Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Unpopular Opinion: You don’t actually have to submit all of your tests.


 Standardized Test Week CONTINUES!

So schools will tell you that they want to evaluate you in the best light possible. This is absolutely true, because when it comes time to report their admissions stats the higher the boards the better they look.

But sending scores can get really expensive, especially if you did both the SAT and ACT and several SAT IIs. There are times where sending both can look great, and there are times when sending scores may actually reflect badly on you.

It is okay to not send all your scores…

If you did a lot better on one test than another. I don’t mean day-to-day sittings of the same test, I mean between the SAT and ACT.

Showing improvement on the same test is actually a great thing. Showing vast differences between different tests may make one look like a fluke or a result of clever test-taking strategies.

Some people are just better at one test than the other and that may reflect in their scores. This is fine, and to be expected.

My threshold? Go convert your ACT scores into SAT scores. If you did more than a hundred points better on one than the other, send only the better score.

Even if you don’t send your SATs, if you have high SATII scores definitely send those in! Every good score reflects well on your academic potential.


When you should send all of your scores:

Sending multiple tests looks really good, it indicates a consistent student. If you got similar scores on both of your tests, send them.

If the school requires either SAT IIs or ACT with writing, and you didn’t take any SAT IIs or have bad SAT II scores, you should send in that ACT, even if your scores are lower than SAT scores.

If you did better on one sitting of a test than another, send them all in. Showing improvement in your scores is a positive thing. It demonstrates work ethic and you capacity to learn.

The goal of this?
Show them your academic strengths. I’m not saying to lie about your weaknesses, but maybe if you got a 30/36 on your ACT and a 1700/2400 on your SAT, you are better off showing them your strongest day than your weakest day. They’re going to report your strongest scores if they grant you admission, but they will still see your weak scores.



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