Do any schools require the ACT?

Most colleges require either the SAT or ACT and express no preference for either test. That said, significant percentages of students at selective colleges are submitting scores from both tests when they apply.

Does the Act require an essay?

Both the SAT and ACT include optional essay portions, which on the latter exam is called the ACT writing test. The vast majority of colleges do not require applicants to submit scores from these sections, and the number of those that do has shrunk over the last few months.

Is a 6 on the ACT writing good?

As you can see from this table, the mean, or average, score on the ACT Writing section is 6. It’s a good idea to aim for at least the 75th percentile, so in this case a good ACT writing score would be an 8 or above. A 9 or above would put you in the 96th percentile, which is great!

Do I have to submit all ACT scores?

There is no reason to send all of your ACT scores to a school if they don’t require them, even if they superscore. A superscore is when a college takes the highest score from each subsection, even if those scores come from different test dates, to calculate a new score using your best performances.

Does it matter how many times you take the ACT?

You can take the ACT up to 12 times, and many students end up taking the test between 2-3 times before applying to college. Most colleges are neutral about multiple scores. Many students, in fact, make score improvements by retaking the ACT.

Does Stanford require all ACT scores?

There are no minimum test scores required to be admitted to Stanford, and there is no score that guarantees admission. At Stanford, we review applications holistically, meaning every component of the application is valuable to us as we get to know each student.