At the end of my freshman year, in June, I took the ACT and got a composite score of 33. Just in case you were wondering, here is the breakdown of the score for each compartment of the test:
English - 33
Mathematics - 32
Reading - 34
Science - 32
I am now a sophomore and plan on taking the ACT again this coming February.
I was wondering if this is a good score for a freshman (who wants to go to an Ivy League school) to score, and if you are an Ivy League student, what you scored on the ACT as a freshman.
Also, should I take the SAT as well? I’ve heard of people taking both, and I wanted to know if that is a good idea.
It is a great score, freshmen or not. Instead of taking it once every year, you should just focus on one sitting and be done with it. Don’t waste your time and money.
In fact, this score of 33 is already just fine for the Ivies, MIT and Stanford etc. If you want, you could try and get a 34, 35 or 36, but a 33 is already an amazing score and you do not need to take the SAT, as both the SAT and ACT are accepted at most, if not all, universities.
If you’re a minority a 33 is better than if you’re Asian. @monkey2001 Regardless, I’d recommend retaking it for a 35 or 36 end of sophomore year or sometime in junior year. Those scores are a cut above the 32-33 range
@FreePariah I am white, which makes me think that I will probably have to accomplish more to be able to compete with candidates that belong to racial minorities.
yeah, I’d retake. You have a lot of time from now to get your score up, so I would aim for a 36 to really stand out. But a 34 or 35 should suffice as well.
I had a 33 as a sophomore and I was told by a coach at MIT to keep taking it and try to improve. It may be best money ever spent if you improve your scores and it helps you get into a school of your dreams!
Keep in mind that some schools (like Stanford) will require you to send in every sitting of the ACT and SAT you take while in high school.
My student took the ACT as a sophomore and junior. Then the SAT as a senior due to being a NMSF. His score went from a 33 composite sophomore year to a 34 junior year and then a 1550 on the SAT senior year. We assume just due to learning/maturity. He did say that after taking the ACT, the SAT seemed super easy and he had TONS if extra time at the end of each section to go back and review/work on skipped problems.
Your score as a freshman isn’t impeccable, what I’ve heard from so many counselor etc. is after a 34 whether you get a 35 or 36 is already the same. You’ve proven to be a phone On my way! all test taker. I would probably attempt to test and achieve a 34 at least and after that leave it alone. Test scores are a hurdle to jump over for schools but once you meet that schools average, it’s your ec’s and essays that make you considerable. So focus on having great extra curricular and community service work