Does it look bad to only take the ACT one time? I scored a 34 the first time I took the ACT and don't want to risk retaking it, because it's good enough for the colleges I'm applying to. But do colleges like to see some consistency across multiple tests?
No, it does not look bad to take the ACT only once. If you can get a 34 in one shot and that is a good score for your target schools (which it sounds like it is), then your work in that arena is done!
So why would consistency matter across retests? Consistency can mean a few things on the ACT. You can be consistent across sections during a single test, meaning you get around the same score on each section. Compare the following two students' section scores.
Student A
- English: 28
- Math: 29
- Reading: 26
- Science: 28
- Writing: 24
- Composite (English, Math, Reading, Science): 27.75, rounds up to 28
Student B
- English: 34
- Math: 25
- Reading: 23
- Science: 31
- Writing: 24
- Composite (English, Math, Reading, Science): 28.25, rounds down to 28
Even though Students A and B both got the same composite score, Student A was much more consistent across all the sections, while Student B was all over the place. There are some theories that admissions officers might view Student A more positively, since she's demonstrated she can perform well across the board (essentially, she's "well-rounded"), whereas Student B is more erratic; however, there is no empirical proof of this that I've been able to find. In addition, specialized schools like engineering schools might care more about Math and Science ACT scores, so if you score highly on those two sections but significantly lower on English and Reading, it might not matter.
Furthermore, if you're applying to schools that superscore the ACT, it's to your advantage to focus your studying on improving your weak scores only. For instance, if Student B were applying to Indiana University at Bloomington, she'd want to focus on improving her Math and Reading scores the next time she takes the ACT. The result might be something like this:
Student B, first ACT
- English: 34
- Math: 25
- Reading: 23
- Science: 31
- Writing: 24
- Composite (English, Math, Reading, Science): 28.25, rounds down to 28
Student B, 2nd ACT
- English: 32
- Math: 29
- Reading: 26
- Science: 29
- Writing: 20
- Composite (English, Math, Reading, Science): 28.25, rounds down to 28
Student B, Superscored
- English: 34
- Math: 29
- Reading: 26
- Science: 31
- Writing: 24
- Composite (English, Math, Reading, Science): 30
We have more information about calculating your ACT superscore and how superscoring can affect your test strategy on our blog. If you're worried that schools might secretly consider your previous "bad" ACT scores, be sure to read this ExpertHub post.
A second way to have consistent ACT scores is to get similar scores across multiple test dates. This is good if you're worried about being accused of cheating, or have been accused of cheating - if your score increases by an "unusual" amount between test administrations in the same 20 month period, ACT, Inc. will automatically flag you for cheating/further review your test. If you have been accused of cheating, one way to demonstrate that you didn't cheat is to retake the ACT and achieve a similar score on the retest.
On the other hand, getting the same score across multiple test dates might also be a sign that your ACT studying is ineffective. According to ACT, Inc., 57% of students score better, 21% score the same, and 22% score worse when they take the ACT a second time. If you're not improving, you might need to look into changing up your prep program.
Ultimately, you need to base your decision on whether or not to retake the ACT on the policies of the schools you'll be applying to (do they superscore? allow you to use score choice? use some other "averaging" technique?) and on whether or not you think you'll be able to put in the time to increase your score. Whether or not you do decide to retake the ACT, though, you can rest assured that colleges do not care if you've only taken the ACT one time.