Question about Cappex

Chance Me / Match Me
1

The MiT admissions page says that there is no preference between the SAT and ACT tests. However, the Cappex admissions estimates page seems to indicate otherwise.

I got a 2140 on the SAT, and my chances aren’t great just like everybody else. The ‘blue bar’ is in the range of the high second bar to the low seventh bar (about 28 - 70%). It’s a wide range, so my chances aren’t very accurate to begin with, but this doesn’t explain what happens if I change my score to the ACT equivalent of a 33 composite (according to http://www.berkeleytutors.net/conversion/).

If I change my score to a 33 composite, my chances jump to about 40% min - 80% max. Does this mean that if I take the ACT and get a 33 composite score, all other things remaining equal, I would have better chances to get into MiT?

2

It’s quite simple. Nobody has a 40% minimum chance of getting into MIT, much less a mere human without a 2400, 36, or Nobel Peace Prize on their application. Nobody has an 80% chance of getting into any Ivy League school, unless their last name is Bush. 28% and 70% are slightly closer to the plausible range, but they’re still outlandish.

These calculators tend to be somewhat useful for students applying to middle-of-the-pack universities, but with Ivy League colleges or equivalents they’re almost worthless.

I’d trust the MIT admissions page over the Cappex calculator every time.

3

Ahh, I see. I assumed that the calculators were inaccurate from the beginning but I thought that maybe the disparity between the SAT and ACT had some merit to them. Thanks for clearing that up for me.