My reason for posting is to help people who were in the same boat as me. I know that ACT essay scores have been all over the place due to changes in the testing system, so when I found my essay score (23) to be drastically off from my English (33) and reading (32) scores, I felt that I had been scored wrong on the essay (actually I found out about the whole essay crisis of 2015 after I received my score, so I was a little shocked when I first got it). After doing research, I learned that my essay percentile ranking was around the 82nd or 83rd percentile – which is by no means a bad score; however, I still felt that my score was too far different from my other language arts scores/percentiles, so I began looking into a rescore.
This is the point I want to make: if you notice an unreasonable difference between your essay score and your other language arts scores, ask for a rescoring of your essay.
I received my rescore today and my essay score was bumped up to a 34! That’s the best score I got on the whole test! I wanted to share this because I know a lot of people looking into this issue aren’t the type of people who normally get 35’s and 36’s on these tests, and I’m not either (I got a 31 in science and 30 in math). I’m not a really preppy kid, and I didn’t study for the test – I do, however, try my best in school and was confident that my normal work ethic would prepare me for the test. So, when I asked for a rescore, I was a little uneasy because I started to think that maybe 82nd percentile really is where I stand as a writer; it’s not so bad a score, but it’s certainly not what I was looking for. I read statistics that stated only about 300 people ask for rescores out of the millions who take the ACT annually – and only about 80 get their scores changed. All this was daunting and the only reason I asked for a rescore was because I read the comments of a few individuals like myself who gave the advice to rescore if the difference between your essay and composite scores are about 10 points. I want to be another voice saying the same thing, so if you see a large discrepancy, wager the $50 for a rescore. Because I did this, I don’t have to get up at 6:00 AM on a Saturday and drive an hour and a half to the nearest test center for a second time.
More than 300 people should ask for rescores annually, because I’m sure that plenty of people can benefit just like I have. Just be sure to be honest with yourself. If you remember doing quite poorly on the essay, then maybe you got a score that fits. Don’t risk $50 because you feel entitled to a better score, do it because you honestly think you did better than the score you got, and you’ve taken the time to assess yourself and your memories of what you wrote.
Finally, when you submit your rescore request, you should try to write a letter that is polite but assertive, and make sure the letter is well written. Show them upfront that you are a good writer and know proper craft and technique. For information on rescoring, check out this link and go to panel 5: https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Using-Your-ACT-Results.pdf
I hope this all was useful to someone. You don’t have to be a genius to believe you got scored wrong, and you only have to raise your score by 1 point to get your money back. Sometimes errors just slip through the cracks; standing up for yourself when you believe you’re correct and the system is wrong is just a part of life. I hope the ACT does better by its customers this Autumn, and good luck to all you test takers.