Is the ACT plus writing better then the ACT without?

ACT superscore writing/no writing?

• The first time I took the ACT, which was with writing, I got a 30. The second time I took it, without writing, I got a 33. Am I only going to get credit for that 33 for schools that ...show more

• Answer:

  well, i dont think freaking out is quite right, but you do have cause for concern. i advise students to always take it with writing for exactly this reason - some schools that superscore wont use any scores from a non-writing sitting. the good news is that it isnt likely to significantly impact your college options. a 3 point gap is significant yes but it still means that any college that was a sure thing with a 33 and whatever your other stats are is still pretty close to a sure thing now. any that were a reach even with the 33 were going to be looking at your other information anyhow and probably still will look even with the 30. i dont know for sure what the logic of the position is. i suspect that pickier colleges simply dont want anyone they perceive (even if unfairly) as not willing to put in an extra 20 minutes to their test or that they feel the writing should be required instead of optional and are trying to de facto make it required.