How much difference will a 1490 or 1510 on SAT make?
Think abt it…I’m pretty sure the higher score would make a difference. I would take the 1510 100% of the time
20 points in score. 
I’m pretty sure it won’t. We’re talking 99th percentile versus (ummm) 99th percentile. Considering the user’s screenname, if s/he does not get into Stanford, I highly doubt it was because of a 1490 vs a 1510. However, since the user is giving no further information about the his/her credentials, and considering that top schools evaluate holistically, we’re all just throwing darts at a board.
Indian Male
SAT: 1490 / 1600
SAT 2: 800 on Maths 2 and Physics
AP:(Not offered by school) Took extra efforts, learnt on my own and scored 5 on Electricityand Magnetism and Calculus BC
Grades:
9th Grade: 84%
10th Grade: 95%
11th Grade: 86%
12th midterm: 90%
ECs:
1 State Level Basetball( Junior, Sophomore )( Vice Captain of my team)
2 State level Tennis Player(all 4 years)
3 President at a club which became famous in whole locality not just our school for our work( Freshman, Sophomore )
4 College Fest( Junior)
5 Taught my Juniors in School(SEnior)
6 Roataract Member(Junior , Senior)
7 Waste Collection Committee in my locality( alll 4 years)
8 Taught practical knowledge to children with disabilities (Senior)
9 Self Taught C++,Java,Javascript,HTML,CSS,Python,Ruby,Matlab,Swift
Awards
1 MUN International Level ( Special Mention)
2 Honor Soceity Member ( Freshman,Sophomore)(school level)
3 Head Boy (Sophomore)
4 3rd Place Global Health Exhibition( Freshman)(State/Regional)
5 3rd place in Maths Olympiad( Freshman)(school level)
6 2nd place in Debate(Sophomore)(school level)
Work Experience:
1 Internship at microsoft ( 4 Months)
2 worked with a startup in writing an AI and python code ( 3 Months)
LORs: All were excellent/very strong
Total Submitted 5 LORs:
Maths Prof
Chem Prof
Humanities prof
Counselor
Employer
Essays:
I believe they were somewhere 8.5/10
I highlighted my Interest In AI and Coding in both Commonapp Essay and Stanford Essay
So a couple of problematic things :
I don’t know specifically for Stanford, but for many schools at that tier, that acceptance rate of international applicants is half the overall rate.
I’m not sure if Stanford will appreciate not following instructions:
https://admission.stanford.edu/apply/freshman/evals.html
Anyway, at this point, you’ve submitted your application. All you can do is wait and see. Good luck.
OP: Curious as to why there may be a choice between an SAT score of 1490 versus 1510.
It’s a very small difference, but if you’re applying to fifteen highly-selective colleges, it might make a difference at one.
The difference between a 1490 an a 1510 is only a couple of questions. Obviously the 1510 is more aesthetically pleasing because it starts with a “15” but it really is not a significant difference at all. You’re within the mid-50 range for Stanford, both scores would put you a tiny bit bellow the 50 mark, so you’re in the middle of the pack. I doubt 20 points makes any difference. Right now, your recommendations, ECs, and essays are what’s important; those should be your focus.
For admission, the 20 points may have minimal effect when both scores are buried in the mid 50. For some lower tier schools, that 20 points difference may impact the merit aids.
Are you an international applicant? Even if you’re not, Asians will have the highest stats at Stanford, males will have higher for STEM majors. As publisher mentions, why the 1510 comparison, you’ll going be going up against 1550 or higher for the Asian spots at Stanford, maybe even higher for the international spots from India. The issue for you will be 1490 vs 1600/36, not 1490 vs 1510.