<p>I took the ACT once(June), scored a 34 with 8 writing without studying. Should I retake, study, and go for that 36?</p>
<p>Yes why not?</p>
<p>I am wary that maybe my score may go down, and I also don’t want to look test obsessed since my score is already good</p>
<p>I see no need for a retake, you won’t gain anything from wasting another Saturday taking a boring test that you already knocked out of the park. You’ve already proved to colleges that you are capable of high-level achieving, your job is done.</p>
<p>How much better is a 36 than a 34, part of me wants to try and go for a perfect score, but I realize that the difference may be negligible to the admissions office.</p>
<p>At the point that you are at, the difference between a 34 and 36 won’t make a difference when compared to any other stat within your college admissions. However, I’m not sure about where you are applying or what your major is, or if the college will superscore (which most don’t for the ACT if I remember correctly), but an 8 may be low on the essay if you are preparing to be an English-related major at a top-tier college.</p>
<p>I don’t believe they care about an average essay grade as long as your commonapp/supplemental essays are good. Unless you get a 6 or something, I think you’re fine.</p>
<p>If all of your subscores are close, I wouldn’t retake a 34. If you have an outlier, retake! I got a 34 my first time (36/29/36/33). I retook it because my math score was low and I knew I could do a lot better. The second time I got 35/35/36/35, a much more well-rounded score!</p>
<p>I received a 34 as well, and after looking at accepted student profiles for Ivies and other top universities, I have found no reason to retake the ACT. A 36 on the ACT is notoriously hard to achieve. Out of over 1.6 million test takers in 2011, 705 students achieved a 36 (source Wikipedia). With a 34 composite, you have a score at the higher end of the mid-50% ranges in the Ivy league ([Ivy</a> League ACT Scores Comparison](<a href=“http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theact/a/act_side_x_side.htm]Ivy”>Ivy League ACT Score Comparison for Admission)). As previously mentioned, rounding out your scores is a good idea, but your composite score is already fantastic.</p>
<p>My score is pretty well rounded 34e/35m/33r/33s. I think I’m going to retake it one more time because my GC recommended I do so. I think If I study a bit over the summer than I can achieve at least a super score 36. I am going to be majoring in something math/ science related. I realize 36 v 34 is minimal, but it could be the difference for me, who knows.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat, I got a 34 (but an 11 on the writing, 34 combined with English) with no studying at all. I’m very happy with my score, but one of the reasons I am so happy is because of the writing score. If you want to get a better writing score, remember that you will also have to do well on the English portion. But I would not go for the 36. You would actually have to study for that. 33, 34, 35 and 36 are all in the 99th percentile. 32 is in 98. You(we?) did fantastic and should be proud of ourselves. Enjoy your score and only go for the 36 if you are willing to actually study.</p>