I recently signed up for the April ACT test. The one thing that I noticed is that the ACT allows you to send your scores to up to four colleges for free before you take the test. Sounds great! But wait…what if I were to get a bad score? I wouldn’t want my ideal colleges to see that. By the time I would find out if my score was bad or not, it would be too late (the colleges would have already received the scores and the deadline to cancel would have approached). It seems silly to me that the ACT is basically telling students they can “gamble” on whether or not their ideal colleges will see a good or bad score. All over the cost of a submission fee.
So my question is, is it recommended that I take the ACT up on their offer and select schools to send my scores in BEFORE I actually take the test? The April ACT, I would assume, will not be my final score (I plan to also take the June and Sept tests…I think the score will only improve each time I take it…but flukes happen). Lets say I have a fluke test and score a 27 in April (when I previously scored 30 in Feb). Will colleges hold that score against me if it is automatically sent to them?
I hope that all makes sense. Thanks for helping me out everyone!
You don’t have to decide before the test. I believe you have a few days after the test to decide. You will not be able to see the score before you choose the schools for free score reports though. So if you feel good about it after the test, you may put whatever schools on the list. If you are not so sure, you may either skip it or put down the safety school(s) or school(s) that wants all score anyway.
My D did pick 4 schools for free score report when she registered for ACT the first time 2 years ago and it turned out to be her only attempt. So we saved around $50 for score reports.
We did not have my daughter send her scores. We waited until she was done testing and then sent in her best scores to the schools where she would apply. We figured paying $60 to send out the scores was a small amount in the whole scheme of college costs.
My son took the ACT in February and will test again in April. We are waiting to see all of his scores before sending anything to colleges. I agree with Fourthmom above ^^.
Long answer: You want to see the score first before you want a college to see it. This way, it’s not a surprise. You’re not gasping going OMG THIS SCORE IS IN THEIR FILES. By skipping on the option, you’re retaining more control on your scores and enabling yourself to see what you got before working on it or sending it.
Compare to the $1000+ total cost for applications, test registrations, score reports, transcription submission, CSS profile fee, etc, that $48 is not really a big deal. But at the same time, why waste any money. Put down safety schools and schools that want all scores would be the smart way to go disregarding the outcome.
I think you can CANCEL the test as a whole after a few days, but I am not sure you can change the school list. Maybe someone else can say for sure, though. And it might vary between Collegeboard and ACT? We bit the bullet, didn’t send any free scores, and paid to use score choice (to our kids’ advantage, I believe) in the admissions process. One more way that financially well off families get a boost in the college admissions process, IMHO.
Hey, thank you to everyone who commented! I have decided to use the option on the safety state schools (Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Indiana) rather than the elite institutions that I’m aiming for. That should save me a few bucks.
However, please remember that some undergraduate schools REQUIRE ALL ACT results from ALL examinations (you cannot select those your prefer to submit). In that situation, sending the scores without additional cost would be sensible.