If you have already taken the ACT and are happy with your score do you still have to take the state ACT? If you miss the test administration date, would there be consequences for not taking the test? It seems to me that taking a national level ACT should satisfy the same requirements as the state level ACT. Any help on this topic is much appreciated.
Why wouldn’t you take it? It gives you another chance to get a better score.
I wouldn’t recommend taking it if you are applying to colleges that require all your test scores and are very happy with your current score.
I’ve said this before on other forums - perhaps each state is different but here in MN the state CANNOT force anyone to take the test. What the law makes clear is that all public districts are required to make it available. Also that the ACT or other standardized test (such as SAT) is required for graduation. My daughter fulfilled her requirement by taking the SAT.
Talk to your guidance counselor. And also find out what exactly the statute says. I’m betting it’s worded similarly to the MN statute. Which may or may not be how it’s been represented to you all.
I was able to lobby my school last year to not take the test because I already had a high score, and as the others posted, I didn’t want to send that one along with the others.
Talk to your school. Although, IMO, you should have thought about this before last minute.
You have nothing to lose by taking the ACT again. If you don’t like the score, you can permanently delete the score. So don’t worry about the idea that “some schools require all your scores.”
The ACT system works in your favor.
Uh, that’s not quite correct, @mmk2015. You can’t cancel a released score, and you don’t see your score till it’s released. It goes to your school (and may even show up on your transcript depending on your school’s policy) and if you exercised your option of having your scores sent to colleges free of charge, it will go to them.
What you can probably do is cancel your test shortly after taking or even before completing, but I wouldn’t advise that under most circumstances because then you’ll be worried about whether ACT actually cancelled it, blah blah blah. Better to avoid taking the test altogether.
You can also opt not to send to any colleges at all till you see your score, and/or opt not to send them that particular score at all. However, some colleges, especially highly selective ones, require ALL your scores. And you certainly have no control about who else sees that score (guidance counselor, etc.) So again, why take the test in the first place if you are happy with your current scores?
You’re seriously giving out the wrong information, Mamelot.
This is right from the ACT website, under HELP, under SCORES, under SCORE REPORTS:
www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/help.html
“How do I delete a test date record?”
Students own their test scores and may direct ACT to delete their scores for a particular test date from our records. (Note: Students may not delete scores used to document participation in State and District Testing.)
To delete your scores for a particular test date, you must submit a written request. Provide us with your name and home address, and we will mail you a form to complete and return to us. We will then permanently remove your record for that test date from our files. All scores from that test date will be deleted.
Write to:
ACT Institutional Services
P.O. Box 168
Iowa City, IA 52243-0168
USA
OP, State mandated tests can’t be deleted, according to the ACT website. But National tests can be permanently deleted, as if you never took them.
Some might consider this unethical, but it’s the ACT system. Perfectly legal.
I read somewhere that if you tested nationally (ACT or SAT), you’ve satisfied the State requirement. So you can’t be forced to take the State mandated test. However, check with your school to confirm what the policies are in your state. Every state has it’s own policies.
And don’t listen to anyone with an opinion, including me. Facts are more valuable than random opinions. Always confirm by going directly to the source. In this case, the ACT and your school.
Whether you can skip the state mandated ACT test really depends on the rules applicable in your state. Likely, you cannot just choose to skip it (and not face some adverse action) but it may be possible to get a waiver in your circumstances, although that may require your parents to formally request it. You need to find out from your school what the rules actually are.
Sure you can skip it. Its a free country! You can’t possibly take the ACT if you are not feeling well. No one is going to call the police and come get you. You already have a 35 ACT - do not retake it. To the poster above - the state test is the one that this student if being ‘forced’ to take - so he/she would not be able to delete it. Why bother… just don’t go!
I would look very carefully at the state’s requirements, OP. Might it be required for graduation?
@mm2015 my mistake - you are correct there is indeed a difference between “deleting” and “cancelling”.
Deleting is an action with permanent consequences that IMHO can cause more problems than it seeks to resolve.
First of all, that score may is still be part of your school record and anyone else that it happened to go to prior to your request for deletion - ACT may no longer have it, but who else might? Second, you are establishing a paper trail that will look bad. Period. Do you really want to risk being found out as the applicant who deletes his/her scores? And I wouldn’t hang my hat on them “not finding out” because all it takes is a simple question at a college interview which would require either a lie, a disclosure of the unflattering truth, or a “no comment”. Not sure any of those responses is going to help admission chances. Third, deletion is not even an applicable option for the OP, as you pointed out. If you don’t pay for the record, it’s not yours to delete.
Again, the simplest approach is not to take the test in the first place. An ounce of prevention in this case is worth much more than a pound of “cure”.
@suzy100 the OP - and more importantly the OP’s guidance counselor! - already have an ACT score on file. @SuzyQ7 is correct. Also, just thinking common sense here - one would have a much higher probability of a lower score than a higher score if the initial ACT is 35. The idea that a state standard can legally or otherwise cause someone to be “forced” to compromise his/her chances of admission and scholarships is a bit silly. The grad standard might well be that everyone has to take an ACT but I’m betting it’s not that everyone has to take THAT ACT.
If you delete a National score, the ACT will send a notice to your high school telling the HS that the deleted score is no longer valid and to remove it from its HS records. The student just has to follow up with the HS and make sure it is in fact removed.
A newbie here (mom to an 8-th grader). Would you guys recommend deleting a score to someone who took ACT for the first time, was stressed out and did worse than expected? Thanks!
For an 8th grader?
I think that would be one of the situations where you can delete w/o worry. However, do keep in mind that by the time your student submits scores to college that 8th grade ACT might be a bit out of date anyway.