<p>""Students who score a 650 math and a 650 verbal on the SAT are capable of doing the work at any college in the country," says Mitchell. But those scores won't ensure them a spot in the freshman class. "Kids who are shooting for the top schools have to be discerning about where they make their commitments, says Dalton. "40 hours spent working on a biology project or serving the community will probably increase a student's chances of getting in much more than a week's worth of SAT test-prep classes.""</p>
<p>Many people on here say that there's not much difference between a 2100 and a 2350, but at some universities, for example Princeton, three times as many people with 2300-2400 scores get in as those with 2100-2290 scores:</p>
<p>Are super-high SAT scores on their own enough to increase your chances, or are the type of students who get > 2300 also the type of students who tend to have amazing ECs, essays, etc?</p>
<p>Depends on the school. Judging from their own chart ^^^, Princeton seems to place great weight on super-high SAT scores. Brown a little less so, as the drop-off from 800 (X 3 = 2400) to 750 per SAT section (X 3 = 2250) is not nearly as steep. </p>
<p>Some schools say SAT scores don’t count nearly as much as HS grades and class rank. Again using Brown as an example, if you’re not in the top decile in your HS class, your chances of admission are a minuscule 3%. It may seem at first glance surprising that Brown rejects over 70% of the applicants scoring 800s on their SAT CR and/or M; but my guess is a significant fraction of those turned away at that level are students who underperformed in HS.</p>
<p>Best description of the role of SATs in college admissions is one I heard from an admissions officer at a top LAC who said: “The truth is, SAT scores count for a lot more than we like to admit, and a lot less than most students think.” Weak SAT scores will keep you out of a top college unless you’ve got a major “hook”; but top SAT scores aren’t a ticket into a top college unless all other aspects of your application are at a similarly stellar level, and even then it’s something of a crapshoot because adcoms are more interested in assembling an interesting and balanced class based on a variety of demographic factors and students interests and accomplishments, than they are in rewarding pure merit.</p>
<p>^I’d agree with that statement. At top schools a 2100 won’t really get you in anywhere, but it’s not so low that you’re an automatic reject if you’re un-hooked. A 2200 is the norm and, in my opinion, a 2300+ gives you an edge. I got a 2100 flat on the SAT after three tries, and applied to a lot of top LAC’s. I’m certain it was my essay, not my scores, that got me into the schools I was accepted at. </p>
<p>Whether there’s actually a difference in intelligence of someone who has a 2100 opposed to someone with a 2300, is an entirely different story. I’d say absolutely not.</p>
<p>Princeton and Brown present their SAT score ranges differently and can’t be exactly compared. Princeton gives acceptance rates by the total score on the 2400 scale, and Brown just tells acceptance on the Reading 800 scale and the Math 800 scale. Comparing apples and oranges. Plenty of people score an 800 on one section and don’t hit 2300 total. I’ll bet Princeton’s acceptance rate for 800 Math scorers is lower than Brown’s, for instance. Reading too. But there is no way of knowing from the way they present their data.
I wouldn’t infer a different emphasis on testing between the schools based on the data presented.</p>
<p>IMO, nothing, they’re all extremely high and no college will distinguish between them. Even someone with a 2400 has to bring it in the rest of their application too.</p>
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<p>No, this is what’s generally regarded as the slacker syndrome, smart enough to score high on standardized tests but not putting the effort into making top grades. GPA and course rigor are always given more weight as they encompass a 3 1/2 year period, not half a day.</p>
<p>I don’t think the SAT is really that super-important. I mean, back when I took it I scored a 1460 combined and a 510 on the SAT II Writing. Nowadays that wouldn’t even break 2000, but I got into plenty of great schools. I think you also might want to be concerned about your SAT II scores which test a bit more in-depth knowledge (in my case I got an 800/790 on Chem/Math IIc).</p>
<p>Also I maintain the SAT Writing section just has terrible prompts. I remember reading them and thinking they were the dumbest ideas on earth, and I wound up spending a good portion of the time thinking how anyone could even care about what they wanted us to talk about. On the GRE writing they had moderately more interesting ones and I got a 5.5/6.</p>
<p>Test scores count, a lot for unhooked candidates. They even count more in the competition for merit money. Take a look-see at Miami, for example, and their cutoffs for full ride, half-ride, etc., essentially all test based. Emory and Richmond Scholars are no different, near firm cutoffs for unhooked candidates. In this year’s cycle, a ACT 32 appears to be the magic number to earn a spot on Vandy’s WL for the unhooked. But a 31, sorry.</p>
<p>Of course test scores without a strong gpa mean little, unless the applicant is homeschooled.</p>