Can a good SAT score make up for an average GPA? In order to get into prestigious colleges.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello I want to apply to universities with acceptance rates at about 10- 20% My GPA isn’t high, do you all think my extracurricular involvement and everything else can make up for my GPA, I know GPA is very important, so my weighted GPA is 3.56, I am currently a Junior. Here is a little bit about me:
Lexile level: 1355
PSAT Score: 1190/1520 (Top 90% nationwide)
Expected Major: Biology

College Classes (Taken at a community college):
Speech 101
Intro to Criminal Justice
Theater
Sociology

AP:
Sophomore:
AP World HIstory Score: 2 (didnt do well)

Junior:
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB: (self studying, not enrolled in AP Calc.

Senior:
Very likely gonna be doing:
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental
AP Calculus BC

Internships:
Academy of Business Leadership
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
ACE Mentorship (Architecture Construction, Engineering)

Extracurricular:
Students Run Los Angeles (9th, 11th)
Varsity Basketball (9th, 10th)
Leadership Class Vice-President: (10th)

2

First, have you taken the ACT or SAT? Colleges don’t take the PSAT.

Second, sorry to deliver bad news, but no, a high SAT/ACT will not make up for GPA. Studies have shown that GPA is a better predictor of college success than test scores and college know that. Can you recover from a bad freshman year? Sure, but your GPA must be climbing and high for junior and senior year. Also, there are simply too many applicants with high test scores and high GPAs to the schools that have acceptance rates < 20%.

3

Yes, I know they don’t take the PSAT, just wanted to use that as an indicator, but I hear you. Thanks for your help.