<p>My D decided to take the ACT in December of her JR year. Was that too soon? Sooner than usual? Now that she got her scores back, wondering how many times she should take it? With no prep, she got a 28 composite (31, english, 28 reading, 25 math, 29 science). I am hoping that is good for a junior - and assume that with prep and more experience/age, the score will go up. </p>
<p>When is the latest a student can take the ACT and get scores in in time for regular application acceptance. Again, this is for the class of 2013, entering college Fall of 2013.</p>
<p>Also, I understand that audition is more important than test scores, but (assuming a great audition) will these test scores be OK for the likes of Belmont, Miami Frost, USC Thornton, Denver Lamont, and CCM? Also, she has a 3.9 UW and 4.27 Weighted GPA.</p>
<p>I’m class of 2013, and on the west coast, we mostly take the SAT, but I might take both tests. The teachers and counselors at my school have advised everyone to wait until March to take their first SAT exam. Of course, some students take the test earlier, and of course most students take the test more than just once. I plan on taking the test in March, then again in June or October if I’m not happy with my score. For SAT, the October test is the one for seniors to take in time to send to colleges. Based on the website, the ACT has tests in both September and October; both of which would be great for sending scores to colleges. Also, there are ACT test dates in April and June. If your daughter feels that she can do better, I would maybe try for a June or September second test date. Also, she should consider taking the SAT because most students do better on one or the other. I’ve heard the SAT tests “what you’ve learned” and the ACT tests “what you know”. She’s a good student! Good luck in the process next year!</p>
<p>S took the ACT in April of his junior year and again in September of his senior year. He got the same composite both times, and we decided not to repeat it a third time.</p>
<p>It is difficult to know who will be admitted to music schools within a major university. USC, for example, is using the Common Application for the first time. So it is still a mystery how that will affect application numbers.</p>
<p>For the class that entered in fall of 2011 the admitted Middle 50% ACT score for USC was 30-34. However, for students in the art schools which require an audition/portfolio the scores may not be as important as the promise and performance of the applicant. Since you have time my suggestion is to have your daughter thoroughly prepare for the SAT and take it at the proper time. SC asks applicants to submit their best scores. Whatever school your daughter selects a fine score in either examination can only be an asset in her application.</p>
<p>I took the ACT in December of my junior year also. I originally planned to take it earlier…like in October, but then I had a wrist injury and writing was limited by the doctor for school and everything (had to use my laptop in class, couldn’t write a lot) so the ACT didn’t happen then. I retook it in spring and summer and again early senior year, and also took the SAT a couple of times in between there, as well as SAT subject tests (3 of them).</p>
<p>For the subject tests, my kids found it helpful to take some of them piecemeal, that is, doing the history test at the time they took APUSH, even if that was the only subject test being taken at that sitting.</p>
<p>D took ACT in Spring of her junior year. She did well enough that she felt she didn’t need to retake. She took the SAT twice in Spring of Junior year and Fall of Senior year. Her scores were within the range that all the schools she applied to accept.</p>
<p>Does your district give you access to a program such as Naviance? We were able to look up all the schools my D was interested in and compare her GPA and test scores to see if she qualified. You might want to do that and determine if it’s necessary to retake the ACT.</p>
<p>While getting the best score possible never hurts, university audition-based programs have different GPA/test standards for admission than for general applicants. So the class profiles can be misleading for students applying to arts programs.</p>
<p>A great audition can make up for middling stats, as long as those stats are in the “acceptable” range for that school. Some schools have “unspoken” academic minimums you might be able to hear spoken if you ask the right questions, while on tour or whatever. (ACT scores are Greek to me, btw.)</p>
<p>There are several threads on this topic that you might be able to pull up using the search feature (searching terms like “academics” or “grades” in titles, not posts). </p>
<p>S took SAT in Jan and June of junior year. Then studied hard and took it one last time in Oct of Senior year. He definitely prepped on his own but using the online program taking as many practice tests as possible - had a 220 point increase (similar to a 3-4 pt increase on ACT) D (not a music major) took ACT 3 times to attain her score.</p>
<p>USC told us while there for a tour last year that there is some flexibility with scores/gpa for music as they know it takes a lot of time to cultivate your art. That said- I would still advise trying to get into the 50th percent for scores at USC. S wanted all his bases covered. If your D changes her list up - and she very well could- she will want to be ready for that. At a 28 right out of the box- she has a great chance of increasing her score with a little prep AND Math is the easiest part to raise with study.
Her GPA btw is great!</p>
<p>S took it twice junior year and got a 31. Found out he needed the writing part of ACT for UNT application so did ACT for 3rd time in September of senior year and got a 32. The cost of the ACT is worth it if it increases your score and increases your academic scholarship potential in my opinion. For Belmont, they were more interested in my S’s GPA of 3.4. He was wait listed academically but got plenty of scholarships at the other 3 schools.</p>