What To Know About Retaking The ACT

So… you didn’t get the score you wanted on your ACT. You’re not alone; it happens to thousands of students every year. But if you’re the type of student who’s used to scoring high on your tests, a low ACT score can feel like a massive blow. You might be worried about its impact on your college application chances or scholarships, or maybe you’re worried that you didn’t study correctly. 

The good news is that you’re not limited to one shot at the ACT. You can retake the test! But it would be a huge mistake to approach the retake without really thinking about it. You want to maximize your chances at a good score– and that means rethinking your test-taking strategy. 

Why Retaking the ACT Can Help

The ACT is a fast test, and first-time test-takers often lose points for reasons that have little to do with intelligence. They run out of time on the Reading section. They make preventable mistakes in Math. They underestimate how quickly the English section moves. After one official test, you have real information about your performance under testing conditions.

Analyzing that information is the first step in deciding whether or not you want to retake. When your ACT scores are released, you are given a score report. Your ACT score report shows your Composite score, your section scores, and more detailed reporting categories that break down your performance within each section. 

Understanding ACT Scoring

The first thing you’ll see when you look at your score report is your Composite score, which will range from 1-36. The Composite score is based on your performance on the 3 mandatory sections of the ACT: English, Math, and Reading. The Composite is the score that most universities are interested in. Writing and Science are optional now, and can be useful– but check out what your target schools actually want to see. If you’re not applying for a STEM major, and science isn’t your strong suit, you don’t have to take it!

Then, each section is broken down into reporting categories. This is the most interesting and useful part of the score report for retake planning, because they show where your missed points came from in specific question categories. For example, your English score may include categories related to writing production, knowledge of language, and conventions of standard English. Your math score may show performance across areas such as algebra, functions, geometry, statistics, and other skills. Your reading score may show how well you handled key ideas, details, craft, structure, and integration of knowledge. Instead of studying the whole test evenly, use these categories to spot patterns. If one category is much weaker than the others, that is a smart place to start.

You should also compare your scores to your target colleges’ admitted student ranges. A Composite score can look “good” in general but still fall short for a specific school or scholarship. At the same time, one low section score may matter more if it pulls down your Composite or relates to your intended major. Read the report as a roadmap. It tells you where you are now, which sections are helping you, which sections are holding you back, and where focused practice is most likely to raise your score.

Additional Factors In Deciding Whether A Retake Makes Sense

In addition to restrategizing, you should also really think about whether or not it makes sense to do a retake. In most cases, it is, especially if your score is below the middle range for your target colleges. Look up the ACT score ranges for admitted students at each school on your list. If your score falls below that range, another attempt may help you become a stronger applicant. If your score is already above that range, a retake may have less value unless you are aiming for merit scholarships or a highly selective program.

Your timeline is important too. Juniors often have more room to retake because they can test in spring, summer, or fall. Seniors need to work around application deadlines. ACT offers national testing throughout the year, but registration deadlines arrive weeks before each test date, so planning ahead matters.

You should also consider your prep bandwidth. A retake is most useful when you can study consistently before the next test. If your schedule is packed and your score is already competitive, your time may be better spent strengthening essays, applications, or scholarship materials. If you can dedicate several weeks to focused prep, a retake can be a strong move.

Once you’ve made your decision, it’s time to make your plan.

Planning for When and How Many Times to Retake the ACT

Your retake date should give you enough time to prepare and enough time to send scores. Many students retake the ACT after four to eight weeks of focused study. Some need longer, especially if they are trying to make a large score jump. Choose a date that fits your application timeline and your school schedule. A rushed retake may not give you enough time to change the habits that affected your previous score.

ACT allows students to take the test more than once, and many students do. That said, more test dates do not automatically mean better results. A smart retake plan usually includes two or three carefully chosen attempts, spaced far enough apart to allow real preparation. For many students, that might mean one first attempt in junior year, one retake after targeted prep, and one final attempt if the score still falls short of college or scholarship goals.

Think about each retake as a strategic checkpoint. Before registering again, ask what will be different this time. If you have reviewed your score report, fixed clear content gaps, practiced under real timing, and changed your section strategy, another test date can make sense. If you have not had time to prepare, waiting for a later date may be better than repeating the same approach.

Building A Section-Specific Retake Plan

Each ACT section requires a different kind of preparation. English rewards grammar knowledge, sentence-level precision, and passage-level decisions. You can often improve here by learning ACT’s favorite grammar rules and practicing under timed conditions. Focus on punctuation, subject-verb agreement, pronoun clarity, modifiers, transitions, and concise wording.

Math requires content review and pattern recognition. The ACT tests skills you usually learn through the beginning of grade 12, so you may see algebra, functions, geometry, statistics, and probability. Many students improve when they stop reviewing “math” as one broad category and start practicing by question type. Systems questions, function questions, triangle questions, and percent questions each have their own setups.

Reading improvement often depends on pacing and evidence. If you run out of time, your prep should include passage timing, question-order strategy, and practice identifying where answers are supported in the text. If you finish on time but miss too many questions, slow down during review and study why wrong answer choices looked tempting.

This is where expert instruction can make a real difference. A tutor who knows the ACT can help you separate content gaps from test-strategy problems. They can also show you how ACT  answer choices are constructed, which helps you stop falling for the same distractors.

Make Your Retake Count

Retaking the ACT works best when you use  your first score as a roadmap. That score report can point you toward the areas that deserve the most attention. A focused plan turns a second attempt into a real opportunity. The best retake prep is specific– and at Prep Expert®, our top 1% ACT scoring tutors can help you build the best retake plan for you. Browse our ACT course catalog and find the prep option that fits your next test date.