I recently scored a perfect 36 on the ACT on my first try. My breakdown of scores was 36 on all sections except for a 35 on math. On the writing section I didn’t do as well and got a 9. My question is, if my target universities are very competitive ones such as MIT, CalTech, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, should I retake the ACT to improve upon my writing score? Also will the 35 on math look bad when applying to STEM universities (MIT and CalTech)?
Congrats - great score all the way around - I think you are done with the ACT!
No, do not retake. You are fine.
No need to retake.
Your ACTs are really good. No need to retake. Keep your hopes high when applying and good luck! Best of wishes!!
@curiousscience: I hope your inquiry here is just a result of the general doubt everyone has when applying to tough programs and top-flight schools, and not because others in your life have suggested that your scores need shoring up.
Make sure you have worked on making your essays really sing who you are, and your ECs show the scope and range of what it is you have done outside of the classroom, and (hopefully) give insight beyond a narrowly focused set of interests on which your whole life has been built around.
Check your spelling, meet your deadlines, breathe when you go in to interview, and remember: the STEM schools already know you can calculate, they do not want you to show up during the interview and display/expound on that. Let your interviewer see a little more of who you are than is on paper, and ask the interviewer about aspects of life on the campus of their alma mater. Show interest and energy.
You’ll continue to do great, as everyone else here has already told you.
you’re done, you already have the highest composite score there is.
I got the same as you: 36 on composite (36, 36, 36, 34) and a 9 on the essay. Most people have been saying not to retake it. Also, with retaking it, I definitely run the risk of getting a lower composite and I don’t think that it’s worth it to have a lower composite and a higher essay score.