act/sat scores all over the place..help

<p>These are daughters scores after 2 Sat's and ome ACT:</p>

<p>sat supersored:
verbal: 680
math: 650 (same score 2x's)
writing: 780/12 essay {99th %ile}</p>

<p>sat 2's:
math 1: 640
bio: 670
us:640</p>

<p>act:
english: 30 (15,16)
math: 33 (18,16,16) {99th %ile}
reading: 30 (16,15)
science: 27
Composite: 30</p>

<p>Daughter took SATs twice. Second time no change in math, verbal went down a bit. However writing jumped 110 points to 780! Of course, she was concentrating on improving math and hadn't studied writing at all. But here's where I'm confused....her math on ACT (taken a week later) was so much better than SAT (both June scores). Sat was 86th %ile...ACT was 99th %ile. She barely studied for ACT, did 2 practices that included science. Original plan was to study for reading only over the summer to improve verbal score.</p>

<p>Would love to hear opinions on what to send schools. Both scores? ACT only?
She is willing to re-take both tests in October...but what if results remain similar?</p>

<p>The conversion charts I've found for sat/ACT are all slightly different. When I checked common data for some schools she is interested in, it seems that her ACT is viewed as a better score.</p>

<p>Yet if we send ACT only, no one will see her 780 and 12 essay. Could be significant since she wants to be an english or communications major.</p>

<p>Help! Thank you in advance!</p>

<p>Here's my advice: Send them both. To not do so would be dishonest. And anyway, while most schools accept both the SAT and the ACT, there is a majority opinion among education professionals that the ACT is a much better indicator of ability and is closer to the material taught in schools (SAT kind of has its own curriculum). Sending both lets them see the best of both worlds -- she can play ball on the better test (ACT), but she knows how to play the other test (SAT), and she sure can write good (SAT & ACT).</p>

<p>Thanks for your reply. I also felt that if you don't send the SAT scores it will somehow look like my D was playing the system and witholding something. As a New Yorker, everyone takes the SAT and some (far fewer) also take the ACT.</p>

<p>Looks like she will be studying to increase her reading scores over the summer. And she should probably practice more science for the ACT.</p>

<p>P. S.--My daughter felt that the ACT was a fairer, more direct test. She felt more relaxed taking it because she didn't have to worry about guessing and she felt they weren't trying to trick her.</p>

<p>That's exactly why most educators like it better and why, even though it's only popular in the Midwest, it's accepted everywhere. It's about what you know, not how you know it -- questions, not gimmicks. The SAT was modified a few years ago -- changing the format, adding the writing section, etc.A lot of this was in response to schools' complaints; many were threatening to go ACT-exclusive. It's improved a bit, but not much.</p>