Key Takeaways
- Most students who retest improve a little, usually less than they hope. ACT’s own research puts the average Composite gain at about one point.
- Whether a retake helps depends on how a college uses multiple scores: your best test, your best sections, or every score you have.
- Retake when you have a specific plan and a score that could change a decision. Not just because you can.
“I got a 1290. Everyone says I should take it again.”
That’s the advice students hear from friends, tutors, and relatives, almost always without a number attached.
It might be good advice. It might also cost you a Saturday, a registration fee, and a month of study time for a gain that doesn’t change anything.
The useful question isn’t should I retake it? It’s what would a retake actually change?
What the data says
The best public data comes from ACT’s own research. In a 2022 brief based on preliminary data for that year’s graduating class, ACT reported that about 35% of students tested at least twice.
For those who did, the average Composite score gain from first test to last was 1.14 points, over an average of about eight months between tests. ACT’s own reading of that number is that students usually see only a small increase, because the test measures learning that builds over years.
Three other findings from the same brief are worth knowing:
Gains shrink with each retake. For students who tested four times, the average gain was 1.05 points from the first to the second test, 0.59 from the second to the third, and 0.32 from the third to the fourth.
A summer break can reduce gains. ACT found smaller average gains when the time between tests included a summer break. Tests six months apart gained about 0.6 points on average if a summer fell between them, and about 1.1 if not.
Superscores gain more than Composites. For students who tested twice, the Superscore averaged 1.66 points higher than the original Composite.
ACT also says its own numbers aren’t representative of all students, since higher-achieving and higher-income students are more likely to retest.
The College Board makes a similar but less specific case for the SAT. Its blog says many students raise their scores when they retake, and that colleges don’t look unfavorably on retaking. That’s a testing company’s view of its own test, and it doesn’t give a number. I’d treat it as encouragement, not a promise.
What colleges do with multiple scores
This is where the real decision lives, because colleges treat your scores differently.
The College Board describes several policies. Some colleges superscore, combining your best section scores from different dates. Some take your single highest test date. Some require every score you’ve taken, and the College Board says those schools still look at your highest section scores. And many are test-optional. It tells students to check each college’s score-use policy, usually on the admissions website’s application requirements page.
Two real examples show the range:
Harvard says in its application tips that it has always looked at the best scores applicants choose to submit.
Duke says it considers your highest section scores on the SAT regardless of test date. For the ACT, it uses your highest section scores to build a new composite. For students who submit both tests, it considers your best score. Duke is test-optional this cycle, and it says choosing not to have scores considered won’t affect your decision.
If your school superscores, one strong section on a retake can raise the number they use, even if your total on that day stays flat. If it takes a single test, you need a higher total in one sitting.
Policies also change. Notre Dame, for example, is test-optional through 2026–27 and says it will reinstate a testing requirement beginning with the 2027–28 admissions cycle. A junior this year applies in that cycle.
Is a second try worth it? Five questions
1. How far am I from the range at schools I care about? Yale’s testing page says the great majority of its students score above the 95th percentile, which in 2025 meant over 1420 on the SAT or a 31 on the ACT. It also says scores on a single exam are not the sole or primary factor. Knowing a school’s range tells you whether 30 points would matter or whether you’re already well inside it.
2. Does my target school use section scores? If yes, one weak section is worth targeting. If it takes your best single test, you’ll need all sections to improve at once.
3. Is there a hard cutoff attached to money? Some public universities tie automatic scholarships to specific scores. Our post on auto-merit policies explains how. If a 28 and a 30 mean different dollar amounts, a retake can pay for itself.
4. Will I do something different this time? ACT’s research says test prep helps on average, but the average effect is small. Repeating the same preparation and hoping for a better day is a weak plan. A specific one, like fixing a weak area, is a better bet.
5. What else would I give up? The hours you’d spend retaking could go to essays, grades, or a job. Our post on jobs and extracurriculars is a good reminder of what else counts.
Three students, three answers
These are illustrations I wrote, not real students.
Elena scored a 1290. Her math is strong, but her reading and writing dragged the total down. Two of her schools use section scores. She makes a plan around her weaker section and retakes once. Her best-section combination goes up, even though her total on a single day moves only a little.
David scored a 1490 and wants a 1520. Thirty points at that level is unlikely to change how an admissions reader sees his file. He spends the time on his supplemental essays instead.
Aisha scored a 28 on the ACT. A scholarship at a state school she likes starts at a 30. A retake could change that, so she signs up and builds a plan around her weakest section.
One thing about access
ACT’s brief found that 47% of students at its highest income level tested only once, compared with 67% at its lowest level. Retaking costs money, time, and transportation, and not every family has an equal amount of each.
If cost is a barrier, check whether you qualify for a fee waiver. Our post on fee waivers explains who qualifies and how to request one.
The takeaway
A retake isn’t automatically smart or wasteful. It depends on your score, your schools, and your plan.
For most students, it’s worth doing once, with a specific goal. After that, the average gains shrink.
Before you register, ask: if my score goes up, which decision changes?
If you can name one, go for it. If you can’t, put the time somewhere that will.
