<p>Theoretically, they should not hurt you, but keep in mind that we're dealing with human beings. No matter how much they say that they only take the highest scores, the lingering thought of the mediocre SAT scores may make or break your decision. In all honesty though, I have absolutely no clue. It's just that it's not unreasonable to take human subjectivity into account.</p>
<p>About the non-writing ACT: I don't know the answer to that question, as I never took ACT without writing. I'd just leave it that if I were an admission officer, I'd consider them equally because they are basically the same test - just without writing. But I'm not an admission officier, so I won't pretend that I am.</p>
<p>Regarding your:</p>
<p>"I kinda wanted to show, alright, im not just a midwestern student who can only take the ACT... I can do alright on the SAT, and mediocre on the SATIIs as well?"</p>
<p>I don't think you should think like that. Do not try to overanalyze the adcom. They could care less what you take as long as you do well in what you do take.</p>
<p>Oh and one more thing. Many of you may be confused because many colleges, including Duke, specifically say that they do not mix-and-match ACT scores. Some colleges like Wash U. say that they do mix-and-match. What we all have to realize is that one college's definition of "mix-and-match" is completely different from another's. </p>
<p>For instance, many colleges think "mix-and-match" means to mix and match scores from individual subsections to form a new composite. Most colleges do this for the SAT, as the subsections (CR, Math, Writing) are scored on a comparative scale. This means that a student who received a 750 on a CR section in one sitting is very likely to score around that the second time around, provided equal preparation/knowledge. Collegeboard calls this their "score range." On the score report, a 750 would have a range like 730-770 or whatever.</p>
<p>No college is allowed to "mix-and-match" ACT scores in this respect, because the ACT subsections are not scored on a comparative scale. Just because someone gets a 33 in one sitting does not mean he would score near that in another sitting. The tests are not created the same. </p>
<p>Therefore, colleges usually take the highest composite for one sitting, THEN look at the best individual subscores. This is because it would be statistically misleading to just mix-and-match subscores to form a completely new composite score. Since the ACT middle 50-range often goes out to the public, colleges are specficially told by ACT that mix-and-matched ACT composite scores are not representative of the students' abilities.</p>
<p>Some of you may have heard of Wash U. mixing and matching ACT scores, but do not misinterpret this... They do exactly what Duke does - as in, they look at the highest composite then highest of each individual subsection. They do NOT (or CANNOT) mix and match to form a brand new composite.</p>