<p>My ds is debating whether to retake the ACT, on which he scored 32. He's a senior, planning to apply to some top 20 colleges. Our conversations have gone something like this:
[ul]
[li]Don't retake. A 32 appears to meet the minimum for most top 20 colleges, and after that, scores dont matter so much anymore. Adcoms will decide based on other factors essays, transcript, activities, recommendations, etc. The middle 50% range for top 20 schools typically runs around 30-34 on the ACT. A score of 32 is smack in the middle of that range, so it's high enough. Let it stand, and focus on essays instead.<br>[/li][/ul]
[ul]
[li]Retake. When you're aiming for a top 20 college, everything matters. An extra one or two points might make the difference between acceptance and rejection. If you're not an athlete, not a legacy, not URM, and not likely to donate millions to the school, then your test scores need to be at the high end of the range preferably above the 75th percentile to have a reasonable chance at acceptance. Being smack in the middle of the range is not enough, especially for places like HYPSM.[/li][/ul]
Thoughts?</p>
<p>My d scored a 32 as well. She’s not retaking. She’s not applying to HYPSM, but just under that tier. I told her she could do whatever she wanted and she didn’t want to take the chance of scoring lower. She was content with her score. It’s at the high end of the percentages for the schools to which she’s applying and she’s willing to take that chance. </p>
<p>Now, that being said, she is retaking a 2130 on the SAT. She wants to see if she can get that slightly higher…</p>
<p>If you’re interested in merit scholarships, you might want to re-take. Depends on the schools to which you are applying - find out what you need to be considered.</p>
<p>My son scored a 32 and retook. He did WORSE! He is looking at state schools only tho, so it’s just for merit aid.</p>
<p>Some schools like MIT, Amherst superscore the ACT. There’s a thread somewhere with the list of schools who do this. If one section score was significantly lower than others, might be worth retaking. </p>
<p>Also, I think there’s a lot of merit money floating in B+ tier of schools (20-40?) that might hinge on 32 vs 33 vs 34, if that’s of any interest.</p>
<p>What makes the difference if one does worse when re-taking the ACT? It’s still score choice, isn’t it?</p>
<p>It depends. How much time does your D have? Will she go over a couple of practice tests? How much will retaking stress her out?
If it is not a lot of effort, and she feels she could do better, she should retake. If there are merit scholarships as a possibility, she should retake.
On the other hand, if this will be a major cause of stress that will prevent her from concentrating on other aspects of her life - just leave it stand.</p>
<p>Take a look at the Naviance scattergrams for your high school. They’re the best barometer of the kinds of grades and scores it takes for a student from your high school to get into a particular college. At my kids’ high schools, a 32, if accompanied by the requisite grades and intangibles, would be adequate for several top 20 schools, but low for many. Don’t be lulled too much by a college’s reported mid-50%: those number typically include kids with hooks – recruited athletes, development cases, talented URMs. For an unhooked applicant, it’s a good idea to go for the best score you can achieve.</p>
<p>Is this the first time your daughter took the ACT? If so, and if she’s aiming high, I suggest re-prepping and re-taking.</p>
<p>The problem that I have not noticed being mention here, is that a 32 composite could actually have a low score on one component and a high score on the other. You could have a 28 in V and 36 in Sci, thus, it is not a straight 32.</p>
<p>DS had a higher score than that, was a Nationally ranked TKD Olympic champ, State champ, NYLF, Habitat for humanity, Lifeguard (for 2 yrs, 20 hrs/wk school, 40 summer and pool mgr for the Y), Top 10%, NHS since 10th, Beta for 8,9, Who’s Who, NFHS, Renassiance, NSMF, and AFROTC full ride scholarship. </p>
<p>He was wait listed by Notre Dame</p>
<p>He was actively recruited by UPenn, Princeton, Duke, Stanford, UVA and UNCCH. However, I will not sugar coat it, the last item on the resume I just presented was his “hook”, if you really don’t have a hook than that gpa must be incredibly high with all AP/IBs.</p>
<p>Yes 32, is great, but when you are looking at the top 20 in the nation, you don’t want to be in the 50% without a hook or an extraordinary resume.</p>
<p>Take some time and look at the threads of the schools that you are choosing, they will give you better insight.</p>
