<p>cuz at my high school, i only know like 1 person who got a higher score than me on the sat. do colleges see that and judge you in context or no?</p>
<p>^Well, I’m sure they try to look at your scores in context, but do they really have access to the SAT/ACT distributions in your school? Probably not. They look at you in context of your area, mostly, not just your school (although if your school is crappy, maybe they would be more generous with your scores).</p>
<p>Ya…they do probably look at where you live. However, if you live in a rural area, they arent simply gonna give you a pass on your SAT. So, if you arent hooked, I’d say your SATs are gonna hurt you if you dont have at least a 700+ in every section…then again, I havent seen many hookless applicants admitted with lower than a 2250.</p>
<p>I think colleges do look at your standardized test scores in context of your high school, as in they may see that you performed well in comparison to the other students. Median SAT scores and other similar statistics are usually provided on the high school profile. But, at the same time, you’ll MOSTLY be judged against all the applicants across the country. After all, isn’t the whole point of having the SAT to compare you to other students who come from different school systems with varied course offering?</p>
<p>The SAT is used to compare you against applicants from all over the world.</p>
<p>Your transcript, GPA and if available, rank, is used to compare you in the context of your school.</p>
<p>ok, i see what you mean, but doesn’t it seem to indicate, for example, that my school’s courses may not be preparing people very well for the sat but i still rose above that? unless it just indicates that people at my school are not personally as prepared for the sat?</p>
<p>Your scores are an equalizing factor. I think below-the-state-average scores indicate something about your school’s student body and/or the quality of its courses, but I don’t think it’s an obstacle you really overcame… Having the second-highest scores in your grade won’t help much.</p>
<p>Where do you live (like, what state)? That’s relevant too.</p>
<p>If my [Florida] school’s avg. SAT is around 1440-1550 [out of 2400], and I have 2300+, how much of a benefit would that be for me?</p>
<p>@ tres, i live in california. does it matter what city of cali?</p>
<p>Similar situation here actually. From what I’ve heard from the admission officers, they mainly look at the applicants within the context of their high school. Not sure about SAT scores though. Most likely it’s not going to hurt if you are in the 99th percentile within your high school while only average compared to other Yale applicants.</p>
<p>Using your SAT score to compare you against other students in your high school defeats the purpose of using the SAT. The SAT is nationally based, while your GPA, transcript, etc. are used to compare you to your high school. My SAT score is 400 points above the former highest SAT score my school had ever seen, but in Yale terms, it’s only on par.</p>