Which ACT to retake after getting a 36 on Writing?

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

Hey CC,

I got a 36 on writing this past April on my first attempt at the ACT. Does this mean that I no longer have to take the ACT with writing, or do I still have to? Say I apply to a school that requires the ACT with writing…Can I also send them scores on the ACT without writing? Because I feel like it makes sense to not retake writing if I got a perfect score, yes?

If a school superscores the ACT (and I know most don’t), will they combine subscores from both tests if I stop taking the ACT with writing? And even if superscoring isn’t really what I need, can I just retake the ACT without writing and send both the ACT w/ writing and w/o writing and have MC scores from both tests considered? Likewise, for schools that only look at the best scores on each subsection/best composite, will they look at scores on both tests?

Thanks a lot.

2

I think it depends on the school - I have seen some that want ACT with writing done at the same time. Others
might not require writing, might super score the ACT - need to check the schools - try to meet the requirements of the ones you are most interested in applying to of course - Some info is here:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-list-which-colleges-require-act-writing-all-schools

See for example the Univ. of Texas system requiremen - ACT with writing taken on same dayt:
"You must request that a testing agency—SAT or ACT—send us an official report of at least one set of test scores. Scores included in transcripts and copies of score reports first sent to you don’t meet this requirement. Additionally, any results that are submitted must include a score for the ACT Writing Test, which must have been taken on the same day as the ACT exam. " https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/freshman-admission#fndtn-freshman-admission-scores-required

3

The Prep Scholar post is outdated. Many schools have dropped their ACT Writing requirements for the class of 2017 and beyond. Boston College, Brandeis, Columbia, Haverford, MIT, Northwestern, Penn and many others. Compass Prep has a list with recent policies for top colleges.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/act-writing-and-sat-essay-requirements/

Even colleges that superscore the ACT “rebuild” a Composite score. That doesn’t mean that they will take a Writing score from a different test or from a test that doesn’t include Writing. You shouldn’t jeopardize a good Composite score on a retake by skipping the essay.