Retake a 33 ACT?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
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<p>My son just got the results from his February ACT test. It’s the first time taking it for real (he tested as part of the Midwest Talent Search in middle school) and he did prepare for it extensively. He got a 33 composite, which was broken down pretty evenly (34 math, 34 science, 33 reading, 31 English). </p>

<p>He insists he wants to take the April test to see if he can do better. I think at this level that it’s so easy to just miss one or two (through inattention, stupid mistakes, or just not understanding what they’re asking for in a question) and end up with a lower score. Incidentally he focused on studying for the English, which is his weak point and was very happy with that score. I think he mainly wants to try to get a 36 on math (his strongest subject).</p>

<p>Since the academies don’t penalize you for taking it more than once, should he go ahead and try? Is a 36 in math (if he gets one) going to help him at all? If by chance he raises his overall to a 34 (I don’t think higher is realistic), will it really make any difference? Would it look bad if he takes it again and scores lower?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help!</p>

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<p>its really up to him. i don’t think by retaking it he will improve his chances of getting in, cause a 33 is a remarkable score. however if he is set on reataking it and trying to improve just to see if he can, then go for it. alll you rly lose is the fee for the test and a saturady morning. if its worth it to him, let him do it, but i don’t think it will change his chances at all.</p>

<p>and congrats! a 33 is a great score!</p>

3

<p>The AFA looks at the WHOLE CANDIDATE SCORE (WCS)</p>

<p>He could have a 36 composite and not be accepted…why? Because he has no ECS, or has a low CFA. It is the Whole candidate.</p>

<p>They do superscore, so in essence it is no harm, no foul. A 33 is equivalent to 2190 on SAT. He gets up to a 34 and he will get more points on his WCS…the the highest points wins the nom, unless principal.</p>

<p>You need to start practicing the CFA…1 pull up will hurt, a low BBall throw will hurt. Typically what you will see on this forum and [United</a> States of America Service Academy Forums - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“http://www.serviceacademyforums.com%5DUnited”>http://www.serviceacademyforums.com) is how to increase those scores. The AFA is concerned about the CFA because of the altitude.</p>

<p>You also need to realize that the DODmerb can be an issue…braces, allergies, acne, mono, tonsilitis, and many other medical issues as a parent we sluff off will become the bane of your existence.</p>

<p>Contact your ALO and ask where he is coming up short in his ap. You are ahead of the game, they can help with assisting in directing courses for next yr., joining clubs, and the CFA. ALO’s also are a part of the WCS, their rec is given pts. thus they carry weight</p>

<p>In the end his ACT is really the least of your concern, he is standing on a higher end…getting the nom, clearing Dodmerb and the CFA are areas I would pay more attention to.</p>

<p>You don’t realize right now how lucky you are to find this site, because the goal of every member here is to assist in getting into the AFA. Sometimes the truth on this site will be brutal, but life at any SA is not easy either, we are all trying to assist in making the dream come true. If the direction/advice we give seems harsh, just remember BCT is worse ;)</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK</p>

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<p>Since the colleges take the best score for each section, it will not hurt him to take it as many times as he needs to get the composite score he wants. From the averages, his present score should make him competitive. My son’s score increased when he took it again. I would let him take until he is happy with his score - he will only increase his changes.</p>

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<p>Good advice from others. Just FYI, my son had a 34 on his only ACT and that score as well as a 33 is certainly competitive. I would advise that your sons/daughters focus on other areas they can improve on, say physical fitness, extracurricular leadership skills, etc.</p>

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<p>Good advice all around here. Make sure your child (well, s/he should be doing it on his own now) is very prepared for the CFA, that his transcript is correct (mistakes abound, I’ve heard), and that all his ducks are in a row.</p>

<p>If you suspect there could be any trouble on a DoDMERB examination, I would have a complete copy of my child’s medical history available. In other words, request it now, since copying can take a long time. We waited almost three weeks for copies last spring. Excruciatingly long wait in a pressure-filled time.</p>

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<p>The USAFA superscores as well, so you can get a 36 in each subject on 4 different test occasions, and it will show a 36 for each subject when they look at the application. Honestly, those scores look fantastic. It wouldn’t hurt to take it again.</p>

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<p>would love for you to retake it. They are going for Ivy League numbers on as many factors as they can. I know there is the total score, but every college wants rankings now. Go for it just to tell your kids some day that you got a 35 or 36. And congrats on your hard work and genetics, it takes both.</p>

