<p>I was reading posts on CC and one poster said that top 20 colleges purposely write that their average test scores are lower than they actually are (ie middle 50% at Princeton per PU is 32-35, but it is really 34-35) so that more students apply. Is this true, or just a CC poster making things up?</p>
<p>Hmmm…</p>
<p>Sent from my Droid using CC App</p>
<p>many colleges publish the actual stats of their matriculants in the Common Data Set. Since test scores count in the USNews rankings, I’m not sure I see any value in a college low-balling its scores.</p>
<p>Average test scores from colleges are most likely true. However, you have to consider the outliers that artificially lower it–recruited athletes (sometimes, I’m not saying all athletes are stupid), URMs (again, sometimes), and people with amazing ECs but not-so-amazing SATs.</p>
<p>Alright thanks. I was pretty sckeptial of the idea, but the point of lower test scores resulting in more applications to private schools because people have a chance to a lower acceptance % made some sense.</p>
<p>The high ranked schools often do things to encourage many to apply but that has little to do with middle 50% ranges reported. A 32 to 35 middle 50% range ACT is very high (why would anyone assume it was actually higher?) but then large numbers who have that high do get rejected because test score is only one factor considered.</p>
<p>My wife worked in the OIR at one of the large state Us. They do not play loosey goosey with the data. There is no incentive to do so, and they could lose federal funding. Stevenf has it correct - there are many outliers, and with the more selective schools evaluating the whole student there is less emphasis on scores.</p>