I am an international student from China reclassing as a 10th grader, applying to Mercersburg, Kent, Andover, SPS, Webb, and Choate. I took the SAT for the first time in December and received a 1370 (91st percentile), 730 math (94th) and 640 reading (83rd). I have submitted these scores to all the schools, but I keep worrying that they are too low and would potentially hurt my chances of getting in.
I would appreciate any feedback/suggestions. Thank you!
There’s nothing you can do now and IMO (I’m also an applicant) a 91st percentile can’t hurt your chances.
Another applicant here. It’s important to remember that most school’s are test optional now, so testing really isn’t the end-all.
If you’re still worried, I’ve heard that 85th percentile and above is a good score for the SSAT when applying to top schools. I’m international so correct me if I’m wrong, but the SAT is generally harder than the SSAT, so above the 90th percentile is perfectly fine. Don’t stress, and good luck!
There’s nothing you can do now about the scores, and a 91st percentile is amazing! Don’t stress about it; just focus on the things you can currently work on. Perhaps try a new hobby or read a new book to take your mind off admissions until March.
Good luck!
91st percentile is great and most schools approach applications holistically, and in a way where not much weight is placed into standardized testing scores. Most universities do it that way as well, with an increase of modern discussion on whether or not standardized testing should be a part of the admissions process or not. A 91st percentile applicant will likely have the same advantage in the admissions process as a 96th percentile applicant.
I am not so sure about that. It is a big difference. That said, 91% is a great score!
I’ve heard from other people that admissions officers/representatives from the school told them that above 90% have the same advantage. Sorry if that would be false. I’m pretty new to the boarding school world.
Not necessaily so. A wider range of students take the SAT.
A 91 is a good score. Don’t sweat it – these are typically used for screens, not to rank applicants. You’ll clear the bar with that.
I would say I think the SAT test itself is harder in terms of content (as it is meant for older kids) but that the percentiles don’t really line up…as previous poster said the cohort of kids taking the tests is very different. SSAT is a pretty elite subset of kids. Regardless that SAT seems totally good to me… Most HS have a “profile” that indicates average (or the 25-75th range) of SATs of their most recent graduating class I think 1370 would be in middle of that everywhere, and that is for older kids having taken it! And even more impressive for an international student. (e.g. Kent)
I have always wondered how AO’s compared SSAT applicants to SAT applicants. I assume (like @gardenstategal said) that there are different cut off points for each exam used to “screen” applicants.
Thanks for profile thing too. That’s a good resource. A lot of kids worry about what a
“good” score is for a particular school, so being able to compare to what the school itself produces is useful. OP, hope you feel a bit better about it now.
Some of what I wrote is an educated guess and some is based on talking to AOs, etc, FYI:) And, as usual, each school can do their own thing!
That said, overall, school’s profiles (meant for college AOs to put the school’s students in context) are a wealth of info on the school.
Since you are from China, there will likely be applicants with more competitive scores. IMO, this is a case where I’d probably go TO if possible. A 91st percentile SAT is far different from a 91st percentile SSAT. SSAT actually used to give “national” percentiles, which were estimates of how a student would do if the general population took the test. For reference here, I got a 79th percentile (2178, applying for grade 10, 13 yrs old) on my SSAT, a 99th percentile on my PSAT (1400, 15yrs old), and a 98th percentile on my ACT (35, 16 yrs old)
Just my opinion. I’m a high school senior, so people with more experience are welcome to correct me.
Lilysesh, There may well be Chinese foreign students with higher scores. But I personally don’t think test optional is ever a wise option when coming from abroad. She needs a neutral standardized score, preferably more than one. In fact, a slightly lower score actually can actual legitimize it. There is a lot of fraud in some score sets.
awang124, I would not apply test optional to any school. I agree with Lilyesh that the SSAT is more difficult because of the ranking mechanism, the vocabulary, and the analogies but it is really beside the point. You still have a solid SAT score and can do well in an American boarding school. I like that you have a range of schools, all which can challenge you in a range of subjects. I wish you good luck in the application season.
Fair enough. A 1370 for a reapplicant to 10th from China just seems a little on the lower side. But still a great score.
FWIW the average SAT at Choate is 1400, for kids taking it as jrs/srs. A 1370 (in 10th) is right in line. It won’t necessarily blow the away but sure puts them in the running and the AOs know they have no substantial weakness. I can’t speak to dynamic of Chinese students specifically though! Andovers’s are probably higher (I picked Choate (and Kent)) somewhat randomly.
Unfortunately we will never know exactly how a specific AO / committee reviews and thinks. It could be this year they decided they only want kids with 1550s after years of not caring, or vice versa!
I never really thought about that. I go to a public school where the average is also around a 1350, I would think these schools should have averages in the 1400s at least, no???
You’d be surprised…check links I put in for Choate from their official school profile.
It is shocking that there is little disparity from a really top public districts (say a Scarsdale, NY (1370) or a Lexington, MA (1360)) given the public obviously takes anyone (at least in these cases, which aren’t magnet or test schools).
A key reason, of course, is demographics aren’t that different and SAT and such is really quite correlated to income.
But for all the admissions hoopla, only really top day schools (and maybe a few boarding) have substantially higher SAT average. (St Marks Tx - Commonwealth in Boston in 1500s)
I also think St. Marks is a much smaller school ( 97 in Senior year) and the high mean may be due to a smaller size and more outliers (even in the mid 50% with perfect scores).
I would think about this score as if it were a 10th grade psat score, since you are taking the SAT in the fall of your 10th grader year. I am guessing the schools will look at it this way.
I think 1370 on 10th grade PSAT is considered very good and the SAT is considerably harder. The math score is very strong, in particular, and the reading score is solid especially if you are applying from abroad and presumably English is not your first language.
I don’t think this score will hold you back.
Yes, I go to a top public school in NY, so would make sense we have similar average scores then. Unfortunate that a school meant to be more academically rigorous can have the same results for a price tag of 70k/year.