I don’t think admissions makes a distinction between 770 and, say, 790 or 800.
The first sentence from MIT’s admission test score stats page links to a page including the following relevant summary of how to interpret the score ranges. MIT emphasizes that the vast majority of admits having a 790+ does not mean that 790+ is required or even particularly influential compared to your 770. Instead the 790+ is correlated with other factors that are more influential.
Now, I and others are on the record as saying that we admit people, not test scores, and that in any case there is really not a difference in our process between someone who scores, say, a 740 on the SAT math, and someone who scores an 800 on the SAT math. So why, as the commentor asks, is there such a difference in the admit rate? Aha! Clearly we DO prefer higher SAT scores!
Well no, we don’t. What we prefer are things which may coincide with higher SAT scores. For example, a student who receives a gold medal at the IMO is probably more likely to score an 800 on the math SAT than a 740. But if we take an IMO medalist (with an 800) over random applicant X (with a 740), does that mean we preferred an 800 to a 740? No. It means we preferred the IMO medalist, who also happened to get an 800!
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Thank you to everyone who responded. I got my June SAT scores back today which voids the purpose of this thread.
Mods, feel free to close.
Could you share your June scores?
Saying that you scored a 770 on the Math section and nothing else isn’t rly helpful. Sometimes the curve may be so horrendous that one mishap could cost you 30-40 points in Math.
And a 1540 is by no means a low score - many would kill to score that high. (For other schools, the perfect balance between EBRW and math might actually work in your favor.) Neither is a 4 in AP Spanish. I’d focus on other stuff tbh
Edit: Congrats on the June SAT!
Your SAT scores are great, and good enough for applying to ANY school, including HYPSM. Your SAT scores are only a piece of the puzzle. Scores like that confirm high academic achievement. Scores higher than that would not indicate higher potential future achievement than would 790s in either subject. A 4 in Spanish also won’t torpedo your applications. You are FINE on standardized test scores. DONE with them. Move on to choosing your schools, and doing your essays.
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CONGRATS! You must have gone up even more. Best of luck with your applications.
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Doesn’t work that way. But I added a countdown timer.
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780 EBRW 790 Math
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Congratulations! Obviously, your 1540 was an amazing score, but I’m very happy for you because you’re happy with your June score.
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