<p>Like the title says, how important is the SAT during the admissions process? Im just a really bad test taker but im number 9/293 students in my school. My math score has jumped up for practice tests but my critical reading score is still shy of 700. Thanks</p>
<p>This question has been discussed in the past. Please keep in mind that MIT does not admit/deny solely on one test score. It would not make sense. MIT uses a holistic approach. MIT could fill their class with perfect test scorers many times over but that would not make for a particularly interesting class. Pay close attention to the essay questions that are asked on the application and take the time to compose eloquent answers. They serve to paint a picture of the applicant. If you spend all of your time getting perfect standardized test scores and have nothing else to show for yourself how exciting is that? </p>
<p>I urge you to go back into the archives and read the excellent entry that jessiehl wrote over the summer re: test scores. After that, please read Ben's eloquent blog entries from this past spring ("It's More Than a Job") after the regular decisions were mailed.</p>
<p>Thanks! That makes me feel a little better :-D</p>
<p>jessiehl's post is linked from the main MIT forum page. Definitely read it!</p>
<p>In addition to essays, your recommendations are important in painting that picture of you, so try to pick teachers who know you pretty well, if you can. And if your MyMIT portal shows an Educational Counselor (EC == alumni interviewer) in your area, do not fail to contact that person and set up an interview. I don't have the stats handy, but of students who are offered an interview, a significantly higher percentage of those who have that interview are accepted. Mikalye's recent post #67 in the "Mit Interview Secrets!" thread is a good glimpse at what an interviewer is looking for. These views from others are also important in helping the Admissions folks learn more about who you are, what you would bring to MIT, and what you would get from it. Good luck!</p>
<p>Amy Perez, Assistant Director of Admissions at MIT, said at the Dallas info session that they're only looking to see if you've a competitive score. She said to not bother taking it again if you got more than a 650 in each section. Yes, 650, not 750. : )</p>
<p>But Amy Perez said in an information session in my town two years ago that MIT is looking for SAT scores, section by section, that begin with a digit 7 or 8, and I remember some families walked out of the auditorium right after she said that. That was in reference to the old two-section SAT I. On the new SAT I, with three sections and a maximum score of 2400, perhaps it is harder to clear 700 on all three sections, </p>
<p>but the meaning of a 650 on each section is still the same as before, so there is no harm in trying to get above 700 if you have opportunity to do that before you submit your application. </p>
<p>Good luck in your applications. </p>
<p>After edit: You are working on SAT II tests as well, right?</p>
<p>Yea I am working on SAT II's also
Taking physics and Math IIC in november</p>
<p>I know kids get into MIT with 650 on one or another section, but I think it's likely that all of them have applications that are extra strong otherwise - interesting unusual ECs, independent research, unusual life experiences, disadvantaged background. JMO. No facts to back it up. :)</p>
<p>I have a feeling the "650+ is fine" is said is because there are a lot of admits who have, say, a 690, and the admissions office doesn't want people re-taking just to boost their score a meaningless 10 points.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that MIT when comparing student X with SAT score of 1950 and student Y with for example SAT 2350 - both having roughly the same level of EC's etc - that student X would be accepted over student Y</p>
<p>Now with URMs - that's another issue, not sure what would happen</p>
<p>Well, luckily, nobody ever puts two applicants side by side and forces anybody to pick one.</p>
<p>Check out last year's EA and RD decisions thread -- you can find them by searching this forum. You might be surprised.</p>
<p>Citation X: URMs?</p>
<p>URMs:</p>
<p>underrepresented minorities - in other words everyone EXCEPT all caucasians and asians on the planet (meaning all asians including for example a candidate raised by Tibetan monks in Tibet) and nearly all applicants of middle eastern abstraction who are generally classified as caucasian</p>
