The first time I toom the ACT, I got a 31. The second time, I got a 32. The third time, I got a 33. My superscore is a 34 because my last Reading score was a 32, but on the first two tries my Reading score was a 35. About half the schools I want to apply to superscore, and I’m aiming for some T20/T10 schools.
I’ve read that a 34 is the score you want to aim for for prestigious schools, whereas a 33 is more average. I’ve also read that it starts to look bad if you take the ACT more than 3 times, although I’m pretty confident I could get a 34 if I took it again.
So should I retake?
If you are confident you can improve you should retake. Having a worse score will more often lead to rejection than taking a test too many times.
Agreed. 4 is on the high side of normal, but not over the line to being something that a school might find odd.
When I ask adcoms their thoughts on the max times a student should take a test, the response is usually “3, maybe 4”.
It’s not composite as much as sub scores.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think most schools know (or really care) how many times you took the ACT unless you send all your scores. Most schools only have you send one score, or maybe two if they superscore. There are a few I found that require all scores so I guess four times could be considered a bit much, but I agree with above users that having a better score is worth taking it again. Also I’m guessing you meant a 33 is average for ivy/top 25 applicants? Considering a 33 puts you in the 98th percentile of students who take the ACT. You should be proud of that score, congrats!
OP said T20/T10. He or she needs to look at the subscores, decide if the right strengths show there. Imo, 4x is pushing it and may not be needed.
And if this thread question is posed, at all, it suggests OP needs to pay careful attention to matches and safeties.
This isn’t about CB reporting who’s in what percentile of all test takers. It’s about his subscores related to his app, his interests, and the competition for that college. Also, “average” is most often posed as mid-50th perentile. More viable candidates will be at- or better than- the top of that range.
You also need to remember, this is not just about stats.
I understand that subscores are important and I’m sorry if my response came off as rude or oblivious. In my experience (my scores, friends scores, siblings scores) if your composite is that high usually all your subscores are high but I understand that I could be wrong and OP could have 1 or 2 lower scores in a higher composite. I guess I’m just confused because most T10/T20s don’t superscore and don’t require all tests sent so I don’t really see the harm in taking it again. I took it 3 times and got 31s, everyone told me to stop taking it, and my 4th time I got a 34. If I hadn’t taken it again I would’ve lost scholarship money and possibly acceptances.
The reason I pointed out that a 33 was in the top 2 percent wasn’t necessarily because I think top colleges will give this student a pat on the back, it’s because I know how easy it is to get stressed about scores. I think juniors and seniors can tend to feel really anxious and inadequate around this time and I wanted OP to take a breath and realize that a 33 /is/ an incredible score.
Plus, like you pointed out, college admissions aren’t only about stats. I know plenty of kids who got into T20s with a lower ACT score and plenty who were rejected with a higher score.
Personally I think a 34 super score is enough. I would focus on the rest of your application which needs to be stellar. There are plenty of kids with 36s not getting in. Your time is better spent elsewhere.