If you are asking does retaking the ACT improve your score, the data says yes. For most students, a retake produces a higher composite score. But the improvement is not automatic, and the size of the gain depends almost entirely on what you do between your first test and your next one.

Here is what the research shows, what the exceptions look like, and how to make sure your retake actually moves your score in the right direction.

What the Data Actually Shows

The numbers on ACT retakes are encouraging. According to ACT research, students who score between 13 and 29 on their first attempt increase their composite score by an average of one point when they retest. A separate ACT Policy Briefing found that students who took the ACT more than once saw average composite scores nearly three points higher than students who only tested once.

In 2024, 34% of students took the ACT more than once, and those students improved their ACT superscore by an average of 2.4 points.

One point or two points may not sound dramatic. But here is why it matters:

• A single point can shift you from below to within the admitted range at your target school
• A two to three point gain can qualify you for merit scholarships that were just out of reach
• Every point improvement strengthens your superscore, which many colleges use in their admissions process

The students who improve the most from a retake are the ones who changed something meaningful about their act test preparation before going back. Familiarity with the test format helps. Targeted preparation helps more.

Good Reasons to Retake the ACT

Not every situation calls for a retake. But several situations clearly do. Here is when going back makes sense.

Something went wrong on test day.

Things happen. You forgot your calculator. You misread the directions on a section. You felt sick or had not slept well the night before. If external factors prevented you from performing at your actual level, your score is not an accurate picture of what you can do. A retake under better conditions will almost always produce a better result.

Your nerves got the better of you.

Test anxiety is real and it costs points. Students who have never sat through a full timed ACT under real testing conditions often underperform simply because the environment is unfamiliar. A retake, especially after practicing with full timed tests, gives you the familiarity that turns anxiety into focus.

You did not prepare the first time.

If the test date arrived before your preparation did, that gap between your score and your potential is recoverable. It just requires committing to a structured study plan before your next attempt. Students who did not prepare for their first test and prepare seriously for their second almost always see significant improvement.

Your score does not align with your target schools.

Every college publishes the ACT score range for admitted students. If your current score falls below that range for schools you are serious about, a retake is worth the time and investment. Even a modest improvement can change where your application lands in the review process.

You want to strengthen your superscore.

Many colleges use ACT superscoring, which takes the highest score you have earned on each individual section across all test dates and combines them into a new composite. If your Math score is strong but your Reading score dragged your composite down, a retake focused specifically on Reading can lift your superscore without putting any of your existing strong scores at risk.

When a Retake Probably Is Not Worth It

A retake is not always the right call. Here is when it probably is not.

Your score already meets or exceeds your target schools’ ranges.

If you are already at or above the average for admitted students at your target schools, retaking introduces risk without a clear reward. Some schools require you to submit all test scores, and a lower retake score, even if unlikely, is not a situation you want to create.

It is late in your senior year with no gap year planned.

Every college sets a deadline for which test dates it will consider. If you are in the winter or spring of senior year with applications already submitted or due, there may simply not be enough time for a retake to matter. Check the test-by dates for each school on your list before registering.

You are not willing to prepare differently.

This is the most important one. If you plan to retake without changing your study approach, the odds of meaningful improvement are not in your favor. A retake only makes sense if you are genuinely committed to targeted preparation in the areas that cost you points the first time.

How Many Times Can You Retake the ACT?

There is no limit to how many times you can take the ACT. Students can test up to twelve times total. Most students who retake do so once or twice. Each additional attempt costs time and money, and the returns diminish quickly if you are not making meaningful changes to your preparation between attempts.

One important note: some highly selective schools require you to submit scores from every ACT test date. Too many retakes without clear improvement can work against you at those schools. If you are targeting highly selective colleges, be strategic about how many times you test.

Can You Retake Just One Section?

Currently, students cannot retake specific sections of the ACT. If you retake, you take the full test. Plans to implement section retesting have been proposed but are currently postponed.

What you can do is use your best section scores from different test dates to build a superscore. If you score higher in Math on your second attempt and higher in Reading on your first, your superscore combines the best of both. This is one of the strongest arguments for retaking when you have clear weak sections and your target schools accept superscores.

How to Make Sure Your Retake Actually Improves Your Score

The data on retakes is clear: students who prepare between attempts improve significantly more than students who simply show up again. Here is what that preparation should look like.

Start with your score report.

Your ACT score report breaks down your performance by section and by content area within each section. This is your roadmap. The areas with the most room for improvement are the areas that should drive your study plan before your retake.

Request your actual test questions.

ACT offers a service that provides a copy of your test questions, your answers, and the answer key for qualifying test dates. Going through your specific wrong answers and understanding exactly why each one was wrong is one of the most targeted study sessions available to retakers.

Change something meaningful about your preparation.

If your first round of preparation did not produce the score you needed, doing the same thing again will produce the same result. A retake is an opportunity to reset your approach entirely:

• Focus your study time on the specific sections and question types that cost you the most points
• Take at least two to three full timed practice tests before your retake date
• Review every mistake after every practice session before moving on to anything else
• Build the pacing habits that prevent preventable errors under time pressure

A platform like ScoreSmart is built around exactly this kind of targeted retake preparation. It shows you not just where you missed questions but which patterns are costing you the most points across the test so you can fix the right things before you go back.

The Bottom Line

Does retaking the ACT improve your score? For the majority of students who prepare properly between attempts, yes. The research is consistent and the logic is sound.

But the retake alone is not what drives the improvement. Here is what does:

• Identifying exactly which sections and question types cost you the most points on your first attempt
• Building a focused preparation plan around those specific areas
• Practicing with full timed tests to build the familiarity and pacing that reduce test-day errors
• Reviewing every mistake before moving on and using that analysis to guide the next session
• Showing up to your retake having done something genuinely different than what you did the first time

The students who gain the most from a retake are not the ones who simply show up again. They are the ones who go back with a clear picture of what went wrong and a specific plan to fix it.

That is the difference between retaking the ACT and actually improving your score.

Ready to find out exactly where your ACT points went? Try ScoreSmart and get the performance analytics that show you what to fix before your retake.