<p>A friend of mine with a daughter who is a high school senior just asked me about this, so I figured I'd ask the knowledgeable folks on CC. Her daughter has a big discrepancy in her ACT scores. She has a 30 on the reading section and a 16 on the math section. Her other scores are in between, but closer to the 30, and I believe her composite is 23. This girl has some kind of diagnosed visual/spacial problem, which is considered a learning disability but not one for which she gets any services. Presumably because of this she has trouble with math, particularly geometry. Also because of this, she's entitled to extra time on the ACT, but for reasons her mother can't fathom, didn't use it. Her GPA is between B and B+ at a very competitive public school, with math and science grades being in the B-C range and everything else in the A-B range. The question is whether and how to explain the discrepancy in the scores. Would an admissions dept. want to know about the visual/spacial problem? If so, is it something that should be worked into an essay, or explained in a separate letter, or what? FWIW, she does not want to major in anything math or science related.</p>
<p>That would definitely be something to explain to an admissions counselor. Perhaps have the girl and her parents talk with the guidance counselor.</p>