I’ve taken both the SAT and the ACT as a '25 high school student aiming for Ivy League schools. I’m really happy with my SAT score - 1560, 800 english/760 math, but i’m not as happy with my ACT score. My question is if I should submit it or not. It is a 34 overall, with 32/31 on math/science dragging down the verbal categories. The 34 is quite nice, but Ivies place me below the 25th percentile for math and science. I’m not going for a STEM major, but do I bother submitting both or should I just submit the SAT?
Zero benefit to submitting your ACT score, or even thinking about your testing ever again. Plan to submit your SAT score and focus on other things (like what schools you’re actually interested in and why). Good luck!
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Hmm. Well, I’m told by others that the ACT adds dimensionality, that I can mention that I took it an hour away from where I live with no prep, and that the extra test shows I challenged myself. I’ve even been told that I can say I was taken aback by the lack of time for the STEM topics (which is true), though I’m pretty sure that just makes me look stupid. I understand both your and their perspective on the other stuff. Would you mind elaborating? I’d rather just make up my mind about this then leave it lingering
I see no benefit to sending an additional test - a 34 on the ACT corresponds to a 1490-1520 which is lower than your actual SAT score. They aren’t going to care that you took it an hour away from your home or that you didn’t prep - plenty of kids don’t prep and do well so that isn’t a unique feature. You have a great SAT score so you should go with that and put testing out of your mind.
Send your SAT score. It’s the better of the two. Your ACT adds no benefit to any application you send.
It sounds like you are currently a HS junior. I’m going to give you some free advice. Even kids with perfect SAT or ACT scores and perfect GPAs get rejected from the Ivies every year. There simply aren’t enough seats to accommodate all of the excellent folks who apply. So…I would urge you to research other less selective and affordable colleges that you would be happy to attend.
Actually…find one or two sure things for admission and affordability first…that you like. Get that pinned down first. Bonus if it has rolling admissions or EA so you could have an early acceptance.
Then build your list UP from there. It’s easy to identify those reaches where more than 90% of applicants do not get accepted.
I am linking an older thread, but it rings true even now. Get that sure thing…or your senior year could be like this kid’s (who was a NMF, class val, excellent ECs, etc). Who didn’t get accepted anywhere the year he was a HS senior. Read the whole thread.
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Not true. No need to take ACT again or submit the score you do have. You are done testing with the 1560. Congrats.
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There is no value of taking both ACT and the SAT. You should send the better (your SAT). Yay for you, you are done early with standardized tests:)
re ACT as others said, they don’t care you drove far away and won’t even necessarily believe you didn’t prep (and when would you tell them this anyway?).
If you have free time do something to dig deeper into your ECs, do not feel the need take an extra test:)
The 800 on the English is very impressive and much less common than an 800 in math. Congratulations! Don’t bother with the ACT.
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Are these other HS students? Because these others are wrong.
It shows nothing positive to me. Few colleges are interested in one dimensional test taking drones.
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Who told you this? If you submit a high test score, in your case the SAT, no one will care whether or not you submit a second score. One score is fine.
None of this is a good idea…If you do this, you will look whiny and like you’re making excuses. It will not be a good look.
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So if this helps . . . we use a feederish HS, meaning our HS has a lot of experience getting kids into the most selective US colleges. The standard approach recommend by our dedicated college counselors is to try out both the ACT and SAT, then focus on your best test, and eventually submit only that one. Sometimes people actually get the score they need on their first take of just the one test, and then they are done right there.
I am pointing this out because if these extremely experienced college counselors, many of whom have worked as AOs themselves, don’t think it is worth trying to submit both, I believe that is pretty good evidence to support it is not in fact worth submitting both. Maybe if they are equally good, in which case why not? But that is a fluke, and otherwise it seems to work out very well just to figure out your best test format and then submit that test.
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this. 100%.
I have heard this from top prep schools, top prep test pros and our good public school.
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What students should be doing is taking a full, timed practice test under simulated realistic conditions to decide which is best. No need to take two ‘real’ sittings, although it used to be more of an issue when more schools required reporting of all test scores. Now only Georgetown is in that group.
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