Will SAT subject tests help my "low" SAT?

[monstor344]

<p>

whether a 2400 is the cause of a higher admissions rate (than a 2210) has not been shown as far as I know. It may be that 2400 people have stronger applications in general.

• A former adcom here corroborated that 2400s stand much stronger chances than 2210s.
• Schools with higher selectivity show higher SAT scores; there are stark contrasts for even those at the 700s level.
• Multiple schools have broken down acceptance rates by SAT scores, even scores at the higher levels; they would not do this if differences in SAT scores at the higher level were irrelevant.
• Princeton acknowledges on their website that from the 2100-2290 range the acceptance rate is 10.6%, whereas in the 2300+s the acceptance rate is 28.1%, showing that a 2300+ can nearly triple one’s odds. This is way too strong of a difference for subjective factors to even come into consideration.
• The OP acknowledged that he is Asian. A study done by Princeton students revealed that in affirmative action, Asians are subjected to a disadvantage equivalent to a 50 point drop on the SAT. If this drop wasn’t worth mentioning, why does the study go on to reveal that the acceptance rate for Asians would jump from 18% to 23%, a 30% increase in acceptances, without affirmative action? Clearly that 50 point difference is significant.<br>
• And lastly, there is a logical point to be made: how many candidates with serious hooks (recruited athletes, URMs, developments) have very high (2300+) SAT scores? Very few do, and yet they are accepted at a much higher rate than candidate pools of all qualifications, suggesting that the acceptance rates for all the lower SAT ranges (including, yes, the 2100-2290 range) are drastically inflated.</p>

<p>There is way too much evidence on the opposition for one to suggest that there is no difference between a 2210 and a 2400.</p>

[hmom5]

<p>Someone should do a thread on all of the myths promoted here. This one would be on top. I do understand where these things get started. Adcom say these things to encourage applications. What they mean is a 2200 won’t keep you out (if you have something the school really wants) but it’s often heard to mean that it will be seen as the same as a 2400. </p>

<p>These schools do indeed have 40% who have scores as low as 2000 and even below that, they are called recruited athletes, URMs, legacies, development and staff kids.</p>

<p>The 75th percentile at HYP is 790 in each SAT section, it’s a little lower at Stanford because they can and do bend more for athletes. So we know at least a quarter of the class has these numbers and maybe significantly more. That does not leave a lot of unhooked students with scores much lower.</p>