A little stressed here, just got my ACT scores and I got a 28. Is that a respectable score or do I need to retake the test to improve my chances of getting into my dream college?
When discussing standardized test scores, it's essential to view them in context with the rest of your application and the admission requirements of the specific colleges you're interested in.
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. So, a score of 28 is quite good—it's above average and places you in the 88th percentile of test-takers. Generally speaking, this places you in a competitively strong position for many schools.
However, if your "dream college" is a highly selective school, say, Harvard or Stanford, you might want to aim for a higher ACT score. For those schools, the median ACT score usually lies in the range of 33 to 35.
But remember, standardized test scores are just one piece of the puzzle. Colleges also consider your high school GPA, course rigor, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, essays, and more when making admission decisions.
In the end, whether or not you should retake the ACT depends on your individual circumstances and the admission requirements of your specific target schools. I'd encourage you to research the average ACT scores of admitted students to your dream schools to get a better idea of where you stand.
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