<p>What if X is a girl and Y is a boy?</p>
<p>I think that's about what we're looking at here in my high school. I hope they both get in.</p>
<p>According to 2005-06</a> Common Data Set information, the percent of first-time, first-year (freshman) students with scores in the higher SAT/ACT ranges indicate how important those scores are to MIT admission:</p>
<p>68% SAT Verbal = 700-800
27% SAT Verbal = 600-699
05% SAT Verbal = 400-599</p>
<p>92% SAT Math = 700-800
08% SAT Math = 600-699</p>
<p>88% ACT Composite = 30-36
12% ACT Composite = 24-29</p>
<p>I interpret these numbers to mean that the successful MIT candidate will score very high in the SAT or ACT !!!</p>
<p>Candidates with a strong GPA, but without stellar SAT or ACT scores, may not be seriously considered for admission.</p>
<p>MIT didn't supply data regarding GPA, except to state that 97% of first-time freshmen were in the top 10% of their graduating class.</p>
<p>
[quote]
97% of first-time freshmen were in the top 10% of their graduating class
[/quote]
Not quite.</p>
<p>You might want to review the admissions statistics</a> for this incoming class as an example. As you can see from that chart, 97% of first-time freshman from schools that rank were in the to 10% of their class. This accounts for only 59% of the incoming class, however: 61% of the incoming freshmen were from schools that do not rank, and were not included in the above percentage. You may presume what you like about that 61%, but it would only be a guess.</p>
<p>From that table you'll also see that among this year's admitted students: </p>
<p>89% SAT Math 700+
11% had SAT Math scores below 700 (2% below 650, less than 1% below 600) </p>
<p>69% SAT CR 700+
31% had SAT CR scores below 700 (13% below 650, 4% below 600)</p>
<p>Is there any secret that most successful MIT candidates will score high on the SAT? Is there anything wrong with that observation? 185 students were accepted to MIT this year with CR scores below the 650 which Ms. Perez cited (and even 33 were accepted with Math scores below 650, although math is likely more important to an institute of Technology). I don't see any reason to doubt what the Admissions Staff is saying: 650 and above may indeed be their test of reasonabilty. And by suggesting students not bother taking and retaking these tests in hopes of adding 20 or 50 points to their already acceptable scores, Admissions may be actually trying to put into practice the "calm down already and get a life!" approach Marilee Jones has been advocating. Without seeing the rest of the application packages and being part of the committee discussions, none of us have any real idea how those who were admitted with scores in the 650-750 range differ from those who were not admitted. It was almost surely not on those scores alone.</p>
<p>Um... yeah, let me re-do that math, shall I? 59% of the incoming class came from a school that ranked, 41% did not. Please replace 61 with 41 above in all instances. ;)</p>
<p>
I interpret these numbers to mean that the successful MIT candidate will score very high in the SAT or ACT !!!</p>
<p>Candidates with a strong GPA, but without stellar SAT or ACT scores, may not be seriously considered for admission.
You can't make that conclusion without information about the SAT/ACT makeup of the applicant pool. </p>
<p>The applicant pool as a whole tends to be quite full of people who have high standardized test scores -- if you look at the statistics to which mootmom linked above, you'll see that 86% of last year's applicant pool had math scores above 650, and 78% of the applicant pool had math scores over 700.</p>
<p>It shouldn't, therefore, be surprising that the majority of admits had scores higher than 700 -- that's what you'd expect just based on the applicants alone.</p>
<p>My only caveat to the suggestion that 650+ is adequate with an otherwise strong application at MIT, is to be aware of schools with other criteria. Unfortunately WRT SAT's you need to meet the level of the most stringent school.</p>
<p>Incidentally, I just did a little further analysis of those stats, and it looks like, for scores above 650, the percentage of applicants and the percentage of admits track pretty well. Not perfectly, but pretty well.</p>
<p>Math SAT I score % in applicant pool % in admit pool
750-800 52.9 65.4
700-750 24.8 24.0
650-700 12.3 08.3</p>
<p>Cool, huh?</p>