<p>Hey everybody.</p>
<p>I'm a senior from India and will apply ED Dartmouth in Fall, 2011.
I will be giving the ACT in October.
I've heard that Ivy's give more preference to SAT scores than the ACT.
Like, a score of 2200 on the SAT will be considered better than 34 on the ACT?
Is that true?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance! =)</p>
<p>All ivies accept ACT or SAT without preference (Princeton was the last to drop any preference a few years ago) and you are not at a disadvantage by submitting one over the other. Yale, Brown and Penn actually accept the ACT in lieu of both the SAT and SAT IIs.</p>
<p>Colleges are clear that they do not prefer either the SAT or ACT over the other.</p>
<p>Actually, I believe a 34 ACT is slightly better than a 2200 SAT, but I’m not completely sure that the conversion chart I just looked up was accurate.</p>
<p>Really the many sections that ACT tests in, balances the ratio of the hardness of SAT. They are sorta the same types of tests, but the different format allows some students to do better at one than the other. So I would recommend that you just choose the test that you are more comfortable with and know that you could do your best in.</p>
<p>I believe that a 34 is better than 2200 on the conversion chart. Colleges are not supposed to have a preference - some applicants choose the ACT over SATI+2SATII’s because I guess it’s less expensive to just take one - so go for it, good luck!</p>
<p>Pretty sure a 34 ACT is around 2270/2280. a 33 act is around 2220</p>
<p>34 corresponds to about 2250; 33 corresponds to about 2180.</p>
<p>34 ~ 2270. And technically they don’t but I still think they do… at least very, very slightly.</p>
<p>1) The SAT has been used for decades on the West and East Coast (where most of the students who attend Ivies live)</p>
<p>2) The ACT is relatively less popular than the SAT and while it is not entirely evident I believe they cut corners when they develop the test. For instance, its development is pale in comparison to the SAT’s. I doubt they as focus intensely on each question and what types of things the colleges look for in content. </p>
<p>3) The ACT has used content from previously administered tests within the span of two years. That is an egregious mistake that the SAT would never make.</p>
<p>4) The ACT is easier. The CR, Science, and English sections are jokes. The only slightly more challenging section is the Math one, which in itself is an unfair section because it requires students to know some trig/precalc when the average high school junior only knows up to Algebra 2. </p>
<p>Also, people think it depends on the person, but it is easier to score higher on it than on the SAT. (Hence, 36 ~ 2390, not 2400. There’s an averaging going on which sometimes weakens the validity of the composite score. You could have a 35.25, 35, 34.75, or 34.5 and still get a 35. 1 point can make the the ACT composite score jump up by an equivalent of 70 or so SAT points. And this same 1 point is just 1 question, so it’s a really iffy scoring system).</p>
<p>Do you think if you have taken both and done approximately the same (equivalently), say 2240 and 34, that it looks even better for you?</p>
<p>
There is no evidence to support what you’re saying. At all. It seems as if you just want to worry the OP.</p>
<p>darknessmysti, you can either listen to this anonymous person on the internet making unfounded claims, or you can take the word of the admissions offices of literally every single college and university in the United States. Every one of them claims to treat the SAT and ACT equally, and there is no evidence to the contrary.</p>
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<p>He’s just expressing an opinion.</p>
<p>
Yes, but there is no factual basis, and I’m worried that the OP will begin to worry over the merits of certain scores because of what he is saying. When the OP asks if one or the other is preferred, an unfounded opinion would only help to further misinformation and obstruct what the admissions offices of every college and university in the United States says is fact.</p>
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<p>I am expressing merely my opinion because, at least to me, there is a disparity between the two tests. Whether or not a college admissions office definitely considers both to be equivalent is up to interpretation, (you can either take it for what it is or maintain a sense of practical suspicion), but I’m never going to just send in an ACT without an SAT especially when I’m an East coaster. </p>
<p>Secondly, why do you hold everything that college admissions officers to be true? Either you’re incredibly naive or you’re simply stubborn because admissions officers are the masters of manipulation and are adept at saying things you want to hear them. For example, Yale guy once said: “We don’t have quotas and legally not allowed to.” But does it mean that they don’t have a system that’s at least somewhat resemblant? Take things at face value. Don’t believe everything is 100% true. Ivies say they don’t put applicants on a number stick and try to evaluate holistically. Well, if that’s 100% true, why do they use the Academic Index? Yeah. Beats me.</p>
<p>TO THE OP
I’ll be as factual and informative as possible since someone believes I am causing unnecessary stress upon your part. The Ivy league institutions were historically known for preferring and in some cases only accepting the SAT as the requirement for part of the standardized testing demands. However, it has come to students’ attention that most colleges accept both and the Ivy League and other top tier schools demonstrate no obvious preference over which test they use in evaluation. You don’t need to worry. If you have the 34, fantastic - it’s a solid score that’s strong enough for all of the Ivy League schools. If you have a 2200+ SAT, it’s yet another solid score that’s also strong enough for all of the Ivy League schools. Don’t worry about testing. Get the scores. And get out. Focus on the more important things ahead.</p>
<p>Just to give an example: Dartmouth, the one you mentioned. Its middle 50% range SAT is 2010 to 2330. Its middle 50% range ACT is 30-34. Based on concordance tables you find on line that ACT range would translate to about a 2010-2280 SAT. There is really no significant difference in Dartmouth’s ranges (one who is overzealous in finding psuedo-large differences in insignificant ones would even argue the ACT is being given some favoritism at the higher end). Moreover, you are trying to way over-think this. Colleges are familiar with both tests. They know what they are looking for in ACT ranges and in SAT ranges and they don’t really need to do comparisons. They don’t sit in the room when making decisons saying such things as, “Well do you think this candidate’s 2200 is better than this other candidate’s 33?” That is just not how decisions are done.</p>
<p>
The statement “I think one test is inferior” is far different than “Colleges think one test is inferior.” </p>
<p>Also, “Don’t believe everything you’re told” is not an adequate reason to believe you over the consistent response of every college and university in the United States.</p>
<p>BillyMc… chill. Seriously.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Colleges say that the two tests are weighed equally. And I do believe that someone who scores a 36 will be equally as impressive as another applicant who got a 2400, in the eyes of Darmouth’s admissions committee. But:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The SAT has a more fine-tuned scale. As stated by a previous poster, each ACT point roughly correlates with 70 SAT points, so the SAT does pinpoint one’s score more effectively than the ACT.</p></li>
<li><p>The ACT English, Science, and Reading sections are not a joke. That being said, I did find them all the be considerably easier than the SAT’s Critical Reading and Writing sections, although it wasn’t a big enough difference to be a big issue. The SAT calls for more critical thinking, depth of analysis, and information break-down ability in all three of its sections, particularly in Critical Reading. In this respect, it may be viewed a little differently in the eyes of Ivy League institutions.</p></li>
<li><p>The SAT is more of an aptitude test, while the ACT is more of an achievement test. Although the tests are similar in many respects, a high SAT score is indicative of learning potential, while a high ACT score is indicative of learning already acquired.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>These three points aside, I do believe both tests are accurate measures of your ability to succeed in college; they just measure that ability in slightly different ways. Dartmouth will judge a 34 ACTer equally next to a 2250 SATer, so although the SAT may have a slight preference with Ivy adcoms, I can confidently assess that if you would’ve gotten into Dartmouth with a 2250 SAT score, you’ll almost certainly get in with a 34 ACT score. :)</p>
<p>Best of luck to you.</p>