If your ACT score is lower than you expected, even after you studied and took practice exams, you might feel a little discouraged. However, if you sat for the test sooner rather than later there is plenty of time (and chances) to improve your ACT score. Even if you don’t get reach your dream school’s average accepted range, it doesn’t mean you’re fully out of the running for an acceptance letter either. Here are some strategies to take advantage of and what to do if your ACT result is still lower than you’d like by the time college applications are due.
What Should You Do If You Get a Low ACT Score?
It’s generally recommended that you take your first ACT as soon as possible, preferably in your junior year. Then, if you received a lower-than-expected score, you can sign up for the test again and again until you receive your desired result. As long as you get your test scores in before the school’s cutoff, they’ll be accepted. Colleges and universities don’t look at how many times you’ve taken the test either.
The real downside you’ll run into when taking the ACT several times is the cost. Without writing, each test will cost you $60 – with writing it’s $85. For most families, it simply isn’t financially feasible to pay for their child to take the ACT on every available test date between junior year of high school and when college applications are due in senior year.
So, while taking the ACT more than once is advisable, you should be going into each exam ready to do your best. That means plenty of preparation and studying in between tests. Once you hit your desired test score, you can stop taking the ACT or create a new goal.
What If It’s Too Late To Take Another Test?
If it’s too late to take another ACT, your options depend on how many times you took the exam.
Some colleges accept “superscoring,” which is where a school takes the best scores from the student’s exams and stitches them together. For example, say a student took the ACT twice. On their first test, they scored high on math but low on English. On their second test, their English score was much higher, but their math score dipped. If the college uses superscoring, the student can submit ACT scores that take the best results from those two tests.
However, if you only took the exam once and don’t have time to take another, you’ll have to focus on other aspects of your application, such as your essay, demonstrated interest, or college interview.
How to Improve ACT Scores
Whether you’ve taken the ACT already or are preparing for your first exam, there are plenty of ways to improve your scores, including through these suggestions:
1. Create Goals
Before you can truly improve your ACT score, you need to know what you’re aiming for. This will help create motivation, eliminate stress, and keep you grounded on the task at hand. While a perfect score would be fantastic, the fact is that most students won’t achieve a 36.
Instead, create S.M.A.R.T. goals – it stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. If you scored a 26 on your first exam, you probably don’t want to aim immediately for a 34 on your next ACT in three weeks. You’ll likely get discouraged.
Set a more reasonable goal during your practice exams, such as a 29. If you reach that during your practice tests, you can always adjust your goals.
To help you create goals, think about your colleges and potential scholarships. Colleges often publish their accepted students’ average score ranges. If you score within that number, you could be more likely to get an acceptance letter. Some scholarships and grants also require specific ACT/SAT scores. For example, if you want to qualify for the highest award for the Florida Bright Futures program, you need a 29.
2. Take Practice ACTs
While studying formulas and math will help you do well on some sections of the ACT, a majority of the test isn’t about memorization. Instead, you’ll need to be able to critically think, showcase your reading comprehension, and answer all of the questions within the allotted time.
To do that, you need to prepare with practice ACTs. It’s the only way to truly get an understanding of the exam and the material you’ll be faced with. Take them as they were the real deal. Eliminate distractions, adhere to time limits, and don’t look up answers. This way you’ll get an accurate result and a base to work from.
If you’re struggling with a single section of the exam, you can always practice just that specific section, which can help you focus your study schedule.
3. Review Results and Identify Your Weak Spots
Practice exams help you find your weak spots ahead of time and also show you how much you’ve improved. You’ll be able to see that while you do great in algebra in Math now, you may still be struggling with geometry. Then, you can adjust your study time accordingly.
Make sure to go beyond the score. Did you struggle with time management? If you didn’t have enough time to answer all the questions, you’ll want to practice strategies that help you speed up your answers.
4. Create a Study Schedule
Spread out your study time and practice tests. You don’t want to take practice test after practice test. Schedule study time in between so you have time to improve before your next attempt.
Take care to not burn yourself out, either. You’ll have a lot going on over the next year between the ACT, college applications, and scholarships. Create a balanced schedule that accounts for your school work, college prep, social life, extracurriculars, and free time.
5. Hire a Tutor or Join a Study Group
If you can’t seem to improve your ACT score on your own, consider hiring a tutor or joining a study group. Both can help you identify your weaker areas, explain the material, and provide test taking tips. They’ll also hold you accountable, which can make it easier to reach your goals.
6. Read
The more you read, the more you will improve your reading and comprehension skills. You’ll also learn new vocabulary words. Both of these will help you ace the reading and comprehension sections of these tests and boost your overall score.
