<p>Is it bad to take it again after 3 tries? I can't accept my low score, and I really want to raise it up. I know I can raise it up, but do colleges look down upon a 4th try?</p>
<p>I think 3 is the magic number. By the third time you should have studied your ass off and got the highest score you were going to get. Thats just IMO.</p>
<p>Can colleges see how many times you took the test if you only send them one?</p>
<p>No, not with the ACT. If you send them one, they only see one, and as far as I know don't see how many times you've taken it. What have your scores been the past 3 times?</p>
<p>Well, my sister says all the colleges will know because it'll be in your record. They can see everything you have done with your social security number. I've gotten a 25, 25, 26. I didn't study too much the first and the second time. I did a little for the third. I think that if I study my butt off, then I can raise it up to at least a 28 or so.</p>
<p>My sister says that it's better to have a 26 on the third try than to get a 28 on the fourth.</p>
<p>Visali,
How would that work? ACT reports your scores to the Social Security Administration?</p>
<p>Colleges can't get your ACT scores, your SAT scores, your driving record, or your tax returns unless you send them to them. Your SAT scores are all on one report, so if you send one, you send them all. Your ACT scores are separate for each test date, and how many times you took it is not revealed to colleges.</p>
<p>It may be better to get a 26 on the third try than a 28 on the fourth if your goal is to impress your sister, but to colleges, a 28 is better regardless of how many times you had to take it to get it.</p>
<p>And boom goes the dynamite</p>
<p>Thank you, Mrs. Ferguson. :D You know so much about the ACT! I'm really glad you're on this forum to answer our questions and to encourage us. Thank you so much. :)</p>
<p>I agree with Mrs. F - take it as many times as you want. I can assure you that the ACT (and the SAT IMO) are tests to study for and you can raise your scores if you try different test books and methods.</p>
<p>just remember: taking it more than 3 times can start to count as an extracurricular activity :) lol</p>
<p>and taking it again, you could always stay the same or go down.</p>
<p>I wouldn't take it more than three times, because if your three of your scores are within the same range, the fourth time will more than likely, fall within that range.</p>
<p>I had a low score the first time, had the same score the second time, and I really didn't want to try a third time. I studied a lot more for the second try, but my scores in the subjects fluctated (science was my second highest the first time, and science was my second lowest the second time) and I still got the same score.</p>
<p>I haven't exactly studied studied, if you know what I mean. I never really finished going over a book or anything. I finished a couple of sections. I'm thinking that it might help doing practice tests so I really want to try it again.
The 4th time will be my last time because I need to start applying to colleges.</p>
<p>i took it three times. the first two, i didnt really study a lot, i.e. crammed the week before. the last time i actually studied for about 2 months because i wanted it to be my last time taking any tests (also so i didnt have to take the SATs again).</p>
<p>It's different depending on the person.</p>
<p>First time I took it with just basic studying - 29
Second time with a lot of studying - 32
Third time with absolutely no studying - 34</p>
<p>So I think you can get better at the test just by learning the format. My increase was mainly in science, where I realized how to time myself. I am pretty confident that if I took it again, I could get a 35, but see little point.</p>
<p>i have a similar situation...
the sep. test was my third time and i got a 27
first time was a 22, second time was a 25.
so i made some jumps and now am wondering if i should take it again to see if i can get a higher score...</p>
<p>i believe you should parkr. it is my personal belief that anyone, with studying, can consistently raise their score...up until you get in the 30s. At that point, as I have noticed, it gets much harder to continue to raise your score by the same amount (or at all!). For instance, my move from 32 to 34 was not near as big as that from 29 to 32. In fact, I received a 33.5 on my third test, but it was luckily rounded up. Perhaps if I'd studied I would have done better, but it just goes to show that I was only able to bump my score up by half as much as the transition from test 1 to test 2. It gets subsequently harder to improve your score after a point, but I think that a 27 leaves room to grow for the fourth time.</p>
<p>If one score is dragging down your composite, then I believe you should. I moved from a 32 to a 35 because my section scores on the 32 were 35, 31, 34 and a much lower 26 on science. On the 35 my science score was on par with the others. If your section scores are fairly consistent with each other and your composite is not improving then perhaps you've reached your limit.</p>