Should I retake?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>I'm applying for colleges like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, and Princeton (planning to major in CS), and I just got my ACT results back.</p>

<p>Here they are:
Composite - 35
English - 35
Math - 36
Reading - 34
Science - 34 (Superscore: 35)
Combined English/Reading - 31
Writing - 7</p>

<p>This writing score is really frustrating. I got a 12/12 on the practice essays I took (graded by teacher w/ ACT grading experience), but a 7/12 on the real test. I know this is below the 25th percentile for many of the schools on my list. Should I retake the test, and, if so, what should I study to improve my writing score?</p>

<p>If it helps, the comments said, "Your essay responded to the prompt by taking a clear position on the issue. Your essay showed basic organizational structure, but the ideas needed to be more clearly connected."</p>

2

<p>Also, do you think I should request a re-scoring? I really felt like my essay was better than a 7. Does anyone have experience with re-scoring? Does it generally cause essay scores to go up or down?</p>