Would low SAT subject tests (700 M2, 750 USH) be overlooked because of a high SAT score (2300 w/ 770 math) when applying to Pratt?
2300 is not that high for Pratt. The 75th percentile is 2400. Your 2300 would place you slightly above the median.
The 700 math2 score may cause some concern. Why not retake?
I’m sure @sgopal2 is being sarcastic and pulling your leg (may be a bit hard to detect but no way is he/she being serious).
Just apply and let things unfold.
@sgopal2 : 800 is the 75th percentile for all three of the individual sections, but that doesn’t imply that 2400 is the 75th percentile cumulative score (e.g. someone who got an 800 in reading may have gotten a 770 in writing). I’d guesstimate the 75th percentile cumulative score to be 2310 - 2350.
I think a 2300 would put an applicant in the highest “point value” when Duke assesses a student’s test scores as one of the six dimensions on the initial review. So, a 2300 is basically viewed the same as a 2400. (Although it’s possible it’s one rung down, but certainly not significantly worse). HOWEVER, a 700 M2 is honestly an alarming score for an applicant to Pratt. Not trying to be a downer, but the math on the SAT I is such a joke that sometimes 2-3 wrong is a 720 whereas on the M2, you can usually get several wrong responses and STILL get an 800. Thus, getting a 700 score on M2 is a bit concerning UNLESS you balance that with something like a 5 on the AP Calc BC test. I’d guess that mixture of scores puts you in a mid-range on the test scores metric… with the committee then more closely examining your math aptitude/grades (than a 770 Math SAT score on its own might suggest). The information you provided suggests to me that you are very strong at mathematical logic, relatively elementary math skills that the SAT tests, and not making silly mistakes, but you may not be a high achiever in math unless the other parts of your application exhibit that.
I just looked up percentiles for M2 and a 700 puts you at the 52rd percentile nationwide for college bound seniors in 2012…
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Subject-Tests-Percentile-Ranks-2012.pdf
15% of applicants get an 800. As a Pratt applicant, I’m pretty confident an 800 is the expectation for M2 with a slightly below score being acceptable. So, a 700 is a really poor score on the M2 to be honest. A lower score on the SAT math is probably justified much easier because ONE more wrong answer kills the score so much. On the M2, there is so much room for error that you shouldn’t be getting more than 5-6 questions wrong (which still gives you a perfect 800). 52nd percentile on a math test for an engineering applicant at Duke just isn’t a strong score, so hopefully other parts of your application refute that theory. I’m assuming the Duke admissions committee understands these things, but I honestly don’t know for sure if they simply care about the raw numbers as a 700 on its own doesn’t SOUND that bad. (52nd percentile on SAT II M2 is NOT as poor as 52nd percentile on the SAT I Math since so many more people take the SAT and there’s an “easier” Math SAT II to take so there’s self-selection there…but still, 52nd percentile is not a great place to be on a subject so pivotal for engineers).
Not trying to be a downer, just providing info. Good luck!
Sat 2’s percentiles will be tougher because they are culling out the more competitive students who elect to take these tests for selective college admissions. So even if you are in the 50th something percentile, you are still in the top half of probably the top 10% of students out there. I think on paper that everything is a blur if you achieve 750+ scores (or so people on here often say).
Great points by @bluedog and @runningforlife.
The rating system explained by Bluedog is applied by application readers for only 5 of the 6 dimensions: curriculum, academic achievement, letters of recc, extracurriculars/personal qualities, essays.
The last dimension (standardized test scores) are calculated based upon simple quartile score. So those scores in the bottom quartile receive a “1”, second quartile receives a “2”, and so on. Fortunately Duke publishes the SAT distribution in a bit more detail in the Common Data set http://ir.provost.duke.edu/facts/cds/Duke%20CDS_2013-2014.pdf
So based upon this, a 2300 would probably score the applicant a “5” on the standardized test dimension, however as others have pointed out above, a 700 score on Math 2 is concerning.
OP: You may wish to retake some/all of your SAT II; please remember, however, that Duke REQUIRES all SAT results be submitted (presuming the applicant has opted for the “SAT route,” not the ACTs). You cannot provide only your most/more-favorable scores.