<p>NexusOne said:
</p>
<p>To which I said:
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<p>Subsequently, Hparent said:
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<p>Perhaps this all goes to show that this is one more of those questions where we all think we know something, but because the decision-making goes on behind closed doors, the truth is that almost nobody really knows. Despite all the forensic analysis that goes on.</p>
<p>I will say, with no disrespect intended to Hparent, that I still think my original answer is more right than wrong. I think Harvard and its peers look for applicants to exceed a minimum standard in their SATs or ACTs, but beyond that, they don’t get too worked up about the difference between 760 and 800, or 34 and 35. I base my conclusions partly on my own knowledge of Harvard, and partly on what MITChris had to say about standardized testing in the thread I linked to in Post #4, above.</p>
<p>Of course, I admit I could be wrong. And MITChris could be falling into the “a lot less than you think, but a little more than we admit” trap that JHS mentions. But, you know, if I thought I was wrong, I’d change my position to something I thought was right.</p>
<p>Finally, JHS, I suspect this is an excerpt from the MIT blog post you were talking about:</p>
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<p>[Whats</a> the big deal about 40^2? | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/whats_the_big_deal_about_402]Whats”>http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/whats_the_big_deal_about_402)</p>