If you’ve just gotten your ACT score back and something feels off, you’re probably already asking yourself should you retake the ACT. Maybe the number is lower than you expected. Maybe you know you had a bad day. Maybe you’re just not sure if the score you got is good enough for the schools you want.

Here’s the straightforward answer: most students who retake the ACT improve. But “most students” is not everyone, and retaking without a clear plan is how students waste time, money, and test dates.

This is how to think through the decision the right way.

Does Retaking the ACT Improve Your Score?

Let’s start with the data, because the data is encouraging.

According to the ACT organization, 57% of students who retake the ACT improve their composite score. In 2024, students who took the ACT more than once improved their score by an average of 2.4 points. That’s a meaningful gain, and for many students it’s the difference between a reach school and a match.

But here’s the part that matters just as much: the improvement doesn’t happen automatically. The students who improve are overwhelmingly the ones who changed something about their preparation before retaking. They identified what went wrong the first time, targeted those areas specifically, and put in the work.

Students who retake without adjusting their approach often land in the same place they started, or worse.

So yes, does retaking the ACT improve your score? It does, for the majority of students who prepare properly. The retake alone is not what drives the gain. The preparation is.

Reasons to Retake the ACT

Not every situation calls for a retake, but several situations clearly do. Here’s when it makes sense to go again.

Your score doesn’t match your target schools.

Every college has a range of ACT scores for admitted students. If your score falls below that range for the schools you’re serious about, a retake is worth the effort. Even a 1 to 2 point improvement can shift you from below-average to within range, and that matters in a competitive applicant pool.

You left points on the table due to pacing or nerves.

Test day anxiety is real, and it costs points. If you ran out of time on sections you know well, or made careless mistakes that don’t reflect your actual ability, your score is not an accurate picture of what you can do. That gap between your real ability and your score is recoverable, and a retake with proper preparation will close it.

You have clear weak sections and your target schools superscore.

Many colleges take the highest score you’ve earned on each section across all test dates and combine them into a new composite. This is called superscoring. If your Math score is strong but your Reading score dragged your composite down, a retake focused entirely on Reading could lift your superscore significantly without any risk to your existing strong scores. Check the testing policies for every school on your list before deciding.

A higher score unlocks more scholarship money.

This one surprises students. At many schools, merit aid is tied directly to ACT score thresholds. Increasing your score by even one or two points can move you into a higher scholarship bracket worth thousands of dollars per year. Before dismissing a retake as not worth the effort, check the merit aid calculators on the websites of your target schools. The financial case for retaking is often stronger than students realize.

You’ve taken additional coursework since your last test.

The ACT, especially the Math section, tests content that is directly tied to what you learn in class. If you’ve completed more advanced coursework since your last test date, you may have genuine new knowledge that will help you on sections that gave you trouble before.

Reasons Not to Retake the ACT

Just as importantly, here’s when a retake probably isn’t the right move.

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

If you’re applying to schools where your current score puts you at or above the average for admitted students, 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’s late in your senior year.

Every college sets its own deadline for which test dates it will consider. If you’re in the winter or spring of senior year without a gap year planned, there may simply not be enough time for a retake to matter for the applications you’re already submitting. Check the test-by dates for each school on your list before registering.

You scored extremely well the first time.

If you’re already at or near the top of the score range for your target schools, the marginal benefit of a slightly higher score is minimal. The time spent preparing for a retake is time you could invest in other parts of your application.

You’re not willing to change your preparation.

If you plan to retake without adjusting your study plan, the odds of improvement are not in your favor. A retake only makes sense if you’re genuinely committed to targeted preparation in the areas that cost you points the first time.

How to Approach a Retake the Right Way

If you decide a retake is the right call, the approach matters as much as the decision itself.

Start with your score report.

Your ACT score report doesn’t just give you section scores. It breaks each section into subscores that show you exactly which content areas are costing you the most points. This is where your preparation should begin. Don’t study broadly. Study the specific areas where the data says you’re weakest.

Give yourself enough time.

The general recommendation is two to three months of preparation before a retake. That’s enough time to address real content gaps, take several full-length timed practice tests, and build the pacing habits that prevent preventable mistakes on test day.

Change something meaningful.

If your first round of preparation didn’t move the score where you needed it, doing the same thing again will produce the same result. A retake is an opportunity to reset your approach entirely. Whether that means more structured practice, a different set of materials, or more rigorous review of your mistakes, something in your preparation needs to be genuinely different.

Practice tests are non-negotiable.

The experience of sitting through the real ACT, including the timing pressure and mental stamina required, is something no study guide alone can replicate. Full-length timed practice tests before your retake date are one of the most reliable predictors of score improvement.

A platform like ScoreSmart gives you not just practice tests but detailed performance analytics that show you where your time is going, which question types are hurting your score, and what to prioritize before your retake. That kind of targeted feedback is what turns preparation time into actual point gains.

How Many Times Can You Retake the ACT?

You can take the ACT up to twelve times total. Most students who retake do so once or twice. Each additional test date costs money and time, and the returns diminish if you’re not making meaningful changes to your preparation between attempts.

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

The Bottom Line

Should you retake the ACT? For most students, yes. The data supports it, the upside is real, and a stronger score opens doors that a weaker score closes.

But a retake is only worth it if you approach it differently than you approached the first time. Identify your weak areas. Build a focused preparation plan. Give yourself enough time to actually improve, not just review.

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

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

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