Oh weird! I don’t really know how the ACT works (although 1 ACT point seems equivalent to 30 SAT pts, so that’s something at least).
I guess it makes sense that you need a big bump in subsection scores to move the composite score since it’s an average - and not just added together like the SAT.
Take the 4 categories (English Reading Math Science) - add up the highest score in each (Superscore) and divide by 4. Super-Scoring Rounds to closest whole number so .01-.49 rounds down / .50 and above rounds up.
Literally her exact situation
The science section will be optional starting in April.
Can anyone talk about the Colleges That Change Lives? @sbinaz – your older kiddo is at one, right?
I am trying to plan a tour of WPI and Clark University in Worcester, hopefully on the same day. (I know that’s not ideal, but our available time to travel is really limited between now and the fall.)
Both schools offer an interactive media/game design major that is in line with what D26 is looking for.
Clark appears to be primarily a liberal arts school, but their game design program seems to be highly regarded – and it’s rare to find this kind of major at a liberal arts school in the first place. But I’m trying to wrap my head around whether it’s a benefit that it’s on the CTCL list? What does that mean for D26, exactly? She is definitely a kid looking for fit over prestige.
(In fact, she has the stats to be competitive for Carnegie Mellon, which has a great program, but she is hedging on applying to elite schools because I just don’t think she wants that kind of pressure in college.)
One issue is that Clark doesn’t have a marching or pep band – but I read that students can play with the band at Holy Cross. Does anyone familiar with Worcester know if this would actually work well, in terms of proximity, etc?
I am interested in hearing whether ACT science will still be recommended for students interested in STEM majors? I mean, there is no science section on the SAT, so it shouldn’t matter that much … but I’ve seen posts on CC suggesting students should opt in to the science section if they are interested in a science/math type major.
What are you hearing?
I’ve heard the same, which was one of the reasons D26 opted to take the paper version with the science vs the digital version without.
Unfortunately, Science happens to be her worst section, hoping her score is in the “no harm” territory.
S26’s high school guidance counselor is recommending that class of '26 students who are not satisfied with their current ACT scores either retake the full ACT or pivot to the SAT. Her reasoning is that she cannot predict which schools will and will not want the full ACT and feels it is better to have a science score and not need it than to have to retest last minute.
D26’s tutor told us that many schools haven’t said how they would handle ACT super scoring across versions. I’ve been peeking at admissions info for the school’s she’s interested in to see if they’ve specified, but I haven’t found anything yet.
I know for SAT at least some schools say they do not superscore across versions. It’s probably safer to assume they won’t for ACT either?
Yea, the super scoring thing is confusing. The ACT said it will in fact still super score as follows:
Starting in April 2025, students who choose to take the online ACT test will have their ACT Superscore calculated using the new method incorporating English, math, and reading. For everyone else, this change will happen in September 2025. We’ll still show your highest scores for each subject with the test date, but the Composite score will be based on the new English, math and reading calculation.
I’m honestly not sure I understand exactly what that means.
Sounds to me like they superscore using the new tests only but will show each subject high score regardless of test date? But yes it’s confusing and my understanding may not be correct.
Does college board do the superscore for SAT or is it the schools who do that based on what you submit?
I went to Clark and absolutely loved it. Obviously, this was quite a while ago, as I graduated in the “late 1900s” 
It was definitely a place where students felt comfortable with creativity, individuality, collaborating. It was a wonderful experience for me.
Regarding proximity to Holy Cross, it is definitely not walkable. So you would likely want a car. Back in the late 1990s they had a shuttle bus that would take you to the different schools in Worcester (WPI, Holy Cross, Becker (i think Becker is out of business now), Worcester State, Assumption).
The individual schools will add your highest SAT math + highest SAT reading if you submit more than one score (or, if you are self-reporting, then you do it). There is no “super score” report on College Board like there is for ACT
My older kid attends at CTCL college in TX (Austin College). All of the CTCL colleges tend to be very student focused with a lot of emphasis on all of the professors being teachers. None of the classes are taught by grad students, for example. A lot of mentoring & enhanced learning experiences, too (study abroad, research, internships). Small class sizes compared to big public universities. None of the colleges are very large. All tend to be small. D24 is really happy where she’s currently attending.
Thanks, that was what I thought. So if the ACT itself does a superscore I’d think colleges would use it ?
Thank you for this! It’s been a journey trying to figure out what sort of school D26 would be drawn to. I’ve long thought an LAC might suit her best, although she’s a little worried about repeating the experience at her small private high school – where she’s had trouble finding like-minded people. (She’s definitely a quirky, artsy, nerdy sort of kid with a lot of varied interests.)
And then, because she’s interested in a niche, artsy/techy major, and she is hoping for marching or pep band, we kind of gave up on LACs. But it seems like Clark might offer the best of both worlds.
I don’t know if the band thing is a deal breaker. I don’t think she knows that, yet. But I suspect she’ll rely on “vibe” as much as her older sister did when choosing a school. We’ve got to get up there to tour.
Thanks for sharing your experience! (I think we’re all relics who graduated in the 1900s, LOL!)
D26 got 1510 on her SAT.
Registered for the June test and possibly August to see if she can improve her scores.
She’ll need to spend some time studying the strategies than just taking a couple of the practice exams.
Although an excellent score for her first attempt, it’s only in the 25th percentile of the school(s) she wants to attend.
This has been a journey. I thought D26 would want a state flagship university, or a medium sized private university, but she’s been looking at some small LACs, which I never thought she’d like, given she had similar concerns about it being High School 2.0.
It’ll be interesting to see what she ultimately decides.
Out of curiosity, what was her math/English breakdown?
I ask because I’ve also got a high SAT scorer – D26 took the SAT last June and got a 1560 (800 English, 760 Math) – and she had a head full of strategies for what works after taking all six bluebook practice tests, then going back to work out what she’d missed.
I did pay for a last-minute Math session on SuperTutorTV – it was a two-hour Zoom call with tips and tricks for already-high scorers, and it proved helpful. She didn’t have the patience to sit through more than that when her practice exam scores were even higher than that.
She also checked out all the Desmos calculator nuances that SuperTutorTV and others have posted online for free. I think those probably helped the most. (She didn’t think she needed the English session, and she was right, lol.)
She’s done testing, although a tiny part of her wants to take the ACT because her sister got a 36 composite in 2020 – just for sibling competition purposes, lol. But nah, she’s too busy to put forth the effort when her SAT score is already sufficient for most schools.