<p>Ok so I am happy with my composite, math, writing, and science scores, but my reading score I'm...not so happy with. Here are my scores:
Comp.: 33
English: 34
Math: 36
Reading: 27
Science: 33</p>
<p>I'm not aiming for Harvard or anything (although if I got into Princeton I would die with Joy) but I do want to have scores high enough or UC Berkeley, Brown, Dartmouth, University of Chicago, and other schools at that level. I'm sure with some intesive practice and studying I could get my reading score up (in the exam, I thought the time limit was different than it was and basically guessed on the entire last passage) but I'm worried I may risk my 36 in math (I'm good at Math and make stupid errors), or my scores in English and Science. </p>
<p>So basically, is the reading score really that bad where I should retake it, or would it be better to leave my score how it is?</p>
<p>Your composite is very good for every college...but if you think you can do better then retake it. This isn't the SAT...there's no penalty for retaking.</p>
<p>I believe your score is good for all of those colleges. You'll have to get your reading score up at least 4 points to get a 34 composite. If you think you can do better, then go for it. :)</p>
<p>To put this into perspective, my scores were 33/36/27/30 (pretty similar!) a few months ago (now they are 35/36/31/32)</p>
<p>I don't know what it is, but every few months I grow and learn in school, my ACT reading just bumps up a little bit. A few months later I was a 30, and now I'm a 31. The same thing will probably happen to you, and with practice that should rise, because you're obviously a good test taker considering your other scores. Do you need to take it again? No! That's a great score and you should be proud. Would it be a good idea to maximize your application to ultra-competitive schools like Brown/Dartmouth/UofC? Absolutely. And I hope you just left out your writing score and still took it ... </p>
<p>P.S. If you drop from a 36 in math, you can always include both, as many colleges like to see that you can perform well even if it's not on the same sitting. They won't combine and remake a composite (unless they superscore), but they will at least recognize your talent if you drop to a 34 or something.</p>
<p>Yes I did take writing I got a 10, completely forgot about that haha. And thanks for the advice. I will be doing some intensive critical reading study for the SAT and sometime closer to Fall I think I will take a practice ACT to see if that has improved drastically as well and then decide from there.</p>