Hello, My dream has been to be accepted into an Ivy league university, but right now, this dream is being threatened. I have secured a unweighted GPA of 4/4 (I got 99% on a percent scale, with this year and the year before with at least 2-3 AP courses), but on the December ACT test I have somehow managed to get 20 out 36 on the test. Yes, I know its really bad, while I do have an essay regarding a special circumstance during my final year (I graduate in 2019), I still feel that my chance to get accept just flew out the window. So, while I know that no one can tell the outcome for sure, I wanted to hear what are chances and possibilities, how can I better my chance for acceptance, and finally any suggestions would help.
Also please note that I have many activities, and more than 800+ hours on debate/speech activities. Might mention this even as it might not help me now
Did you also take the SAT? If so, what was your score? There is no way to be sure if you’ll be admitted or not but looking at past admission trends, your chances with an ACT score of 20 is slim for an Ivy league. I hope you’re planning to apply to other safety schools as well. And congrats on your high GPA.
I had a chance to take the SAT once, but I scored somewhere in the 1300s. And yes, I’m applying to all ranges of schools to be safe. It’s like I keep getting low scores on my standardized tests, but everything else is great, so I’m very on what to do
A 1300 SAT is better than a 20 ACT, 86th percentile vs. 51st percentile. Unless you took the old version of the test? If you have an option between the two, send your SAT. (percentiles from prepscholor)
Have you always had relatively low scores on standardized tests in comparison to your classroom grades?
Did you do any formal preparation for the SAT and/or ACT?
Low test scores relative to class grades can be an indicator of learning differences in the dyslexia/slow processing family. If you think there is a chance that something like that might be going on, get a formal evaluation now while you are still in high school and get help now on finding good compensation strategies so that you are better prepared for the testing situation once you hit college.
Meanwhile, check fairtest.org for the current list of test-optional and no-test colleges and universities. Some of those places might really like you.
Honestly OP, a lot of things about your post don’t make sense. First off, how is it even possible to have an unweighted average of 99%? Assuming that is a legitimate GPA, it certainly does not comport with a 20 on the ACT. And if you got in the1300’s on your SAT, why are you even talking about your ACT score? Also, the December ACT scores aren’t released until December 18th.
^ many schools have GPA’s in percentiles. (Look at the summary admissions grid for SUNYs)
What are your AP scores like?
Are you attending a lower performing school?
Yes, anything below 30, barring exceptions, means you have no shot at schools with an acceptance rate below 30%, except for test optional schools.
If you want a top school, try your luck and apply ED2 to Bowdoin (they’re test optional).
Thank you all for your answers, here is some extra info:
My SAT score is: 1030, sorry for the confusion
I took AP tests on: physics 1 (4), biology (3), comparative governments (5). I plan to take more APs as my school is now teaching calculus and english and physics 2 this year. My school is very well known and is considered top three in my country. It is very difficult to get acceptance into the school and extremely hard to maintain a high GPA.
To TheBigChef: ACT computerized test are out after two business days. In my school, they show you in percentage as how much you achieved from your grades (our grades per subject is out of a 100) and they also show your GPA out of a 4 (unweighted).
If you’re not attending an American school this makes a bit more sense.
Internationals underestimate these tests because they resemble nothing they’ve ever encountered and the tests ‘test how well you know the tests’. If you’re from a long essay/write-out-proof educational system (for example, French patterned) it’s deadly. No one cares how elegant your reasoning is, in fact your reasoning and the work behind it don’t matter, the only thing that matters is getting to the right answer quickly and accurately.
For this, you need to practice with prep book - knowing the content isn’t as useful as knowing the format and that that assumes.
Are you a US citizen living abroad? Or an international student?
What’s your native language? What country?
Did you have access to prep materials (Princeton review, Kaplan, Erica Melzer’s?)
Additionally, if you’re an international, save your money and PLAN your gap year. International admissions are so competitive even with excellent scores (and ‘excellent’ will be ‘in comparison with students from your world region& educational system’) they applying anywhere with these scores is unlikely to yield any result.
Do you have a TOEFL score?
I think that you might just be unused to the format of the standardized tests. It might be possible that there’s enough time for you to take some practice tests or a prep course to improve your score, then retake the tests.
For those that are wondering, I’m from Saudi Arabia. Your assumptions are correct, most students in Saudi apply for Saudi universities, so there is not a huge interest in preparing students for standardized tests that are not required by these universities. Our standardized testing does not ask the student to answer correctly as fast as possible, but to actually test the knowledge of the student. I thought about taking gap year, but honestly it would be a difficult choice to make.