I received ACT scores back today, and I got a 34 composite. I was just wondering whether there was a big discrepancy between a 34 and a 35 or 35 in the eyes of admissions committees.
Not really. A 34 is a great score and, when you get to such a high level, is effectively the same as a 35 or 36.
35 gives the psychological boost and 36 just looks nice. Nothing more.
It depends on where you want to apply. At Harvey Mudd, for example, that is right at the 50% mark. A higher score will help at top schools. A 34 is 99th percentile, so it is fine for pretty much every school except the very top few.
No there’s not much of a difference. Many “top” schools require you to send all scores, so it may look bad if you decided to retake the test to improve a 34. Instead of retaking it for a perfect score, it’s better to spend that time studying for school or doing extracurricular activities (or you know, just having fun and being a teenager :P).
Congratulations btw, a 34 is an amazing score!
I don’t think top schools look down on a second attempt at all. It is those 4th/5th/6th attempts that they notice.
I think it also depends on the breakdown of your scores. If you have a 32 math and want to go into a STEM field, it is worth retaking. Otherwise, a 34 is fine. Others may disagree, but you aren’t going to be turned down from a top 10 school becuase you have a 34 vs 35/36. A perfect score looks nice but IS NOT worth obsessing over.
^Excellant analysis
Not really a difference. I wouldn’t take it again unless you messed up in a subsection in which you’re planning to major.
What are your subtest scores?
My subtest scores are
English: 36
Math: 35
Reading: 33
Science: 30
I am planning on majoring something in the science field (maybe biology) but I’m not 100% sure yet. Would a lower science score look bad?
Also think about the time you have to put in to improve your scores. A lot of stuff can be done with that time that will make you much more appealing to colleges than an extra point or two.
@intparent at the top schools, 1 and done is always better. See my sentence above.
Looks like a lower science score is the trend this test. Almost everyone I have spoken to today has had a lower composite score because of science…
It may worth retaking the test by focusing just on the science . you will look better for the schools that super score
One and done with a 35 or 36 is always better, IMHO.
One and done with a 34 is fine too.
It’s a 99th percentile score; it falls at or better than the 75th percentile nearly everywhere. It’s almost certainly above the 50th percentile everywhere bar Caltech, Mudd, and a few elite engineering programs that admit by major. The difference between a 34 and a 35 could one or two questions out of over 200.
I’d only suggest retaking a lopsided score if you had scored a low math subsection and intended to go into a STEM field. The science is very reading comprehension oriented–if you’re concerned about the science subscore, scoring highly on the Bio/Chem SAT 2s will probably help you more than adding another few points to your ACT science.
Cal tech, Mudd, WUSTL, and Chicago seem to be the main schools that love those last couple points. Otherwise, agreed with the points above about score breakdowns and specific majors.
Many colleges value the math and english subscores more than the science, so your 34 looks very good for them