On my first ACT, I got:
35 English
35 Math
31 Reading
27 Science
On my second ACT, I got:
35 English
32 Math
32 Reading
33 Science
I worked a lot to bring my science and reading scores up, and also worked a bit in math. Why did my math score go down so much? It doesn’t make sense. I am generally a very good student, I am a sophomore and I got an A in Calc AB. So math is one of my strong suits.
How does it make sense for one of my strongest subjects to go down by 3 points? Is there some kind of scoring inconsistency with the ACT? What’s up?
Thanks in advance.
It could just be the difficulty of the test. Every test is different. Having taken the December ACT myself, I can say it was a pretty hard ACT math section in general.
I felt like this ACT Math section was much easier than October’s, which I got a 35 on. Is there some kind of discrepancy in ACT curves for the sections?
You’re a sophomore? Just retake it.
ACT Math sections vary a lot in their difficulty, and each of them is curved differently. In theory, harder tests receive a larger curve. I personally prefer the harder math sections, since I can prepare thoroughly for them and use the curve to compensate for careless mistakes.
Based on my ACT report from December’s test, I know I got one of the function questions wrong, but I still got a 36 on the Math section, so that section gave us at least one free point. Based on my score report, I got one wrong in English and got a 36, one wrong in Reading and got a 35, and a none wrong in Science (36), so this particular test seems to have been pretty generous.
Having said that, my Math score on practice tests fluctuates from a 33 to a 36, so there’s definitely some variability from test to test.
You’re already in Calc, and you’re only a sophomore. How many practice tests have you taken? With so much time to prepare, I’m willing to bet you’ll eventually be able to score pretty consistently in the 34-36 area if you practice with the right materials.
I really don’t want to take this test again. Universities that superscore will see scores of 35, 35, 32, and 33, which is a 34 right? Is there a need to retake it?
“Why did my math score go down so much?”
What do you expect people to say? It’s the same as asking “I got an A in Math in first quarter but a B in second quarter! I’m panicking!”
The most selective schools will take the highest score from one test sitting, but they won’t superscore. If you want to go to one of those schools, it’s well worth taking the test again to get a 34+ on your next sitting.
Just take it again if you want a higher score. You won’t ever be able to see a high score if you don’t take it.
Most top tier don’t superscore, so don’t rely on that. Also don’t expect the same score each time, depending on the test your scores will fluctuate between the predicted range on your ACT score report.