GPA vs. ACT

[futured]

<p>How do top-tier universities compare GPA vs. ACT score? If a student has a 4.0 UW GPA with a tough class schedule, but a 29-30 ACT, will it look similar to a student with a 3.7 GPA and 32 ACT?</p>

[UCalifornias]

<p>A 4.0 with a 30 ACT will usually be better than a 3.7 with a 32 ACT. It’s simple math, actually.</p>

<p>30/36= 83.3, 4/4= 100%.</p>

<p>(83.3+100)/2= 91.67%</p>

<p>32/36= 88.9%, 3.7/4= 92.5%</p>

<p>(88.9+92.5)/2= 90.69%</p>

<p>As shown, 30 ACT w/4.0 is better than the latter. A perfect GPA shows dedication and smarts.</p>

[Vctory]

<p>…theoretically, yes, UCalifornias would be correct. However, in practice, the 3.7 GPA with a 32 ACT would usually be perceived as a better candidate. Still, the best candidate is the 4.0 with a 32. </p>

[noel597]

<p>GPA is FAR more indicative of academic success. My aunt is an ad com @ a top 20 school in the US and she constantly tells me this. </p>

[Erin_s_Dad]

<p>You would need to look at the Common Data Set for different schools. Each puts different weight on the elements used in admission. At some GPA will be more important, at others scores. </p>

[RunningForLife]

<p>the 4.0 candidate has a SIGNIFICANT advantage</p>

[PengsPhils]

<p>It really depends. First off, both students are probably out of the running for the ivy league realistically. The difference between them will depend on the schools. Anyone saying there is a significant advantage to either is probably not informed enough or is using anecdotal experience.</p>

<p>Here’s one factor that causes variation: At some schools, grades are inflated, and colleges know this. So, that 4.0 doesn’t say much. And with the ACT not correlating to the grades (regardless of whether there would be a correlation is true or not) supports the grade inflation theory. If the 32 ACT student goes to a school not known for grade inflation, he is a better candidate. If you reverse it, the 29-30 candidate is better, probably by a bigger gap than the former but an interesting red flag with the test score.</p>

<p>Basically, both applicants would get the same range of schools applied to as safeties, matches and reaches recommended to them. Some colleges will favor tests, others GPA. And depending on how you define top tier, both may be out of the running.</p>

[billcsho]

<p>First of all, there is no universal standard for GPA scaling. 3.7 at one school could be better than 4.0 at other school. For that, they will look at the school profile. Second, GPA alone means nothing. You have to take into account the rigor level of curriculum. 4.0 with no honor/AP class is likely not as good as 3.7 with all AP. Finally, if two students from the same school that have 4.0/30 vs 3.7/32 with similar course rigor, the first one may be preferred as cumulative GPA is from all the years of work while ACT is from a 3 hour test. The second student may be a lay back student and got a lot of prep for the test.
@UCalifornia ACT score is not in a linear scale as it is based on curve and distribution. You cannot convert the ACT score into percentage and compare with GPA.</p>

[noel597]

<p>@pengsphils One with a 32 is out of the running for an Ivy? Since when?</p>

[noel597]

<p>This is actually a pretty bad question lol</p>

[PengsPhils]

<p>With that GPA, probably. If he/she had a 32 and a 4.0, probably a shot. If the 3.7 took the hardest classes possible or had some other hooks, its possible but still a very long shot from what I have seen/heard. The Ivy Prereq seems to be 4.0-3.7/8 and 32+. Being on the low end of both of those scales, I think it would be unrealistic to think of it as any sort of realistic chance.</p>

<p>But I agree, there’s way more that goes into this question. However, the gist is that the students, in a vacuum, are comparable.</p>

[kei04086]

<p>Course rigor> gpa> test scores> ECs> essays</p>

[Erin_s_Dad]

<p>^ That is entirely dependent on the college. For instance the #1 admission criterion for TX state schools is Class Rank, by far. Check the Common Data Set for each school to find out.</p>

[Torveaux]

<p>The problem with all of this is that it must be taken in context to be valuable to an admissions officer. Some schools/classes curve their grades so a 4.0 may not be the same as a 4.0 somewhere else. Grade inflation is a real thing and good schools realize this and take GPA into account in the context of other grads from that school and in prior years’ results. Class rank can be skewed by abnormally easy or tough competition in any given year. Rank can also be skewed by different courses. Even when grades are weighted before ranking, there can be many slots in the top 10% filled by kids who took zero advanced classes. The tests used to be a good measure, but the advent of re-taking tests ad nauseum and test-prep have made the test scores more of a hurdle one must clear rather than an accurate measure of relative intelligence. Ultimately, a comprehensive look at all factors must be used to fairly measure candidates. The reality is that the human factor in admissions and the desire by schools to build a particular ‘look’ to their classes will always make admissions chances a dice roll rather than a surety at top schools.</p>

