Earlier this week, I was invited by a colleague at ACT to present to the Stars College Network on The Benefits of Retesting & Improving Scores. Partnering with ACT on this crucial conversation was somewhat coincidental, since the best research I’ve found on the topic was ACT’s own October 2022 paper, Six Things You Should Know About ACT Score Gains From Retesting. I added an additional insight about strategic retakes based on both a different ACT study and decades of data and experience:
Test scores tend to increase with additional retesting, but there are diminishing returns.
Students who retest more than once usually see additional increases in their ACT scores, but score increases decline with each additional test.
Average score gains are modest (about 1 score point)
Specifically, the average ACT Composite score gain in 2022 (including Science) was 1.14. In the same year, students who retook the SAT increased by 20-40 points.Score gains increase with more time between tests
The average time from the first to the last test was 8.3 months. ACT scores tend to increase more while students are in school and stagnate or even decline slightly during summer breaks.Higher-achieving students tend to have larger score gains
According to ACT, this result is expected as the exam is designed to measure long-term learning.Differences in score gains across demographic groups are small but consistent with long-standing achievement gaps
The average Composite gain from the first to the last ACT test varies by family income level and across racial or ethnic groups.Superscore gains are substantially larger than single date Composite score gains.
This is hardly a surprise. Superscoring smooths out the volatility among different section scores from test to test.What you do between tests matters!
If you’re going to take a test, you should prepare first, right? Even ACT had to admit that their research showed that average score gains were higher when students engaged in test prep.
In today’s college admissions environment, score policies favor testing multiple times. Almost every single school permits either Score Choice (single best administration) or Super Score (best sections from multiple administrations), so retesting works in an applicant’s best interest. But if you want to avoid those meager 1 ACT point or 20-40 SAT point increases, study, practice, and prep until you see much more impressive gains!
⁉️ PSAT scores are coming in—do you know what your next steps should be? To get the maximum retest benefits between the PSAT and your next SAT or ACT, start with a smart plan. Give me a call when PSAT scores come in to determine your ideal timeline and test prep program.
APPLICATION ACTION STEPS
🎓 Learn how to write the college essay that AI cannot.
🎓 Apply for the Equitable Excellence Scholarship Program.
🎓 Consider what ‘smart’ really means in the context of test prep.
🎓 Dig into Washington Monthly’s 2026 College Guide and Rankings.
