<p>D’s scores are SAT 1970 (superscored) and ACT 28. Both are reasonable scores and better than her 3.26/3.56 gpa would predict. She is leaning toward only sending SAT since it is higher on the comparison charts but I think sending both gives a fuller picture of her potential. Also, she addresses her recent ADD diagnosis in her personal statement. Any advise?</p>
<p>It won’t hurt to send both, colleges will take the higher score. And frankly, it shows consistency, the two scores are fairly similar. The only downside is the cost, which I don’t think is terribly high.</p>
<p>If I’m reading your post correctly - the SAT is a superscore and the ACT is a single sitting? If that’s the case - definitely send both. Depends on school - whether they will superscore for admittance and/or merit. Some do neither, some one or the other, some both.</p>
<p>So not knowing what the SAT single sitting is - the ACT may actually be higher. In the end, the school will use whichever is higher, even if you send both.</p>
<p>Spend some time searching past discussions on both subjects. I would be especially cautious in discussing ADD in a personal statement or an essay. It will either turn out as an attempt to explain a lower performance or lead the adcom to think the scores might have been obtained with added time. Bad idea on both counts.</p>
<p>^ Agree. You want to be very careful that she isn’t unnecessarily bringing a problem to adcoms’ attention- and leaving an impression that the challenge will affect her college experience. There are other ways she can show strengths and the personal qualities adcoms need to see.</p>
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<p>While you may think that, colleges just don’t care. The superscored SAT is slightly higher than the 28; that is all they care about. ~90th percentile is 90th percentile. </p>
<p>Of course, as others have noted, not all colleges superstore. But if the colleges on her list do superscore the SAT is all you need to send. </p>
<p>Think about it this way: why send a college information (ACT=27, from your other post) that weakens her app?</p>
<p>I would just send the better scores (the SAT). My son only sent his better scores, which happened to be ACT, in his case. I would also not mention ADD in the essay, but if there are accommodations she needs, like extended test time or quiet test environment, I would definitely give the school the necessary documentation (after acceptance) to put that in place for her in college. The danger is it may seem like she is making excuses or asking favors at application time. However, I have not dealt with this yet as a parent but have as a professor. I also have a child in high school with special needs, so take my advice with those grains of salt.</p>
<p>I would send both scores. The colleges will use whichever one they need for their statistics. Perhaps the 28 ACT will help boost their median ACT score, then they will use that one.</p>
<p>Bost scores aren’t meaningfully IMHO that far apart.</p>
<p>I agree with other posts. I wouldn’t discuss the ADD diagnosis. Not that it isn’t noteworthy or meaningful to her, but, like Xiggi described, it can easily be misunderstood.</p>
<p>Without knowing the single sitting SAT score - it would be hard for anyone to tell you not to send the ACT. The ACT may or may not be higher than the SAT. Most schools do not superscore - so it is ONLY relevant if the school superscores. Send both. Schools only use the higher score. The 28 does not weaken her score.</p>
<p>The 28 is about equal to an 1860 - so that is what you would compare to her single sitting score to know which is higher.
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<p>So … if you want to only send one.
Send the the ACT if her single sitting SAT is lower than 1860.
Send the SAT if the single sitting SAT is higher than 1860.</p>
<p>Send the SAT - both sittings - if the school superscores.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Some colleges (the UCs for example) don’t superscore which would make that effective SAT score lower which would make the ACT score relatively higher. Rather than over-thinking this, just send both and the college will decide which to use which would typically be the higher of the two according to how they interpret the scores (i.e. superscore or not).</p>
<p>We attended an info session during which the admission’s officer said they had not admitted a student who sent both ACT and SAT scores, and one of the scores (can’t remember which) was below par. I was surprised; I’d have thought they would have focused in the higher score and made their decision on that basis.</p>
<p>Which brings to mind another question - as my son has worked on his apps, he’s found that some schools are asking on their app for the dates of any ACT and SAT sittings. But we were only planning on sending his ACT score, which was significantly better. (He’s taken each once, and he’s done.) So I am inclined to have him not list his sitting date for the SAT. It seems that putting in a date and then not sending the score would raise a red flag to the admissions folks. Anyone else run into this issue, or have any suggestions? FYI, the SAT is the dominant test in our part of the country.</p>
<p>What is the SAT score breakdown? Are any sections significantly higher/lower than the others? It seems like SAT scores are more likely to be considered on a per section basis, while ACT is more likely to be considered just on the composite.</p>
<p>And consider the single test score vs. the superscore. Also, a lot of schools consider only CR+M and not W for the SAT. So you need to also compare the CR+M score to the ACT score.</p>
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<p>Anyone who spent enough time here has learned that the words spoken by adcoms during those “information” sessions are not always accurate. The traveling adcoms are often the most junior and poorly prepared in the bunch. </p>
<p>While anecdotes to the contrary might surface, schools have been quite consistent in declaring that they only consider the highest scores.</p>
<p>xiggi - this was a session before a campus tour, not a traveling presentation. And the comment stood out because it was unusual and because of the emphasis the admissions staff put on it. But unusual is different than “no other school has ever rejected someone based on his/her lowest score.” So it is something that can happen, however infrequently.</p>
<p>pushydad:
We sent all S & D’s scores for all Sat’s, SAT 2 Subject tests, and ACT and let admin do with them what they would. Sometimes if a score in a particular area of study is high, the school will give credit for a GE. My S got alot of lower division credit with his ACT in particular. </p>
<p>Oh, and I understand where the other posters are with their commentary to leave out information about your D’s ADD from her essay, but I think there are ways to write a positive and constructive essay and also include that information because it affects your D every day of her life and it is who she is. If a college will look unfavorably on her for disclosing then that wasn’t the college for her. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>OP’s D may be applying to Elon; they superscore ACROSS tests;</p>
<p>yes, that’s what I wrote; not a mistake…</p>
<p>Send ALL scores to Elon</p>