<p>My son is a junior who scored a 35 composite on the January test, which was his third sitting. He is planning on taking the ACT either this spring or next fall. </p>
<p>Has anyone been in the same situation, retesting for the prized "36"?</p>
<p>God, no. Tell him to relax and go on to other things.</p>
<p>"his third sitting"</p>
<p>How did he do on the first two. While it is noble in some ways to want a perfect score, it is also a bit concerning. Four tests just strikes me as a bit of overkill to the point of wonder about acdemic ocd.</p>
<p>and it could also go down...</p>
<p>Anything higher than a 33 is 99th percentile. So it's not worth the time/effort/money to retake a 35.</p>
<p>No, a 32 is the 99th percentile as well. As for the original question, I don't see any reason to retake a 35. It would be a total waste of time in my opinion. If he cares that much, though, then he might as well go for it. He should keep in mind that test scores form only a very small part of his entire application, and a 36 alone will not get him into the top schools.</p>
<p>What were his first two scores?</p>
<p>The truth is, there is little difference between a 35 and 36. If your son gets rejected, it won't be because he didn't get a perfect score. He might go down to a 32 or something if he retakes.</p>
<p>I got a 1940 on my first SAT, a 2030 on my second. I was satisfied with the 2030, but I was greedy and took it a 3rd time to try and get 2100. Guess what? I wound up with a 1920. I went down in everything! </p>
<p>In my opinion, your son shouldn't retake. A 35 is an awesome score (about a 2340 on the SAT) and will certainly not hurt him. If he really wants to go through the 4+ hours of aggravation to get perfect score though, then that's his decision.</p>
<p>after 34 you need luck in order to increase the last 2 points. 35 is fine. Focus on other ECs now.</p>
<p>i did not now ACT offer January sittings</p>
<p>19382, she posted in another thread that he got a 27 freshman year and 31 sophomore year (and that he's Valedictorian of a 400+ class)</p>
<p>I think your son should just relax and sit on his 35. The difference between a 36 and 35 is really small and a lot depends on luck.. like 200 people a year (out of 1mil+) get a 36 composite) and it won't boost his app that much if he has a 36 (and it won't drop his app if he 'only' has a 35)</p>
<p>congrats to your son :]</p>
<p>thanks kaseyditz for finding my son's prior scores. I am confident he will get into any school he wants. His EC are no concern either. He was selected by HS administration his freshman year to be part of the school's Leadership organization, church Youth Leadership committee, Summer Work Camp missions projects for the last 4 years, Volunteer coach for JH wrestling team, and Young Life. Son has been a state qualifier in two sports as a sophmore, team captain in two sports, will also graduate with nine varsity letters (3 sports). He plans on competeing in NCAA sports.</p>
<p>IF he decides to retake the ACT, he will not send scores to any schools until AFTER he has received his scores.</p>
<p>Sounds like an awesome kid. You should both relax and just enjoy the rest of his high school career!</p>
<p>My daughter's friends brother got a 35 on the ACT and his high school wanted him to retake it to see if he could get 36 - presumably for school bragging rights. He and his parents saw no point so declined. I would say there is no reason to unless really he wants to.</p>
<p>if you want to spend the money, fine. but if you retake a 35 just for one more point, you must be on drugs, or crazy at least. sometimes colleges dont want you to be perfect. there is a kid at my school that got a 2400 on the SAT and a 2390 on the PSAT. and he STILL got DEFERRED from harvard</p>
<p>I remember reading something about a student who got denied admission to Stanford ( I think ) with a perfect SAT score and that the g/c was told that they did not want someone who was obsessed with perfection ( he had retaken it with a near perfect score already in hand). Forgive me if I got any facts wrong, I just remember going "wow" when I read that. I don't even know if that was really true or just another urban myth LOL. I may even have read it on CC LOl</p>
<p>the difference between a 35 and a 36 is so small and no school reject an applicant because they "only" had a 35. Standardized tests are used in the admissions process to determine if an applicant is ready for college level material. A 35 shows that he is ready, so retaking to get a 36 would have very little effect on bosting his admission. That's just my opinion. </p>
<p>Plus, its in the 99th percentile. But, I do know how your son feels. I got a 34 and I was, and still am, sure that I could have gotten a 36 if I didnt make careless mistakes. However, in the end, I decided not to rewrite.</p>
<p>The fact that he's taken the test 3 times won't matter. They'll only see the one score you send in. However, it's logical that they will assume he's retaken it to get a 36, especially of the date he takes it is later in his high school career.</p>
<p>That said, a 35 won't keep him out (in fact it's fantastic!) but a 36 really is something to brag about. If he's got the rest of his app handled and wants to retake, why not. It may be a personal challenge that he wants to overcome.</p>
<p>Like anth, I scored a 34 and thought hard about retaking, but decided against it as I felt there were more pressing matters.</p>
<p>brand 182, I think you hit the nail on the head. If son does retake the ACT, it would only be because he likes the challenge. </p>
<p>laurstar07, there are no drugs consumed by this family. As for being crazy, I don't think so. I don't care on way or the other is he retests. I was more curious if anyone on CC was facing the same decision. </p>
<p>My son is a great kid, with an easy going personality. Besides the occasional
pestering of the younger brother and the messy room, I don't have any complaints.</p>
<p>No!!! Your time and money is better spent on other things. Anyone who gets a 35 is capable of scoring a 36, and colleges know that.</p>