Hi,
I took the April ACT and got a 34 composite, but a 7 on my Essay. Re-took in June to improve my Essay score (at least), however, got a 33 composite (no section was higher, so can’t even superscore the composite) and only an 8 on my Essay.
Should I send both sessions to get that +1 Essay score boost or send just one and be like “I got a pretty good score and only took it once”?
Am an international student, if it matters.
Thank you so so much in advance, guys.
If applying to any of the following, you are required to send both scores: Stanford, Georgetown, Yale, Cornell,Carnegie Mellon, and Barnard. For others, you could choose to send just the 34, although if the college actually superscores the ACT and requires the writing section, you may want to send both to get the superscore of the essay score (that is better than trying to create the false impression that you took it only once, something that will not impress a college that does not require both scores).
Thank you! You are my hero.
" . . . something that will not impress a college that does not require both scores"
Actually, no one knows whether that’s the case in general. To use an example, someone who has submitted a series of 32’s but who superscores to a 34 is still revealed to be a 32 in testing. And there are a lot more of those than there are 34’s. The superscore might get you past a certain hurdle but once there you might be competing against a whole lot of 34 one-and-dones. Yes, I know, they don’t REALLY know whether the 34 is a “one and done” but a 34 C is simply a stronger tester than a 32 C, even if both took several tests to make that happen.
At any rate, OP is probably better off sending the 34. Most schools aren’t giving serious consideration to the essay component at this point. Check with your schools to see how they view the essay and, if optional, whether they ignore it or consider it supplementary.