Choosing Wisely: An Initiative of the ABIM Foundation

The goal of the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign was to spark conversations between clinicians and patients about what tests, treatments, and procedures are needed – and which ones are not.

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It began in 2012 with nine national specialty societies (representing 375,000 clinicians) offering 45 examples of tests or treatments that were commonly used in their fields but lacked strong supporting evidence. Between 2012 and 2023, more than 80 specialty societies highlighted additional examples. While these examples are no longer maintained and available on this website, specialty societies are encouraged to publish individual lists.

On average, for testers who received an initial score between 13 and 29, the second Composite score increases by one point.

When you wonder if one point is worth it to retake the ACT, remember that one point could make a big difference. It could impact your eligibility for scholarships and affect your college admission.

Not convinced? Here are some additional reasons you should consider retesting:

You had problems during the test.

Things can go wrong. Maybe you forgot your calculator or didn't understand the directions. If things didn’t go as planned, you probably didn’t perform your best and may want to retest.

You weren’t feeling your best.

Feeling sick or lack of sleep can impact your ability to think clearly and fully focus on the task at hand.

You didn’t feel prepared.

Did the test date sneak up on you? Sometimes students register for the test with the intent of completing test prep… but for some reason or another, it just doesn’t happen. Commit to improving your score by taking time to practice for the test and try again. Consider using free or paid test prep resources offered by ACT.

Your nerves got the best of you.

Having nerves before a big test is perfectly normal. Students can put a lot of pressure on themselves to achieve a high score. Don’t let test anxiety get in the way of your score, consider taking a practice test at home using a similar testing environment to help with some of the nerves.

You know you can do better.

If your score didn’t line up with your expected performance, identify areas you can improve on and consider giving the test another shot.

You've learned more.

Since taking the ACT test, you have continued to learn more in school. ACT questions are based on the core curriculum, so you are likely more prepared for the test!

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