<p>Also, since most schools superscore, let’s say they had 34 on M and 30 on Science, have him target science, because if he can bring that up, he can have a 33, which helps more than a 32.</p>
<p>I would also suggest taking the SAT, do not take the option of reporting them to the school. If he comes out higher than the ACT, than pay the 10 bucks and have them sent.</p>
<p>I just never could understand the argument for not retaking. It’s just a Saturday morning, for goodness sake. Why on earth would you not retake? I know there is this thinking out there that scores are just a qualifier to meet some sort of threshold criterion at schools. That’s not at all how it works from what we’ve observed over the years. Every single extra point can only help. This applies to all strata of colleges, when you are considering merit.</p>
<p>I think the real question is whether there he thinks he can do any better, and if so, how how much prep time it will take. Then, what would be the impact of that time taken on current grades, essays etc.</p>
<p>First of all–Congrats to your son–32 is a great score! I’m with nngmm: If your child is amenable to re-taking, go for it. If it’s a source of stress, bag it! Anecdotaly, I’ve had kids with ACT scores of 28 and 30 get into Top 20 schools, including an Ivy. Granted, the whole package made a difference. Colleges are looking for community members–your son has proven he’s academically talented, I’d work on other aspects of the application to differentiate him.</p>
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<p>In the past, I couldn’t either. But this year a few schools have started requesting to see scores from every sitting of the ACT. I’m not sure what they plan to do with this information, but it makes me wonder if there might be a penalty for repeatedly taking the test, or for getting a lower score.</p>
<p>Colleges know that most students take the test more than once. Three times is a reasonable maximum. More than three sittings raises eyebrows.</p>
<p>lgreen - yes, that would be the only reason against retaking imo.</p>
<p>I remember when I took mine, there was no superscore. You got the best of the 2. The reason you only took 2 was because on # 3, they started to avg them and it could hurt.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think our system was better, instead of superscore. Plus the written is BS, since most schools do not use them in their decision factor and weight more on the essay.</p>
<p>Most schools do not superscore the ACT. Very few do. I never understood their reasoning behind superscoring the SAT, but not the ACT.</p>
<p>“More than three sittings raises eyebrows.”</p>
<p>Would this also hold true for the SATs? My son is taking them for a fifth and final time in October in hopes of pushing above the 2100 mark and landing merit aid (not applying to top schools). A bit late for me to be asking, I guess, but …</p>
<p>srystress, I will tell you that UMDCP, UP, NYU, AFA, USNA, USMA, UMiami, UNCCH, , VATech, VCU, ECU, Notre Dame, all superscore since my 2 kids have applied to them.</p>
<p>I would suggest that all parents look into the college and find out if they super score.</p>
<p>Just as SATs are common place on the east coast, while ACTs are rare, alot has to do with the actual school admissions dept. DS took the ACT only for ND, but his score was higher than SAT, that several selected that instead of his ACT.</p>
<p>For a child who was close to 2200 (2190), merit will be based on the quality of school. 2200 at UMD, not so much, 2200 at UMiami (FLA) 88K over 4 yrs.</p>
<p>b&P</p>
<p>I do not believe that ND superscores the ACT, i.e, create a new composite score. Indeed, they specifically state that they use the highest composite, whereas they clearly state that they mix and match SAT scores. Obviously, if they mixed and matched ACT subscores, they would so state on their web site. In fact, few selective colleges recompute a new composite. Most just say, ‘send us all your scores and we will look at them individually.’ </p>
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<p>[Admissions</a> & Application FAQ // Admissions // University of Notre Dame](<a href=“http://admissions.nd.edu/admission-and-application/prospective-first-year-students/application-faq]Admissions”>http://admissions.nd.edu/admission-and-application/prospective-first-year-students/application-faq)</p>
<p>OP: Yes, a 32 is the psychological floor for a lot of top schools, but a 33/34 is better. Heck, higher is ALWAYS better, all other things being equal.</p>