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<p>I wish i would have gotten a 33! Good job! mine eh…definitely wasn’t a 33 ;)</p>

<p>So i would think it would be good to also be focusing more on other areas seeing as a 33 is very competitive.</p>

<p>Good job and good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for your help. Just one more stupid question. He says he’d rather take it without the writing next time if he’s happy with that score. Can he do that or can the other parts not count at all if the writing isn’t taken with them? Or is once with the writing enough? Unfortunately he won’t have his writing score until after it’s too late to register for the April ACT so he probably should retake that as well just in case he didn’t do that well this time on it.</p>

<p>He is working on everything, and that’s really why I’m asking the question. He has the grades, class rank, college & AP classes, scores etc, so my thought was that maybe he’s close to getting as many points as he could out of the academic part anyways so really getting the ACT up a point or so wouldn’t make any difference (and would just cost me $50)! He’s been working on taking a practice CFA nearly every other day (and doing weights & endurance work the other days). He’s trying to get more leadership roles and activities in. His ALO has just pretty much told him everything looks great - no real useful advice. He’s working on his essays and practicing for interviews. We’ve gotten a lot of great information and suggestions from these boards and the people on them.</p>

<p>Fencersmom - can I get the medical history now? Will they accept it from a parent? I work for an insurance company and I know we have to get the histories from the doctors directly - too easy for the applicant to just “lose” pages on the way. I’d assumed it worked like that so wasn’t even thinking about it. I’m just concerned because we moved about 3 years ago and if they want anything from back then, I’m not sure they’d even still have his records. I did get them and turn them over to our new doc when we moved, but they never seem to have any record of it when I ask them anything. Maybe I should start now?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Dodmerb is going to assign you a doc to fillout his medical history. If there are any issues that need waivers it is best to find the paperwork now…waivers can be a very long process. </p>

<p>We did not hand in our DS’s records, just the DOdmerb form.</p>

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<p>Can you elaborate on whole candidate score and how schools use it?</p>

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<p>Here is the link for the AFA
[Air</a> Force Academy - Selection Scoring](<a href=“http://academyadmissions.com/admissions/selection/scoring.php]Air”>http://academyadmissions.com/admissions/selection/scoring.php)</p>

<p>There is no magic number since candidates will originally compete within their nom source, from there some will make it to the National pool.</p>

<p>The score is internal and has no effect on your nom. source. </p>

<p>Many colleges use a program/model like this (minus the CFA), it is just the AFA has officially stated this is the % we assign to everything.</p>

<p>Also remember they do not announce what the min scores are for the CFA, just the max scores, i.e. you can do more, but you won’t get any more points…so you might as well stop at 18 pullups, 95 sit-up and 89 push-ups for guys.</p>

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<p>Does admissions disclose the final composite score to a candidate?</p>

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<p>NO…I have read that at USNA there is someplace as a mid you can go and find it in their records building.</p>

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<p>Ugh! The dreaded writing portion! Many a dumb questions were asked at SS about the ACT/SAT writing portions. In the end they basically said that it is not a requirement (at least for c/o 2013) but they encourage it if you are planning on sending the scores to other schools too. In essence, the writing scores can’t really hurt you, and they can’t really help you. It’s just the AF telling some kids that they better have a back-up plan since only about 18% or so get in anually.</p>

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<p>The great thing about ACT is YOU choose which test dates you want to send. So… if your son did not do as well the 2nd time around, he doesn’t have to send the scores. Currenly, the SAT sends cumulative results of all tests taken so you can’t pick specific tests to send. I understand that this is changing in 2010 so you can choose.</p>

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<p>like it’s been said before, unlike other schools, usafa doesn’t punish you for taking multiple times. they will take your best score in each subject, regardless of how many times you’ve taken it.</p>

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<p>If he wants to take it, let him go for the highest score possible. A higher score is always better, and since USAFA superscores, the chances are good. (I went from a 32 to a 34)</p>

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<p>Just an update to let you all know that he did in fact take the ACT in April, and raised his score from the 33 to a 35! He got the 36 he was hoping for in math, also got a 36 in science (from a 34), stayed at a 33 for reading, and went from a 31 to a 35 in English (after a 27 on his first attempt!). So he was VERY happy with his scores this morning. I really think a lot of it was just relaxing and knowing that it didn’t really matter this time that allowed him to do his best! Anyways - we’re done! Thanks everyone for your input earlier!</p>