Hey,
I just took the December ACT and received a 36 composite score (36E, 35M, 36R, 35S). HOWEVER, I scored an 8 on the essay… Ouch.
Is it worth it to retake the test to boost my essay score? How much does the essay matter in the process of college admissions?
I’m having a bit of a crisis right now so any help would be much appreciated lol.
THANKS!
Is it worth it to retake the test to boost your essay score?
No. I highly doubt an essay score would ever be the deciding factor in admission, especially given your composite.
Having a crisis because of an essay score a few points lower than the full score? C’mon now. That’s not the thing to “have a crisis” about.
The essay is not weighted very heavily. The scoring on it was recently redone and colleges understand this based on what I know. If I was in your situation, I would probably not retake it. The composite is MUCH more important than the writing score.
I wish I were you
You absolutely do not need to retake. Statistically, many students who get a high score to begin with often do worse on a retake. There have been issues with the ACT essay and colleges are well aware of this. 8 is not terrible, and given your score of 36, if you don’t get in, it won’t be due to the ACT essay. Colleges just want to know that you can write an essay, and your score shows you can.
If you are really worried, you can pay to have it rescored. If the score is raised, ACT will refund the money for the rescore. If the score isn’t raised, you have spent $50, but you will at least know that it was fairly scored. It won’t be scored lower. As I said, 8 is fine, it’s probably in the high 80th percentile. They are going to drool over your 36, and be satisfied with the 8. Find better things to have a crisis about:-)
lol I think the “crisis” occurred mainly because I thought I had written a much stronger essay.
THANK YOU ALL!
Essay score of 8 out of 12 is not bad.
I had the same exact crisis for the October test date, but I got a 6 on the essay. I didn’t (and still don’t) believe that I deserve that score for my writing. After one week of freaking out, I let it go, for the reasons the other posters stated. I don’t think you should have it “re-scored”, though. The ACT has changed its “re-scoring” policy – now they don’t even re-read your essay, they pretty much just make sure that it got scanned. Don’t waste your money. I am taking AP Lang this year, so I’ll just include my AP exam score in my applications, which will prove that i can write well in a timed setting. If you are in the same boat, I recommend that. If not, I am sure that admissions officials will get an idea of your skills from your essays and grades in english classes.