ACT - cancel her score and retake?

[Ann.without.an.e]

Dd took the ACT in April after she Took the test in March and had a proctor interrupt Her twice for no reason. She was signed up for the April exam with no charge. For some reason they wouldn't allow us to cancel dds March score and I'm glad because even with the interruptions she scored a 34, a tad higher than her tenth grade score. Dd thought she'd failed the March exam so she took the April exam. When dd arrived they began the test only to realize they didn't have score sheets. They delayed the exam two hours while they made photocopies of score sheets. Over half the students left before taking the exam. So now we get an email saying that dd can request the April score to be ungraded and take the exam again later this month. Or she can keep her score and still take it again for free at a different date. I just don't think dd wants to take it again. She has SAT sub tests and AP exams and she's planning to try the SAT all within the next two months. She's a little test tired. What do y'all think?

 

Eta

She is a bit worried about the April exam score since she was a bit tired and out of it by the time it began. She doesn't know if she wants that on her record. But she thought March was a fail too so she could end up ok.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Attolia

[katilac]

I would go with the 34 unless she has extremely specific goals that require a higher score. 

 

The higher your score, the less likely it is that you will improve it. 

[LisaKinVA]

I'd be happy with the 34 and call it "done."  Totally agree that it's really hard to bring up a score much from there, especially at this stage in school.  

[katilac]

I just noticed the bit about planning to take the SAT - this is another thing I would not do unless she has a specific goal that requires it. She has a fabulous score on the ACT and she does not need both under most circumstances, so I'd say "Woot!" and move on with life. 

 

What grade is she in? At least 11th, yes? If she has a short list for college, does a 34 do the trick for admittance and merit aid? 

 

 

[angela in ohio]

I would have her take the re-test as long as there is a date she is available. Whether to keep the April score or not would depend on what the policy is of the schools she will likely apply to. If any require all of the test scores sent, I would have it ungraded and try again fresh.

 

It really does depend on whether the 34 meets her goals or not, though. You could base whether she takes the ACT again on whether her SAT is high enough, too. Most students do better on one or the other; if the SAT is her strong test, then she can skip the repeat ACT.

[katilac]

I would just be very wary about planning on doing better on a retake. 

 

Out of all of the students who retake the test, 22% get a lower score, 21% stay the same, and 57% improve their score. That seems like pretty good odds, but the ACT site itself states: The higher your initial ACT Composite score, the more likely your second score will be the same or lower than the first score. 

 

They have a table that gives examples. The chances of a 34 improving drop to 36%, and the chances of a lower score increase to 30%. More info here: http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/help.html

 

So, I myself would advise against taking it a 3rd time. With a 34 in my pocket, I'd probably leave April ungraded and move on. If she is really unsure, take her sub scores and play around with improvements: if I score x amount higher on math, does that improve my composite? and so on. 

 

Again, this is assuming she is shooting for a good, but not insanely selective, college. If she is aiming for a school with less than 25% acceptance, and has solid reason to think she might improve her score, it's something to consider. Or of course if she is eligible for a better scholarship with a 35! FYI, one much lower sub score is easier to bring up than fairly high scores all around. 

 

If she's a senior, then she should know if there is a specific reason to test again (at this late date, that would mostly be upgrading her scholarship). If she's a junior, she can always pay to take it again next year if something comes up to make it needed. 

 

And I'd not take the SAT. 

 

 

[mjbucks1]

Does your dd have to take the SAT to confirm her PSAT score for National Merit? If so, I would have her concentrate on that test. With the old SAT we knew exactly what a student to confirm the PSAT score (a 1960). However, with the new SAT and PSAT I don't think much is known, so best to get as high of score as possible.

 

If she does not NEED the SAT, I would not have her take it. All scools look equally at the SAT and ACT.

 

I really don't think she needs to take the ACT again. My DS also had a 34 at the beginning of his junior year. He decided to be done (all those AP exams and SAT II tests are a lot). I really felt he could up his score to a 35, but I didn't push it. If she REALLY wants to try it, and doesn't need the SAT, then let her try one more time. I think I would cancel her latest test score as the conditions sounded terrible!