Jayay90

Yo all

I just took the ACT in June and I got a 34, 10 on the essay with no prep (i'll be a junior next year). Now, I could do one of three things:
1) Just send the ACT I have.
2) Retake the ACT and try for that 35,36.
3) Take the SAT with prep and send both or just the ACT if SAT score is really bad.

I know I could improve it (got my lowest, 32, in READING, I actually came in LATE for that section hahahaha i don't believe in '10 minute' breaks...).

These are the places I want to go:
MIT
Yale
Franklin Olin
Harvard
NYU
Caltech
Stanford

Opinions?

manu101

I would prep and take the SAT. You already have a very good ACT score, so I see no real need for improvement.

BaddyCaddy09

Definitely not #1 (your ACT score is too good to just throw out).
Definitely not #2 (unless you're that much of a perfectionist).
Possibly #3 (although I don't see why - just send the ACT score).

lockn

Just practice some, and find out for sure if you can reliably score higher. If you can't, then forget about it and spend your time on something else. 34 is high enough for any college, but there is a lot of competition and a 35 or 36 would only help.

GammaGrozza

There really isn't a need to take the SAT unless you are qualifying for national merit or if you are CERTAIN that you can get above about a 2250. Standardized tests, at the very top schools, are more something that can keep you out (if they are considerably low) rather than push you one (if they are considerably high). Basically, they want to see if nothing fishy is going on, and a 34 pretty much confirms that. If you were to take the SAT and score like a 2000, your application would be hurt. But if you took the SAT and got like a 2300, I don't think that would really help your case much.]

If you think you can get a 36, then go for it. 35 is generally the point I'd advise someone not to retake, even if they could easily get a 36 (case in point, myself).

J'adoube

You are just in 10th grade so there's a lot of room for improvement. You need to take the PSAT in jr year anyway, why don't you just prep a little for the SAT and do the PSAT in October and the SAT in December? Think of it this way, the only test that will actually get you money just by scoring well is the PSAT.

qwert13

My suggestion is to go with option 1 because tons of schools accept and look favorably towards ACT now. Or possibly option 3, because you still have lots of time to take and review for SATs and stuff. So good luck

teamfrangela92

Just send the ACT and drop the SAT. If you have extra time and want to put in some more effort, retake the ACT. If not, no big deal.

jamesford

Why not prep for the ACT?

You could probably pull off a 35 or 36 which would be equivalent to a score in the 2300 range.

Yakyu Spirits

Just send the ACT. No need for the SAT with that ACT score

bclintonk

Agree with j'adoube. Most people take the PSAT as juniors. This is also the qualifying test for National Merit scholarships. You'll probably get a high score, but even if your PSAT score meets the National Merit cutoff for your state, you'll need to take the SAT to qualify as a National Merit finalist. So prep for the PSAT and SAT, take the SAT in December, and see how you do. A 34 on the ACT is a very strong score, certainly strong enough to make you competitive for all the schools on your list. But since you'll want to take the SAT anyway for National Merit purposes, see how you do and then reassess whether your SAT or ACT is stronger, and whether there's any point in re-taking either.

And don't forget, you'll also need to prep for some SAT II Subject Tests to qualify for many of the top colleges, so you don't want to be spending all your time take the SAT I and the ACT.

dareallycoolguy0

there really isn't any point prepping for the SAT. Just prepare for the PSAT (meaning don't take 4 hour practice tests when you should be getting used to 2 and a half hout tests, and skip the essay), and then devote the rest of your time to the ACT.

Jayay90

Thanks for all the advice. Good points. Definitely given me something to think about...

Anyone else?