I took the ACT last February and got a composite 29. The makeup was: Reading 26, English 26, Math 34, Science 28. I expected that my math score would be the highest considering it is one of my biggest passions and it was the only section I fully completed within the time constraint.
I retook the test this June and got a composite 33 with Reading 35, English 35, Math 30, Science 32. The math section was the only one I didn’t finish in the time frame and that was why it dropped so much.
I’m not sure where I will apply to in the fall, but I know that I would like to look at selective schools. I definitely don’t want to give any schools my score of 29 if they don’t require that I submit all score, but I plan on going into math. Will it hurt me having a 30 for the math? Should I take the ACT a third time in the hopes that I’ll get a 34 again?
I got a 1460 on the PSAT and I took the SAT and got a 1400. Reading/English 630 and Math 770. Will they look at that and see that I’m capable of math or should I retake that as well? If I take the SAT Math Subject Test and score very well on that, will that be enough to keep colleges from feeling negative about the 30 in math? How much consideration do they take into each individual section?
The answer to your question depends on a few things:
What year are you?
What major are you thinking?
How selective are the colleges you are targeting?
Do you need/are you seeking merit aid?
Your grades and ECs
Your ACT of 33 is higher than SAT of 1400, and your ACT superscore is 34, so I would stick with the ACT if you test again, but can’t really make a recommendation re: testing again, without the answers to the above questions. AOs do know there can be variation in scores on any given test/day, and how subsection scores are considered will vary by school and also within the context of your entire app.
Your composite ACT is 34.
In looking at the scores, I’m suprised by the volatility Reading…from 26 to 35, English from 26 to 35? Math goes down from 34 to 30? Science up 4 points? That’s a pretty amazing series of changes.
I could argue both ways. If you take it again and do universally well, it would confirm aptitute. If you take it again and the scores are all lower, it would suggest your performance isn’t always strong / focused.
WIth a 34 composite…I’d leave the ACT as is (agreeing with Mwfan).
Actually, the superscore ACT is 34, and is only applicable to schools that do superscoring.
OP, do you have a list of schools to which you are applying and data as to whether they superscore?
While your ACT is higher than your SAT, you PSAT is higher than your SAT. A 1460 PST would, on average, correspond to a low 1500 SAT, though with wide variations.
How did you feel taking the SAT? With a 33/34 ACT on file, it might be worth taking another try at the SAT. Your first SAT was better than your first ACT, and a 2nd SAT improvement similar to your 2nd ACT improvement would put you up where your PSAT would predict. A 770 math is an ACT Math 35, per the concordance, so improving on the EBRW section could give you the best outcome.