ACT issue

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello,

I’m not sure what my next step should be. I just got back my ACT scores from a few weeks ago. I scored:
36 in English
34 in Math
30 in Reading Comprehension
28 in Science

This amounts to a 32 composite score. For reading and science, I was very rushed and was forced to guess on the last few problems. My writing sample hasn’t yet been graded, but I liked the essay and loved the topic. However, I feel my personal experience with the topic strengthened my essay. I really would prefer not to take the test again, especially the writing portion. However, I hope to apply to really selective schools like Cornell, Yale, Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt.

Will these scores be adequate for admission to these schools provided my other factors are in check, or should I retake the ACT? Is it possible to take the ACT without writing if I were to take it again? Would these schools except both scores, even if one came without writing?

2

I had a kid who got into a slew of top schools with a 32 with a similar distribution. The English and Math are the most valid of the 4 sub-scales with Science being the weakest-and actually adding error to the composite in terms of validity. You might want to take the test one more time, which could help you even if your composite does not change. If you focus on Math and are able to raise only the Math, then your superscore would be 36, 36 for the most important of the subscales. You could even go down in some subscales and it would not matter. You would not need to do the writing. Not all schools subscore but it is worth considering. But your score is excellent as it is also.

3

Thanks!