Reply to Is an ACT Superscore less impactful than a single test composite score?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD got a 34 composite score on her first ACT test this Sept. as a junior. She wants to get at least a 35 composite to be competitive for her top choice school, which has a 25th-75th percentile of 33-35.

For the section scores she got Math 35, Reading 35, Science 32, English 32.

Going forward to prep for the next test, my gut tells me she should focus on Science. I think the English score was a weird fluke considering she took 6 practice tests and scored 34 or 35 on all of them. However on Math, the highest practice test score she got was a 33.

My fear is that on the next test she might not do as well on Math, and that would be a bad look. Do the schools care weather the score they record is a superscore or a single test composite score? If it doesn't matter, then I won't have her stress about trying to keep/improve the math score and just hone on improving the Science score.

Thanks for any insights.

[/quote]

Don't get tripped up by some of the misinformation on this threat!   [b]ACT superscoring is actually less common than SAT superscoring[/b]. For example, I know that Harvard and Princeton do not accept ACT superscores; they evaluate by the single sitting. However, both schools do accept SAT superscores.  (From Harvard's Admissions website: "We do not create superscores for applicants. We will evaluate your application noting the highest test scores in each section across test dates for the SAT and your strongest sitting for the ACT. ")

There are compelling reasons why some colleges prefer a high ACT score from a single sitting. A composite score from one test date can demonstrate consistency in performance, suggesting mastery of content under test conditions. This aligns well with the rigorous academic environments at these institutions.

Moreover, highly selective schools may view a high single-sitting score as a better indicator of a student’s ability to perform under pressure — a critical skill in competitive academic settings.

Finally, this preference might signal to admissions committees that the student is less reliant on multiple attempts to achieve high scores, which could be seen as more impressive. If your daughter's top-choice schools value this consistency or do not superscore, it may be best to focus on maintaining or improving her one-time composite score rather than relying on superscoring.[/quote]

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