[mobius911]

<p>This reminds me of the joke about whether it’s better to get a ‘B’ in the AP course or an ‘A’ in the regular course…</p>

[gibby]

<p>I think everyone is losing site of what I will call a “Red Flag.” </p>

<p>As the ACT is more of a curriculum based test, a student with a perfect UW GPA of 4.0 should have a pretty high ACT score, probably a 32, 33, 34, 35 or 36.</p>

<p>Private colleges – especially the ultra selective ones – will question why the student’s GPA is “out of sync” with their ACT and they will try to assess what went wrong by asking themselves:</p>

<ol>
<li>As the student has a high GPA but a lowish ACT, is the high school’s curriculum too easy?</li>
<li>As the student has a high GPA but a lowish ACT, is the high school’s grading policy too lenient?</li>
<li>As the student has a high GPA but a lowish ACT, what is the rigor of the student’s course load? Did they take many easy courses which raised their GPA?</li>
<li>Did the student have a bad day when they took the ACT test?</li>
</ol>

<p>As another poster suggested, you need to look at the Common Data Set for schools on your list. Currently your ACT score of 29-30 is BELOW the 25th percentile for many top schools including HYPSM – meaning that your chances at those schools and many other top schools are extremely low due to the low ACT score.</p>

<p>As you never want to have a “Red Flag” when applying to college, I would suggest retaking the ACT. </p>

[MrMom62]

<p>

As the ACT is more of a curriculum based test, a student with a perfect UW GPA of 4.0 should have a pretty high ACT score, probably a 32, 33, 34, 35 or 36.

</p>

<p>This simply isn’t true at all - the ACT is no more of a curriculum based test than is the SAT - neither is intended to be an accumulated knowledge test, both are forms of an aptitude or ability test, they are basically a form of an IQ test, though both testing companies deny it, since IQ is so out of favor in the education world. They both still correlate highly with IQ.</p>

<p>Also, a 32 is 98th percentile. So only the top 2% of kids should be getting a 4.0? That makes no sense whatsoever.</p>

<p>I know of no school that tries to tie GPA with test score - both are important, and you generally need to have both, but they don’t tie them together like that.</p>

[Ctesiphon]

<p>A lot of schools use ACT or SAT as a “cut-off” for certain large scholarships. For example, UA only requires a 3.5 GPA, but a 32 ACT for their full tuition.</p>

<p>But for most elite / selective universities, GPA is usually seen as more of an indicator of ability than the ACT. In context of admissions to these schools, a strong GPA/ACT can’t make up for a very poor other stat.</p>

<p>However, none of these factors can be weighed independently. There are always special circumstances, the rigor of the schedule, showing leadership, class rank etc.</p>

[gibby]

<p>@MrMom62: You personally may not believe it to be true, but many in the field of education from across the country consider it to be so – and so does the College Board, as they are changing the SAT to be more like the ACT</p>

<p><a href=“ACT vs. SAT - The New York Times”>ACT vs. SAT - The New York Times;

the ACT is curriculum-based, while the SAT is aimed more at general reasoning and problem-solving skills

<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/education/major-changes-in-sat-announced-by-college-board.html”>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/education/major-changes-in-sat-announced-by-college-board.html&lt;/a&gt;

Once the pre-eminent college admissions exam, the SAT has lost ground to the ACT, which is based more directly on high school curriculums and is now taken by a slightly higher number of students.

<a href=“SAT or ACT?”>http://www.math.com/students/kaplan/satoract.html&lt;/a&gt;

the ACT is a content-based test, whereas the SAT tests critical thinking and problem solving.

<a href=“http://www.elkriver.k12.mn.us/rogers_high.cfm?subpage=30331”>http://www.elkriver.k12.mn.us/rogers_high.cfm?subpage=30331&lt;/a&gt;

The ACT is curriculum-based. The questions on the ACT are directly related to what students have learned in high school courses in English, Mathematics, and Science.

<a href=“http://www.navarrocountycap.com/testing.html”>http://www.navarrocountycap.com/testing.html&lt;/a&gt;

• The ACT tests a student’s aptitude in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. This is curriculum-based which means what you have learned in class will help you.

<a href=“http://schools.polk-fl.net/khs/testing_information.htm”>http://schools.polk-fl.net/khs/testing_information.htm&lt;/a&gt;

The ACT multiple-choice tests are curriculum based . . .the questions on the ACT are directly related to what you have learned in your high school courses in English, mathematics, reading, and science.

<a href=“New SAT: Essay becomes optional as exam receives overhaul - nj.com”>New SAT: Essay becomes optional as exam receives overhaul - nj.com;

Once the predominant college admissions exam, the SAT in recent years has been overtaken in popularity by the competing ACT, which has long been considered more curriculum based.

</p>

[Torveaux]

<p>or losing sight :)</p>