Smart Ways to Super score Your ACT for Better Applications

There is nothing wrong with taking second chances, especially when they can work in your favor. If you took the ACT once and feel like you could do better, you totally can. It might be the smartest move of your college journey. Super scoring can help you retake the test and combine your best section scores from different test dates to create a higher composite score. There might be many what-ifs in your mind regarding super scores and retaking the ACT. Worry not, as we are here to provide you with clarity on all your doubts. So if you want to build an  ACT super score strategy for your college application improvement, read this blog till the very end.

What is Super scoring?

First and foremost, let us understand what the term super scoring means. Super scoring allows you to combine your best section scores from different test dates instead of taking only one test’s overall ACT score into consideration. Let’s put it this way: your ACT super score is the average of your highest scores in sections like science, math’s, reading, and English.

ACT has four sections and an optional writing assessment.*

*Some changes are being made in ACT that suggest making the science section optional in the same way as the writing test. For example, if you do not opt for the science test. Your super score will be determined based on the three required sections: English, math’s, and reading.

Let us understand, super scoring with these simple steps:

• When you take the ACT more than once, you get scored from 1 to 36 in four sections, each time. 
• Your scores can go up or down, i.e., your math score can be better on one test while your English score can be better on another, and that is totally normal.
• Super scoring picks your best scores instead of using the full score.
• Your best scores are then averaged. The highest section scores are added together and divided by 4 to create your new super score.
• You can then send your super score to colleges. Colleges that accept super scores will consider this improved score when reviewing your application.

Why Should You Consider Super scoring?

You should consider super scoring because it is one of the most ideal ways of boosting your ACT score if you choose to take the test more than once. 

Stats suggest that students’ super scores reflect their academic knowledge more than any single test result. 

Super scoring the ACT is a smart move for college application improvement because:

• It reflects your true academic ability.
• Super scoring shows your best performance in each subject -fair and square.
• Each retake gives you a chance to improve in a specific section, and that progress gets counted in your super score.
• If you are targeting colleges that allow super scoring, it can give you a real advantage.

Super score Calculation

To calculate your ACT super score, you must follow these steps: 

Step	What to Do
Step 1	Review your ACT score reports from all your test attempts.
Step 2	Select the highest score you achieved in each of the four sections: English, Science, Reading, and Math’s.
Step 3	Add those four highest section scores and divide the total by 4. This average is your ACT super score.
Tip	If you take more tests, repeat these steps to see if your super score improves.

Let us understand this with the help of an example: 

Test Section	1st ACT Score	2nd ACT Score	Super score (Highest Score)
English	22	24	24
Reading	24	23	24
Math	25	28	28
Science	26	25	26
Composite Score	24.25 (Rounded to 24)	25.00 (Rounded to 25)	25.5 (Rounded to 26)

How Many Times can you take the ACT?

Although you can take the ACT 12 times, it is advised not to take it more than four times. You must take the ACT either two times or up to four times, with sufficient time between each attempt. So that you can prepare, practice and get tutored better.  

The act is offered seven times a year, which means yes, you can take it up to 7 times in one year, but should you? Probably not.

While it is great to know you have multiple chances, most students find that 1 to 3 times is more than enough for college application improvement. Each attempt should have a purpose and shouldn’t be done vaguely. A revised attempt should be made to either improve a section score, aim for a super score, or qualify for scholarships.

Our suggestion to you is to wait for your previous test results before signing up again. That way, you’ll know what to focus on and whether a retake is even necessary.

List of Colleges that Accept ACT Super scoring

Below is a list of the top 20 colleges that accept ACT super scoring: 

College/University	Location
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	Cambridge, MA
Stanford University	Stanford, CA
Yale University	New Haven, CT
Columbia University	New York, NY
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)	Philadelphia, PA
Brown University	Providence, RI
Cornell University	Ithaca, NY
Dartmouth College	Hanover, NH
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	Pasadena, CA
University of Chicago	Chicago, IL
Duke University	Durham, NC
Northwestern University	Evanston, IL
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MD
Vanderbilt University	Nashville, TN
Rice University	Houston, TX
Emory University	Atlanta, GA
University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, IN
University of Southern California (USC)	Los Angeles, CA
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill, NC

Steps to Send your Act Super Score to Colleges

Now that you have laid down your ACT super score strategy, it is important to know how to send it to the colleges you are applying to. It is an easy process. All you have to do is follow these simple steps:

1. Sign in to Your My ACT Account

The first step is to sign into your My ACT account, or if you don’t have one, create one. My ACT account is the place where you can view your super score after you’ve taken the retest.

2. Check Your Super score

Go to the score section in your account. Your super score will show up once the ACT finishes scoring your second test.

3. Choose Colleges to Send Scores to

Go to the score section in your account and select the colleges where you want to send your scores.

4. Select Which Scores to Send

You can choose to send all your ACT scores or just the super score. Some colleges like the super score, since it shows your best performance. We will recommend checking the school’s requirements in any case.

5. Confirm and Pay

Once you’ve chosen the schools, confirm your selection and pay the score sending fee.

Conclusion

With ACT super scoring giving you the chance to show off your best section score, there has never been a better time to give your prep the edge it needs. At Turito, we’ve got your back. With 80+ hours of live interactive classes, 1:1 expert guidance and class recordings for any time, you’ll have everything you need for your  ACT super score strategy. Not only this, but we also offer revision and regular tests to track your progress. Book your free feedback session today and take the next step towards your dream college.

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