<p>Does it matter if you take only the ACT when applying for the summer seminar and Naval Academy, and is sophomore year too early to start taking the ACT?</p>
<p>our son has taken it just about every time it was offered starting in his softmore year and as you get used to it and you learn more your scores will rise. Sometimes dramatically. make sure that you pay the extra for the answer sheet as well. This allows you to see where you have opportunities for improvement and study in those areas. our experience was from a 22 math to a 30 math and a 19 english to a 26 over the2 years.
BTW he is taking it again in the fall.</p>
<p>USNA will accept ACT or SAT.....
try them both-
as the tests use different formats, you may find you do better on one test type than the other...</p>
<p>USNA will accept your highest scores (verbal- math)- regardless of which test or testing period they are from.....in this regard, their policy is very liberal.</p>
<p>Yes, but it's the only policy that makes any sense. There is little rhyme as to why one would NOT take the highest scores, regardless of the testing date/event, or even the exam (ACT or SAT). We're numbed down by so many schools to think there is some kind of "magic" or valid rationale in taking scores from only the same test date, or the same exam. Makes no sense if the objective is to use these scores to project what it is a student knows and to use the student's best effort. Go figure.</p>
<p>Just more hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo that college and university officials try to project that there is something to all this. It's mostly baloney, and it's too bad there is not a better business bureau for this kind of stuff. Unfortunately, it's a monopoly and we are the puppets without any recourse. So let me complain because for candidates it simply wasted worry and effort to fret over this.</p>
<p>Now that I've vented though (and I DO feel a bit better!) ... do your best, take them as often as you wish and can afford in time and $$$. Remember no matter what the coaching is ... statistics show a tester's chances are only about 50-50 your scores will go up when retaking them . An equal number will remain effectively the same or go down. But the really good news of that is at USNA that won't hurt anyone. There's no harm in doing worse. Only upside at USNA.</p>
<p>And THAT's really the key to the answer to the question. That a student who would like to improve their scores should take the test as many times as they can afford in time and money in advance of the USNA New Year's deadline. </p>
<p>I must laugh though when I read that you should take them until you know you've done your best. Hopefully you do your best EVERY time you take them not merely the "last" time you take them. And of course the bottom line is that you never know when your "best" in terms of score will be. That's why you do your best the first time ... and the last time ... and every time.</p>
<p>My own bias is ACT over SAT for lots of reasons, mostly because I've watched 2 children do 50-150 points better on the former vs. the latter in both verbal and math. Fully anecdotal and personal but I prefer to go with what seems to work for me/us. btw, this despite my dd arguing how much she "preferred" (maybe like smallpox over diphtheria??) the SAT. Her proof was that she did much better on the ACT.</p>
<p>One thing to think about . . . in addition to USNA, you want to impress the nominating committees (the citizens who help MOCs decide on nominees) in order to secure as many noms as possible. SATs are more common in certain parts of the country and ACTs in others. This means only that the average citizen on the committee will instinctively have a feel for your performance on the more popular test in your region. </p>
<p>For example, on the east coast, an SAT of 650/650 immediately has meaning. An ACT of 24/24 does not immediately mean anything to most people who aren't actively involved in academics or who aren't from an area where the ACT is popular (or who haven't served on the committee for such a long time that they become familiar with both sets of scores). </p>
<p>Obviously, the committees can and do use charts for comparison and will know the percentile of your score regardless of the test. However, I still think you have a slight advantage with the nominating sources if you score well on the type of test that predominates in your region. </p>
<p>For USNA, however, the highest of either is what's used.</p>