Is it bad to take the ACT three times?

<p>I took the ACT without prep in April and got a 32 (E:35,M:26,R:33,S:34). I was disappointed with my low math score so I decided to take it again in June, but I was distracted because my sister's jerk ex-boyfriend was my proctor and he was sitting directly across from me. Not only did I have to guess on 4 math questions (predicted this would happen), but I also did not finish science and randomly guessed on 3 of those questions. I plan on applying to selective liberal arts schools that don't super score the ACT. Will it look bad if I take it for a third time even though I got a pretty good score the first time?</p>

<p>What looks bad is not taking it three times, but the possibility of your score dropping from the first score you got.</p>

<p>The bad thing is that you did not prepare for a test before taking it. If you are thoroughly prepared, you only need to take it once (or may be twice). For those who took the test multiple times, the admission office may have the impression that either that person did not prepare for the test or is score obsessive.</p>

<p>A 32 is a solid score, but a 26 is appaling.
What you should have done is prepped extra special for the math section, and hope that all the other sections remain consistent.
Anyway, as long as you aren’t doing something math related, your score alone shouldn’t hold you back.
And was it just me or was the math section on the june test hard? lol</p>

<p>You have the option to report just one test.</p>

<p>@legoo I thought the April math section was harder than normal as well! I recieed perfect English/science scores, then boom 31 math. And BC calc is my strong suit. The results were shocking.</p>

<p>I doubt it. My friend is taking it for her 7th time. I personally am going in for my third time this September. I bombed June’s math section (25) and only got a 29 overall, I need a 32+. I know I’m capable of said score, so as long as I study and score higher, I don’t see how it can do anything but help. Colleges will only see you’re highest score, that shows your potential, they don’t care about the rest. Also, feel your pain about the proctor. Except mine was my ex who glared/smirked at me the entire time. Ahhh, lovely testing conditions.</p>

<p>Most schools accept score choice.</p>

<p>At worst, you can cancel your score.</p>

<p>no u can pick what act scores you want to send. i met with a tutor who told me that when i was deciding which to take</p>