I’m a junior in high school who just scored a 35 composite on the April ACT. I got a 36 in both English and Reading, and 33s in Math and Science. My essay isn’t scored yet, but I expect to do quite well on that as well. I’m interested in very selective schools, particularly MIT and some Ivies.
Is it worth my time to retake the ACT? I know a 35 composite is above average at many schools, but the 33s on Math and Science have me a bit concerned.
if you are interested in MIT then you will need to boost both your Math and Science scores.
A 35 is good enough for the other Ivys.
MIT is not an ivy. I’m not very familiar with MIT’s admissions policies, but I’d be very surprised if the advice from @menloparkmom is accurate.
@chd2013 Would you think that MIT is less selective?
I don’t think MIT is less selective than any Ivy League school; nevertheless, it does not fit into the category of “other Ivys.”
I would leave it as is. Many of the schools that interest you will require that you submit all scores. It’s possible that your scores might decrease on a second attempt.
There are other ways to demonstrate your math and science credentials - SAT II Subject Tests, AP tests, etc.
33 is the 25th percentile for Math at MIT, so below average. Improving it might help.
But, personally I wouldn’t bother. Concentrate on ECs and CS instead.
Your score is great for admission of any school. If you are not accepted, it would not be due to the score. However, if you want to have a better chance for merit scholarship at certain school and you think you can getting a better score (particularly in Math section), you may think about retaking it with a low priority. My friend’s daughter retook after getting 35 as she was just one question away from 36 and she did very well in practice. She retook it and got 36 and received Presidential Scholarship. My D got 35 and did not retake but that was sufficient to get her pretty good scholarship at the in state flagship.
@ogv123 - ACT of 35 will not be the reason for reject. But considering that you have time - go for it. But remember, ACT is just one portion of the entire admissions process. Perfect ACT / SAT get rejected, low ACT / SAT get accepted.
Don’t retake. You got a 34.5 which rounds up to a 35, so your score looks better than it actually is, which is good.
Also colleges don’t really care about the difference between high test scores. Most have a benchmark score that you just need to get so they don’t throw your test in the trash. A 34.5 is above average for every college.
Also colleges don’t really care about the difference between high test scores. Most have a benchmark score that you just need to get so they don’t throw your test in the trash. A 34.5 is above average for every college.
If you want MIT, probably retake.
More recent stats show MIT’s math 25th percentile as a 34.
You can request to have one ACT score stricken from your record. So you could try one more and strike one of the three. Some states have mandatory ACT dates and I don’t think that particular test can be stricken.