As the title says i got a 34 composite on the first ACT i took and an 8 on writing. Is it ok if i take another one to see if ill do better on writing or possibly get my composite up to a 35? As of now I’m signed up for the March SAT (this weekend) , April ACT, and June SAT - are these at all necessary? My goal is to go to NYU , Michigan Ann Arbor , most of the UCs , or UT Austin for business if that helps with your opinion on whether I should take another one or not.
If you think you can get a better score (or better subsection scores) by taking the test again it wouldn’t hurt you at all. Good Luck!
And if you do worse – always a possibility – you may have to report both scores. I don’t think that a 35 would make a big difference overall. What are you doing to prepare?
a 34 is above the 75th % for the schools that you listed, so a higher score would be of little value in admissions. A higher score might help for any merit money, however. Are you instate for any of those publics? (They are mighty pricey, if not.)
Do you need the SAT with a 34 and these schools. No, you do not. A retake might be recommended if you were applying to say, the Ivies and their ilk?
What year are you? If a junior, I’d consider being one-and-done. And, just focus on some subject tests and AP tests. Protip: b-schools like to see strong SAT-M scores.
Consider taking the ACT one last time next fall when you have some time to prep for your weakest sub-score? Science? And, take a few practice essays at home.
I’m a junior and I’m instate for UT , think i might just replace my June SAT with a math 2 subject test or something along those lines
I do not think you should take it again. Studies show that up to 40% of already high-scorers do worse on a retake. You have a top score. If you apply to schools that require all test scores, you might have to submit a worse score than a 34. Your essay score is absolutely fine for any school, including HYPSM. Save the time, money, and stress.
Take the SAT. Also consider taking some SAT II subject tests.
No need to retake a 34 unless applying to a math intensive major & your math score is the lowest of your subsection scores. Even then, an SAT II math subject test might be a better option in that it doesn’t risk getting a lower ACT composite score.
Don’t retake. That’s like saying, I’m going to retake organic chemistry 1 because I got a C+.i would never retake it. Too time consuming
You can permanently delete any ACT scores from National Test Dates.
There is no risk.
You lose nothing by taking April except for a few bucks and the time used to study.
You could retake but a 34 is a perfectly good score.
I believe the only school in the county where a 34 might put you outside of the middle 50% would be Caltech. You are not going to be rejected anywhere based on that score. Take the hours you would have spent studying / taking the ACT again and do something more valuable with them (that includes sleep).
It wouldn’t hurt you to retake, but your current score is already great. I applied to 7 UCs, also with an ACT composite of 34, and from the acceptances that have come out so far- UCI, UCSC, and UCD- I’ve been accepted to all of them for Computer Science. If anything, SAT IIs will help your application more, especially if you score 700+.
@hunter7890 Some universities --Ivy’s, plus some others require you to submit every ACT score. But since ACT allows you to delete scores from a single test date, you have nothing to lose by taking it again. However, for Michigan your job is complete because you only need to submit your highest test score from one test date. And a composite score of 34 is definitely high enough and good enough to get admitted. If you don’t get in, it won’t be because of that score. I don’t believe Michigan cares much about the writing score. And they don’t require SAT subject tests but will look at it if you submit it (but you should only submit if over 700). Your unweighted GPA (and academic rigor of your curriculum) will be accorded more weight than standardized test and subject test scores for admission. Assuming that the above is stellar, and given the holistic review of the applications it will be your essays, your extra-curricular activities and involvement, your letters of recommendation, and demonstrated interest that will tip the scale and weigh in favor of your being admitted or not. Final tip-- Focus the remainder of this year on coursework and don’t waste any more time on the ACT. A 4.0 gpa junior year in a rigorous curriculum will help you more.
I think this thread contains some really BAD advice from people with good intentions who don’t have the knowledge or experience to do better. The fact presented about deleting ACT scores is probably most important in answering your questions. As a few people said, since you can delete your score you have very little to lose. Ignore anyone who tells you the score can hurt you.
As for those telling you a higher score won’t make a difference, they really don’t know that. It’s certainly true for some candidates at some schools. Its certainly not true for all candidates at all schools (even excluding CalTech). As far as most candidates at most selective schools? None of us really know the answer. My instinct is to go ahead and take it again shooting for a 35/36.
If you can get a 35 or 36, why not? Have you done some practice and foresee a better score?
ACT 34 is great score but a higher score may help you with merit scholarship opportunities much more than in admission,
Nevertheless, if that ACT 34 is your plateau or even beyond your expectation, you may save your time and put the effort elsewhere. There is never a need to delete a test score of 34.
definitely retake it if you have the time.
i got a 33 without much preparation and wasn’t satisfied so i retook it, and got another 33. I knew I could do better, and took it one more time to put me over the standard range of 30-33 for accepted students of my dream school, and it worked. I got a 34, and although i was frustrated because my superscore from the 3 exams was a 36, i was glad i did it. it’s only a few hours out of your day. definitely worth it, trust me. i almost wish i had gone through and taken it a 4th time!!! just kidding 
but in all seriousness, one of my best friends who was number #7 in my very competitive high school, with over 6 years of 3 varsity sports and tons of extracurriculars, got rejected/waitlisted from 13/15 of her schools. There is no doubt in my mind that it was partially due to her average test scores. of course, your 34 is very much above average, but i do think that test scores can really help when there are so many extremely qualified and talented applicants to compare.