Okay, thanks @worhexiz. That’s exactly how a feel. Like c’mon, 31 is the 97th percentile. I’m gonna try and make myself standout in other ways. I think I have good hooks. And I’m a urm so. I’ll also try not to “be a tool” as you so eloquently put it.
Of course you should take it at least one more time and consider the SAT. If you are considering a really selective school why minimize your options? With acceptance rates in the single digits, a single point difference on the ACT can be meaningful because there might be a dozen (or a hundred) other people just like you on paper. $60 for a single test vs. $60,000 for a single year at school…
I would take it again, but after studying or spending some time with a tutor. One point could matter in your situation. You might get into a couple of those schools now, but it is also possible that you get shut out. One point will help your odds.
Okay. Honestly, still not sure what to do. Some say don’t bother, so say you have to raise it to get into any of those schools…
I usually say “No, don’t retake. Don’t fixate on test scores” In your case, however, I say retake. Why? Because you can raise your score to 32 without too much stress by working on your Math and you’ve shown you can hit 30 on Science. Look at the subsection scores in Math and see if you have a weakness.
I agree your Science score should be closer to your Reading score. Look at Science as a Reading Comprehension in Charts, Tables and Graphs test. In other words, focus on those and less on the paragraph. This may be more a matter of practice - the more times you do this, the better you get.
Focus on those two sections. I would take more practice tests in those two sections over the summer.
http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-many-people-get-a-34-35-36-on-the-act-score-breakdown
OP, here is data on the fall off as you go up one point.
Score/# students/Percent of all test takers
36/1,407/0.076
35/7,175/0.38
34/14,037/0.75
33/19,589/1.06
Score/# students/Percententile
32/25,524/98
31/32,048/97
Sorry for the shift from percent of test takers to percentile but that is how prep scholar did it. You can see that half as many make a 34 as a 32.
The problem with the common data sets and ACT is that they lump 31-36 together (or whatever it is). Even the middle 50 of 32-34 is a problem because the 25% and 50% may both be 32. 33 my be 50-70% and 34 70-75%. There is no way to know. I seriously doubt that 32-35 are evenly distributed across the middle 50 percent. Of course my hypothetical distribution is based on the chart above. It may be that 32 is only 25-30% and the rest is 33 or 34.
Imma be honest, that 32 in science was probably first time luck. I took several practice tests, and then the real test, and never got over a 30 on that section. As for math… Ah… That is my worst subject. I regularly get border line A’s to A-'s in my BC calc class
And thanks for the data @Sportsman88
Retake for the magical 35…32 vs 31 is a statistical nonevent. (Not literally…)
I think science swings wildly for many folks and disagree that a strong reading score means you should do well in science. Even though all of the answers are in the passage, if one has a strong background in science it will be easier. Each test may have more of a particular science, physics, chemistry, etc., so there is a little luck in getting one that aligns to your strength if you aren’t a science student. Unfortunately, ACT isn’t superscored by most schools.
If you are making A/A- in Calc BC then you are not a weak math student. I think study specifically for math on SAT or ACT would be helpful. Sometimes Calc students struggle to make top scores in math on standardized tests because it is more focused on Algebra II with a little precal and prob/stats. Even though you use those in Calc, you may have forgotten nuances or missed a couple areas the first time around.
Okay thanks for the advice @Sportsman88. And what do you mean by “statistical nonevent” @HRSMom
For 2015, a composite score of 31 was in the 96th percentile.
Another way to look at the 2014 data that @Sportsman88 presented is that it shows the actual number of people achieving each score - so while only 1407+7175= 8582 kids achieved a 35 or higher on the exam, 1407+7175+14307+19589+25524+32048 = 100,320 kids achieved a 31 or higher.
Would you rather apply to super-selective colleges with over one hundred thousand kids having achieved your ACT score or better (not even counting the SAT takers who had equivalent or better scores) or are would you rather be amongst a more select group of kids?
Take practice tests ONLY in math and science. What Math class are you in this year? Precalc? Algebra 2? You may do better in math and science without much effort just by learning the material in your normal course of high school.
I would skip the SAT- they are a mess. You killed reading and you can probably improve the English too - easiest section to improve. Again, focus on math and science doing only those section from a test prep book each week. Make sure you know why you got every answer wrong and time yourself STRICTLY. This should only take you 40 minutes or less… once or twice a week.
My instincts say to take the ACT one more time. You sound like a fantastic student but you have to remember that schools don’t know you as a person. You don’t want an objective stat (that you might be able to improve a little) to knock you out of the admissions game prematurely.
Good advice from @suzyyq imho.
I hear you on ACT math. My son hovered at a 30, and math is one of his best subjects (he just took Calc 1 through dual enrollment and did very well). As silly as it sounds, his problem was the math that you learn very early in high school (early algebra?). That drove me nuts. By way of comparison he got a 36 in English, the subject we have worked on the least in homeschooling. English is a relatively easy sub-section to improve if you read what you’re getting wrong on every practice test.
I would take a prep book or two with me this summer, and do a bit of prep every week, and take the September sitting. I would take it seriously, though, because some of the schools require you to send all the scores. Keep that in mind.
Okay. I’ll def try to prep over the summer. Though I’ll be in Morocco (NSLI-Y scholarship) and I don’t wanna brake the immersion so I can learn as much Arabic over the summer as possible
@NikkuWadde 40 minutes a week. Make copies of the Red book (pertinent sections and answer explanations and scoring pages) or bring it with you. Only do the math, science, and occasional English section. The MOST important thing is timing (strict) and knowing why you got each answer wrong. That is the key. You don’t need formal prep, you just need to brush up on the concepts you are missing and nail the time. You are a very strong student, you don’t want this silly test to hold you back. Good luck!
That sounds like an amazing opportunity OP (Morocco)! Hope you have a great summer.
Thanks, my summer is gonna jam packed. But I’ll try and make time for studying.
I also believe you should re-take ACT. Agree with other posters about very focused weekly studying, lots of practice tests, and reviewing any answers that you got incorrect and understanding why. My son (who is not a very good standardized test taker, but is extremely bright and a very hard worker) had two very similar scores to you and was able to raise his score to a 34. Don’t aim for just one point higher, every point higher increases your chances if you really want to attend the schools that you mentioned (even if you are a URM). Of course it is not the only factor, but think of it as making your application even more desirable to the elite schools.
Please don’t lose sight of the fact that 31 is an EXCELLENT score, and if you don’t get a higher score, it’s fine. Just be sure to also apply to some slightly less competitive schools that you would still love to go to. I don’t know what the stats are for improvement on the 3rd try. My D got the exact same composite the 2nd & 3rd time (her score jumped a huge amount from the 1st to 2nd time due to better prep).