Try and read a wide variety of materials so you get used to different styles. After you’re done, practice summarizing what you’ve read to boost your comprehension skills. It doesn’t even have to relate directly to your academics – read a novel, a comic, a memoir, whatever interests you!
7. Prepare the Night and Morning Before
Preparing the night before doesn’t mean “cramming.” The ACT isn’t a test you can study for in one night. Instead, you want to:
- Get a good night’s sleep. Lack of quality sleep can impact critical thinking skills and stress, lowering your overall score.
- Skip the studying. As long as you adhered to a good study schedule in the weeks prior, it’s more beneficial to take time to relax ahead of your exam.
- Eat well. Don’t eat junk food. Have a good dinner and breakfast. Pack snacks for your breaks. The last thing you want to do is be answering ACT questions on an empty and distracting stomach.
- Lay out comfortable clothes. The night before your exam, have your outfit ready to go. Layers are recommended as classrooms can get cold. If it’s too hot, you can always take off a layer.
- Gather all of your necessary items. ACT tests require that you bring certain materials, such as your I.D. and admission ticket. If you’re taking a paper exam, you’ll also need pencils and an approved calculator.
What To Do If You Don’t Have a Perfect ACT Score
The highest possible ACT score is a 36. However, while 1,374,791 students graduating in 2024 took the ACT, only 3,041 received a perfect score, according to the ACT National Profile Report. Three times the amount of students received a 35 (9,258).
For a vast majority of students, a 36 will remain elusive. But failing to get a perfect result doesn’t mean you’ll get rejected from your dream school. Most colleges and universities aren’t looking for a 36 – and you won’t get denied just because you didn’t get that perfect score.
If you’ve already taken the ACT several times and didn’t get the score you want or you’re not quite sure what score to aim for, here are some steps you can take now to increase your chances of receiving a coveted acceptance letter.
Research the School
Start by researching what the school is looking for in a student and the components of their application.
A good place to start is their Common Data Set (CDS), a voluntary self-reporting document that increases transparency between the school and the public. It highlights what they’re looking for in a student, acceptance rates, and the average ACT scores of accepted students. You’ll be able to clearly see what the school considers “important” in the application process. Then, you can focus more attention on those particular aspects of your submission.
However, not all schools participate in the CDS every single year and the information can be difficult to find. College Raptor’s College Match helps you identify schools that often accept your ACT score and see their average accepted scores, even if they don’t publish the CDS. You’ll also see details on cost data, acceptance rates, and more.
When reviewing College Raptor or the CDS, you’ll likely find that the average score of accepted students from the previous year wasn’t a 36 or even a 34 or 35. If you still have to take an ACT, the average accepted ranges can give you a number to shoot for.
Have a Well-Rounded Application
A college application is more than your ACT. In fact, some schools no longer require the exam, though many recommend it. If you scored below their average accepted ACT score range, it doesn’t mean you’re out of the running.
Instead, you’ll need to focus on other aspects of your application – the ones you can control now in the 11th hour, such as:
- Grades and academic rigor: In most cases, your GPA and year’s schedule are already set. There’s very little you can do to change them now in time for your application. However, if you can, you might be able to give your mid-year report a boost by scoring exceptionally well on mid-terms.
- Extracurriculars: Keep participating in your extracurriculars and community. Highlight them in your application and any skills you’ve learned from them.
- Your essay can be a fantastic way to boost your overall college application if your ACT scores are lower than you’d like. Give it extra attention and ask others for feedback.
- If your college requires or recommends an interview, mock interviews with family, friends, or an academic advisor can help you prepare and ace the meeting.
Apply To More Schools
If you feel your ACT test results are putting acceptance letters in jeopardy, you can always apply to more schools. Several colleges and universities don’t require or even recommend submitting your ACT score, which can be a great avenue if you’re not happy with your results. Others might have lower accepted ACT scores, which make them ideal as safety schools.
There are also colleges who use rolling admissions. For these schools, you might just be able to squeeze in another spring ACT exam during your senior year. However, keep in mind that rolling admission colleges may fill up before you submit your application.
A low ACT score doesn’t mean you’re out of the running for top colleges. If you took it early enough, there’s still time to prepare, study, and retake the exam. If you’re running out of time, there are other ways to give your application a boost. But taking the ACT as soon as possible, usually in your junior year, can cut back on the stress of college applications.
Want to learn more about your schools’ accepted ACT ranges and create a goal for yourself? College Match is easy to use and it’s free!