<p>Particularly on supplement prompts, will CA let me go over the limit?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>For the ones that you have to enter directly into the Common App, I believe it just stops letting you type after you reach the word limit. You could try it if you want (and corroborate it by using Word’s word count feature). If it doesn’t stop you, I still wouldn’t go too far over the limit, as the limit is there for a reason - there’s nothing you can’t say better in fewer words.</p>
<p>The word and character limits are hard and fast rules in the common app form, other than those few schools that allow a response to be submitted by uploading a pdf document. For those, there is a file size limitation. Once you complete your app and get the the point of submitting, you will be able to preview to double check that your responses show completely.</p>
<p>I am curious also. I pasted a 530 word supplement and CA told me that it “shortened” it to 490… but all the words are still there. Does anyone have an explanation? Will it allow me to submit this “490” word supplement?</p>
<p>The word counts are quite strict. When you get to the stage of previewing the application, you’ll be able to see exactly what the admissions committees will see and edit appropriately before submission. The only way to preview is to get green checks in all parts of the app and then press the “submit” button. That takes you to a pdf preview which you can review, print, close and then continue editing your application without actually submitting.</p>