<p>I got a 33 in october and im a sophomore. plan on applying to best colleges, should i retake and aim for 36, or focus on SAT?</p>
<p>Sure, retake! You’re already up there. </p>
<p>No. A 33 is an awesome score. More important that your grades, class rank, ECs and such are top notch. It is not a math equation where 36 is always > 33. Schools just want to see that you are capable, which your score does.</p>
<p>Most schools will take either test. They are slightly different in how they test. SAT may better suit your skill set. I’d take the SAT once so you have a score for schools that prefer that test. </p>
<p>Depends on your ECs and other activities, if you think your ECs and other activities will make you stand out, you’ll have no problem getting in to top schools- If not, then a higher ACT may be a little bit more helpful (but not by much)</p>
<p>Absolutely. I see no reason why you wouldn’t take it again. Obviously, you should work on EC’s and other activities, but you are clearly capable of scoring much higher on the ACT. With minimal prep, you could probably hit 35 and even 36 (34 is pretty much a given :-j ). You have another year and half to brush up on whatever you need to so I would definitely recommend doing it. And to those who would dissuade you, yes a 33 is great score, but many top colleges will see a difference between a 33 and a 36. In fact there are many data showing that perfect scorers have much higher chances at being accepted at top university’s (versus scores of 1 or 2 less points). In the end though, it is up to you. If you feel like it would be too much effort to study and if you’ve only taken it once or twice - I would suggest at least retaking it your junior and senior year. I doubt you would perform worse and there would be no harm in trying (with the exception of some $)</p>
<p>Since you are only in sophomore and you got 33 already, you do have great potential to get a higher score and you definitely have time to do that. I see no reason not to do that. Moreover, you are not aiming at admission requirement but the best test score out of you. Sure 33 would get you admitted into most schools even some of the top one if your other credentials are also good. But you may need a higher score for merit scholarships at many schools too. Just make sure you take the ACT with writing.</p>
<p>For sure. You might as well take it once more to see if you have plateaued or not. Take it at the end of junior year though, the best way to prep is get comfortable with the material by using it in class everyday.</p>