Hey all! I’m a high school junior who has taken the ACT twice: once in February, with no preparation, where I got a 31 composite (36 english 36 reading 27 math 25 science) and again in April, with a little bit of preparation, and I got a 32 composite (34 reading 34 reading 30 science 29 math), making my super-score a 33.
I have a few questions:
- Should I retake the ACT if my reach schools are Georgetown, Tufts, Brown?
- I heard a rumor that takers of the ACT do not actually need to send all scores (that is, schools will not know if you didn’t). Is this true? Is a super score of 33, showing both perfect and very rough subscores, actually more impressive than just sending the one 32?
My options are to retake in June (right after 3 SATIIs, so might not be in the best place studying-wise) or in September (which might be too late for some early decisions and far too removed from the small amount of studying I did this April).
PLEASE HELP and let me know!
Georgetown requires that you send information from all test sittings. All three schools care about more than your ACT score. It is hard to give you advise without knowing more about other aspects of your application like UW GPA, course rigor, ECs…
yes, of course! i was just focusing on this one factor because i received my score just about an hour ago and had a little burst of anxiety. i don’t want to get too detailed but from my counselor’s point of view, i am capable of getting in but i am not the kind of student where they are givens. supposing that an act score is the easiest factor to change, i just wonder to what extent a 33 or higher is the tipping point.
Many schools do not superscore the ACT, only the SAT.
to keep in mind, yes! so are you saying i should indeed retake to improve the 32?
From what I understand there is a big difference in a 33 from a 32 and then again a 34 from 33. However, after 34 it’s not as big of a deal. I saw the numbers once but couldn’t find it. Half as many people make a 33 as a 32. Common data sets aren’t helpful because they lump most 30’s together.
if you have time to study, the Math is the easiest section in which to improve. Have you taken Precalc/Trig yet? (There are always 4 trig problems on the ACT, 2 of which are right angle problems – hint hint.)
Since higher is always better for an Ivy, yes, a 33 actual is better than a 32. (Most colleges do not superstore the ACT.)
btw: can you retake in September, giving you a few more weeks to practice the math problems?
yes i guess i should retake in september then, just am worried that scores will not be out in time to apply early 
but then again, i have no experience hahah
I am also a high school junior. I think my case is different because I took my first test with A LOT of preparation. My first exam score was 31. I took my second exam last December with no preparation at all (I was hopeless, since I scored lower than I thought after all the hard work), and my score raised to 32. The third time I took was in April, had no time to prepare because of AP, and I raised my score again to 33. So I’m guessing that the more you take it, the chance is that your score will raise, at least to a certain point. Take one in June and see how it goes! I have strong feelings that you will score 33 or higher 