ACT Superscore help? 34 superscore, 32C... spread out among 3 tests. What do I do?

Applying to College
1

If anyone could help me with this predicament, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’ve gotten a 32C each of the three times I’ve taken the ACT. April: 32C, June 32.25C, and September 31.5C (yikes). If I take my highest scores out of these three tests combined, I have a 34 superscore. If I combine only two of them in any which way, I have a 33 superscore.

I am applying to Brown ED. Brown’s policy is “For the ACT, we consider the highest scores submitted for each section; however, we do not calculate a super scored ACT Composite score.” Based on this statement, I know they don’t recalculate my composite score. However, they will note my highest section scores. This would work to my advantage because my scores are so spread out, and I don’t have my highest section scores all in one test.

My problem is that I don’t know whether to submit all 3 to Brown (or any other colleges for that matter) because some of my scores from different tests undermine the high scores from other tests. Literally I don’t think I could be more spread out than I am. I have test anxiety, and in the June test I actually only got three hours of sleep the night before :confused: I will demonstrate how spread out I am below:

April:
35E, 33M, 31R, 29S, 32W
June:
35E, 29M, 36R, 29S, 29W (so mad because my math score dropped 4 points…blamed on lack of sleep)
September:
36E, 32R, 31M, 27S, waiting on writing scores, though I believe I did well

I am truly conflicted since there are positives and negatives to each scenario. I am going to submit my June ACT for sure since it is my highest overall score. However, I don’t know if I should submit another one to go along, or all three of them? I’d hate for admissions to not know that I was capable of a much higher math score for example, yet at the same time, I don’t want my lower reading scores to undermine my 36R in June.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I know that in the long run 1 more point won’t get me into a school. I just want to put my best foot forward. Thank you!!

2

Along with June, you should consider sending April with the 33M. That way they will see 3 sections above 30 vs 2.

3

Wow this is so weird. I’m almost in the same exact boat as you and I’m applying to Brown ED. I have a 34 super score (across two tests though) and a 32 single sitting (both were 32s). I’m definitely sending both to Brown since they consider the highest composite and highest sub-scores (and I have an inkling that the adcoms probably super score the test in their heads but just don’t put it into an actual file).

If sending all 3 wouldn’t be an issue in terms of money, go for it.

The thing that I find so stupid about these tests is that colleges use 4 hours of a student’s life to pretty much decide their fate in admissions. I mean, although I got two 32s it was also quite possible that I could’ve gotten a 34 single sitting… But they just happened to be on different days. That’s my logic as to why sending two would make sense.

4

I would send them all to Brown and let them sort it out. For other schools I would see if you can figure out if they look at all 4 or not. My daughter is applying to a few schools that just look at M and E so for those she will just send 1. Her C was the same for both which makes it a bit easier.

5

It’s a little tricky as a 29 Math in the 2nd sitting and a 27 Science in the 3rd sitting are outliers, but adding the 36 English, 36 Reading, 33 Math and 29 Science equals a 34 Superscore so yes send all three - well done!

6

I would either send only the April score, or the April and June scores. Probably both April and June. I wouldn’t show the 27 in science (September) to get to show a 36 english over two 35s in english.

7

@lakeviking, except schools that superscore will recognize a 34 superscore, without penalizing for a lower lower science subscore; it seems to hinge on how important a 34 is as compared to a 33 - for the top LAC’s that acknowledge superscoring I think it matters; Brown may be trickier.