Strategy for Score Submission Considering a School's Mid Fifty Range

[Troutbum]

<p>Assume the following:</p>

<p>1) SAT math score is well above a school's mid-fifty range;
2) SAT writing score is in the middle of the school's mid-fifty range;
3) SAT critical reading score is under the school's mid-fifty range, but only by 20-30 points or so;
4) ACT score is right in the middle of the school's mid-fifty range;
5) GPA is in range;
6) Student is applying for engineering major;
7) School allows submission of SAT only, ACT only, or both.</p>

<p>Given the choice, would you suggest submitting, SAT scores only, ACT scores only, or both? The admissions personnel advise that it never hurts to send both and they'll use the most positive scores.</p>

[drusba]

<p>Both. Colleges consider for admission what they believe to be the higher of the two if you submit both SAT and ACT and thus let them make the decision.</p>

<p>Also be aware of the following based on pargragh 6 of your post stating that student is applying for engineering (and assuming that the university you are looking at is not solely an engineering school): (a) the actual middle 50% range for test scores (and class rank/GPA) for engineering students at a university is often higher, even much higher, than what the university publishes for the university as a whole; example, the university ACT middle 50% range for UIUC is often 26 to 29 while its engineering range is 30 to 33; (b) for engineering many may consider the math score the more important of the subscores.</p>

[bluebayou]

<p>An alternative #7? is to take the Math 2 subject test, which has a generous curve, and send ACT only (if Subject Test is good).</p>