Retake the ACT??

Hi, everyone. I am a rising senior and just recently took and received my scores for the June ACT. I was pretty happy with my score–I got a 33C (35W 36R 30M 30S). However, I was hoping to get a 34+ so that I could be sure that I wouldn’t have to take the ACT/ SAT again. This is my first time taking the ACT–I took the old SAT twice and got a 2170 superscored.

Essentially, my question here is whether to retake the ACT in September. The disparities between R/ W and M/ S concern me a little bit, especially considering how I did on practice tests. I got a 35 on the science section on a practice test and a 33 for math. I’m not really sure what went wrong… maybe it was poor time management. Will colleges look down on these low section scores (keep in mind that I’m looking at schools like Dartmouth, Princeton, and Middlebury)?

So, do you guys think it would be worth my while to take it one more time? Do you think I have a shot at a 34/35/36?

Also–I heard that everyone tends to do poorly on the writing section. Do colleges look down on that?

bump

Your science and math scores are a little low for the Ivies. A 33 is a good composite score, but it wouldn’t hurt to retake especially since you only took the ACT once. Also, the writing section is not a good indication of one’s writing ability; people with horrid writing scores still get into amazing schools. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about your writing score.

Depending on your major, you might want to retake and focus solely on the STEM part (even if you’re an English major though, you’ll probably need a higher score for the ivies)

Thank you both so much!

@nmocha567 I agree with the others. If you really want to get into a ivy league in a particular field, you may want to retake it for a higher science or math score. Other than that your score is great and you will be fine! If I may ask, what did you do to study for the ACT? I will be taking it later and would appreciate any advice, thanks!

@PetEngineer Thank you! I mostly took some practice tests, but I didn’t focus too much on one individual section. I recommend using the tests that the ACT actually released. Also, I recommend using the website Crack ACT. It’s really helpful if you want to study for specific sections, for there are dozens and dozens of tests for each section. But if you haven’t taken it yet, don’t stress–it may be better to see where you need to improve (like in my case) so that you can focus your studying.

Anything 34 and above is sufficient to get into any school. I would retake it if I were you (brush up on math, and work on science strategy. Science is basically another reading section, which you are clearly good at). Don’t beat yourself and spend all your time trying to get a 36 or anything. Once you have a 34+, it really comes down to the many other factors on your application. You are capable of getting that 34+, so try again. Best of luck!

Thanks to everyone!