Act how many times

Now what? More specifically, how many times should you take the ACT? Generally, the magic number is between one and three times. Most students will maximize their ACT scores by taking it twice.

And sometimes a fourth time can help you get that score up even higher. But before you retake that whole test, keep in mind that the ACT will begin offering sectional retakes in September —meaning that you can retake individual sections of the test, rather than the test as a whole!

For a lot of people, the ideal process looks like this:. Many students who take the ACT twice take it the second time during the fall of their senior year of high school.

At that point, with college application deadlines coming up, it is possible that you may have to send your scores to colleges before you even see the results. One way to get around this issue is to pay close attention to fall test dates.

If you want to see your scores before sending them off, go with September. Also, September has the added benefit of being early in the school year. There will be fewer academic distractions competing for your time and attention. A lot of students find themselves in this scenario. Give yourself time to improve before you begin filling out applications. Bring intense focus to each test, and try not to take the test more than 3 times, if possible.

How did it go? The ACT is scored out of 36 potential points. ACT Superscores Beginning in September , students have have the option to retake specific sections of the ACT rather than retaking the entire test.

Both of my online ACT prep courses are designed to walk you through the steps of this process - helping you come up with your testing plan, improve your ACT scores, and maximize your scholarship awards - in as few as 4 hours. You can head to my ACT prep page to learn how I can help your family get through the ACT testing process as quickly as possible or enter your email below to get started on the path to your higher ACT score for free right now. Either way, I look forward to helping you take your next steps towards testing success.

Have an ACT testing question? Click here to send me an email. I'm happy to help you make sure you're on the path to ACT testing success! You may be forced to share anemic first ACT scores with your favorite colleges.

It's a waste of time, money, and energy. How many times should you take the ACT? You know your GPA is important anyway, and studying and paying attention in your classes will have the added benefit of preparing you for the ACT, too. Go through each test and focus on which questions you got wrong and why.

Test anxiety is a real issue that affects many students. If you suffer from it, you should discuss it with your guidance counselor or a trusted teacher, who may be able to provide internal or external resources, such as therapy or a tutor. Most highly selective colleges and universities use the Academic Index AI to filter out students based on their GPA and standardized test scores.

So, your ACT can make a real difference in your chances of getting into your dream school. Using your ACT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, and other factors, it will inform you about your odds of admission — and give you tips to improve your profile.