Can you submit just one ACT?

northwesty
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 23:32:06 +0000

You should call Rice and ask them your question specifically.

Based on the policy they have on their website, Rice requires all SAT tests to be submitted. That’s 100% clear. Makes sense since they super-score SATs. And since they express concern about better resourced kids taking advantage of test prep and multiple test taking.

For the ACT, though, seems like you can send just one ACT. Perhaps that makes sense since Rice (like most schools) does not super-score ACTs. In which case their concern for under-resourced kids (for no explicable reason) extends to poor SAT test takers but not poor ACT test takers. Hmmm…

Super-scoring SATs, imho, is just a ratings/rankings scam anyway. Overall, it should provide no advantage to most kids. Since the SS-ing is available to help competing kids just as much as it is available to help your kid.

My hunch is that the SCHOOLS are the ones who gain advantage by allowing SS-ing. Because it necessarily inflates the SAT scores of the kids that it eventually reports as being accepted and enrolled. Although does it really help if all of your peer schools are doing the same stat inflation via SS-ing?

Not too different from Baylor paying kids to retake the SAT after admission so it could report higher SAT scores.

Or like Northeastern and some other schools offering spring admission to lower SAT scorers so they could be excluded from the rankings data sets.