SAT/ACT Score Choice

[midwestDad2]

We are just aware of some colleges require applicants to submit ALL test scores from the either testing agency (CollegeBoard or ACT). We know Yale is one such college. Does anyone know of any other colleges have similar test score requirements?

[broetchen]

There are a bunch of them. University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Cornell, Pomona, and USC come to mind in addition to Yale.
If you do a search on "opting out of score choice" you will no doubt find more.

[mamabear1234]

Here's the complete SAT list.

http://professionals.collegeboard.co...tices-list.pdf

[qialah]

The full Yale policy. From their website:

Yale requires results from all of the SAT I and SAT II tests or all of the ACT tests you have taken. If you choose to fulfill our testing requirement with SAT scores, then it is not necessary to send any scores from the ACT, even if you have taken the ACT. And if you choose to fulfill the requirement using the ACT, you do not need to send us any SAT scores, unless you wish...

However, and this is important, if you elect to use the SAT scores, you must report all scores from all SAT exams (both SAT I and SAT II) that you have taken. If you elect to use ACT scores, you must report all scores from all ACT exams you have taken. And if you choose to use a combination of SAT and ACT results, we require that you report all scores from both agencies.

Students reporting SAT results are required to have official SAT I and SAT II test results from all test dates reported to Yale directly from the College Board.

Students reporting ACT results are required to have official results from at least one test date reported to Yale directly from ACT, and must self-report all other available ACT results when they file their Yale Common Application. (See below for the reasons ACT reporting differs from SAT reporting.) ...

First, let's be clear on the difference: students who choose to submit ACT scores are required to send official results from the ACT for at least one test date, plus provide us with self-reported scores from all ACT test dates. Students who submit SAT scores must send official results from all SAT test dates (both SAT I and SAT II’s).

We have taken this approach because there is a cost differential in the reporting of SAT and ACT results. The College Board will send a cumulative record of all SAT I and SAT II tests for one fee. For a similar fee, the ACT will send results for just one test date. Because we do not feel that students reporting ACTs should incur greater costs, we require that students pay to send at least one official ACT score report and self-report all other ACT results. We will confirm self-reported test results if we feel it is necessary.

[mathmom]

Many colleges make it much less clear whether you need to send all the SAT2 scores, so my son has suppressed his lousy (only CC terms!) Math2 score even at colleges that made it clear they wanted all the SAT1 scores. It makes sense that in order to allow them to superscore they need all the SAT1 scores, less so for them to see extra SAT2s. I applaud Yale for being crystal clear about what they want.

[midwestDad2]

I do agree with mathmom's comment - yes, Yale does make the score choice policy crystal clear, but not every school is like that.

Here is another question - Does any college favor SAT takers over ACT takers or vise versa?

I was on the Yale acceptance discussion thread from last year, and it appears most accpeted students provided SAT scores. This is not a scientific survey.

In my son's case, he took ACT four times - he had composite score 34 three times and 35 once (last time). He also took SAT twice (total score: 2270, 2290 and superscore:2310). We are struggling whether we should submit ACT or SAT.

Does anyone have any comments or opinions?

[mathmom]

Every admissions officer I have ever heard speak on the subject says they really don't care, just send whatever makes you look better.

[ELY]

mathmom--My S is doing the same--all SATI and supressing lousy SATII Physics. Several of the colleges he is applying to do not, however, use Score Choice. Have you talked to any admissions or GC about this method of SAT reporting??

[mathmom]

Nope, and I don't plan to ask. I might get an answer I don't want to hear. If the colleges had language like Yale's I would of course comply, but usually they say things like "we want all your SAT scores" in a section devoted to the SAT 1 and "we want 2 SAT2 scores" on another line. I think I'm following their intentions, but why invite trouble?

[ELY]

I like it--our very own don't-ask-don't-tell policy!

Have you sent any score reports like this yet?

[entomom]

My S is doing the same--all SATI and supressing lousy SATII Physics. Several of the colleges he is applying to do not, however, use Score Choice.

There's a difference between mathmom's example and schools that don't accept score choice. A DADT policy is an accurate interpretation of the ambiguous SAT policy, but does not hold for schools that require 2 SAT IIs but reject score choice.

[maybe you made that distinction, I wasn't sure ]

[qialah]

The UCs don't allow score choice. As an experiment, I tried to send only D's SATII's because her ACT is a little better than her SATI. However, the College Board site gave me a warning that UCs wanted all scores, so at least from the College Board standpoint, an SATII isn't any different from an SATI.

D is going to take one more SAT II at which point I think we'll just send everything and let the chips fall where they may. They say they'll take the best ones, and there's only so much angsting I can do about whether they really do that or not.

[entomom]

Interesting, did they just give you the warning and then send the scores, or did the CB actually prevent you from sending the SAT IIs unless you also sent the SAT I? On their website, the CB says that they don't control what's sent, that it's the student's responsibility to adhere to the score choice policies of individual schools:

SAT Score-Use Practices Submission

Because colleges, universities and scholarship programs use SAT scores in different ways in the admissions process, the College Board is giving you the ability to display your institution's SAT score-use practice directly to students on CollegeBoard.com.

To facilitate this, the College Board is asking you to choose from a set of score-use practice options. Students will be responsible for following the institutions' stated practices. Please note that your institution or program will only receive the scores that students send to you.

[entomom]

I was on the Yale acceptance discussion thread from last year, and it appears most accpeted students provided SAT scores. This is not a scientific survey.

In the years that I've been on CC, there's never been an indication that Y admissions prefers the SAT to the ACT. But again no firm data, just no glaring difference that has stood out to members. At first I thought it would be due to more students taking the SAT, but when I looked it up, about 1.5 million took each test in 2008/2009.

In my son's case, he took ACT four times - he had composite score 34 three times and 35 once (last time). He also took SAT twice (total score: 2270, 2290 and superscore:2310). We are struggling whether we should submit ACT or SAT.

I'd say the ACT, except for the fact that he took it 4 times, which might be a concern:

Yale Daily News - No choice on scores

Brenzel said the Yale admissions office benefits from seeing all scores in order to make a fair assessment about an applicant, adding that standardized testing is part of a holistic process.

When asked whether Yale looks only at a student’s best standardized testing scores, Brenzel said in an e-mail: “We do give primary consideration to the top scores attained. It can be helpful, though, to know how many times it took to achieve those scores.”

He added that a large number of testing sittings will not necessarily have a positive or negative impact on a student’s application. Rather, each piece of information in an applicant’s file is considered in the context of all other information about him or her, Brenzel said.

What is the M+V score? If it's the equivalent of a 35, about 1560, then you might consider the SAT since he only took it twice. The other consideration with sending the SAT are his SAT II scores.

I appreciate your concern about sending the best tests, but given his numbers, I doubt it's going to be the make or break factor in his application.

[qialah]

entomom: I don't know because I didn't actually send them. I suspect it would have let me.