.
Then she can look at the list to see which schools are test-optional and consider them for her list, I suppose. Many of the most selective schools are on the list. Unless she needs merit. That is, if her scores do not accurately reflect her abilities.
One of my kids used that list, with happy results in the end…so just a suggestion for an alternative to lots of test prep or advocacy around accommodations.
My son did the same thing. He is dyslexic and dyscalculic. He used most of his time on math and got his score up from 19 to 24, which is great considering he didn’t go beyond geometry and with the Common Core crud they are now teaching in NY, he barely understood that. His writing score was low, but he appreciated having the extra time for math. If OP’s D takes the test without writing, she loses the opportunity to apply extra time to the other sections. Most schools don’t count the writing portion.