I am an international student currently in 11th grade. I have got 32 in the IB for the December report (my school reports twice, once in December and once in June). I believe that it was because I slipped up on submissions and I was deep in preparation for the SAT. However in my interim report (which does not go on the official transcript) I got a 36. I believe that it will be, with due hard work, possible to achieve a 40 (/42) in June. However I am unsure of what the IB scores are like for the IVY league. There is no conversion of IB score to GPA in my school and thus leaves me uncertain.
My subjects are: HL - Biology, English Literature and Economics. SL - History, Math and Language B.
Any advice or insight will be much appreciated!
A 36 is a bit low for Ivy League schools. That being said, however, there is no strict cut-off in the US regarding IB points like there is in the UK. Your miles will also vary depending on how that 36 is spread. Do you have 6s in all your classes or do you have 7s in some and 5s in others?
A rough guide to conversion is that a 6/7 - A, 5 - B, 4 - C, 3 - D, 1/2 - F. Another factor to consider is how well you’re doing in relation to the other people in your grade. Are you one of the top students, in the middle of the pack, etc? The closer you are to the top of your class (both in general and in individual classes), the better the position you’ll be in.
thanks appreciate your response!
all my grades are 6 so its a very even spread. I am currently 2nd in my grade. One person who takes relatively easier subjects got a 38.
I am aiming for a 7 in Econ, History, English and Math. And 6 in biology and language B. I think it is achievable.
I think the unofficial target number is 40. However, the IB score also depends on what classes you take HL, what classes you take SL, and how many HL’s you have.
I don’t think the IB score matters that much because these are predicted scores––not official ones. Some high schools likely inflate the scores, whereas others try to provide a realistic estimate. The traditional tests (SAT, ACT, SAT Subject test) are far more important.
“required” implies that it is what is needed to get in.
You mean “minimum for consideration” or “high enough not to have the application thrown out”.
I fail to see the use of such conjecture, rather do your best and apply. If you have enough money to apply to the colleges you want to attend, apply there and take your chances. The highest score possible would not be enough if a college doesn’t like your overall application.
Look at page 16, and try to interpret it:
http://www.ibo.org/contentassets/bc850970f4e54b87828f83c7976a4db6/may-2014-stats-bulletin.pdf
Basically it supports 40 or above to be in the top 7% or so of all IB students. 32 is clearly in the low but passing range for IB, according to the table.
I don’t know if it’s different for domestic students, but I’m an international and when yale came to my school, they said they were looking for the highest course rigour, and specifically for IB they were looking for scores of 43, 44 and 45 (out of 45)
Thanks for your replies! Does anyone know what typical IB scores for Columbia and Princetion would look like?
College has a track record of how well your school predicts your final IB score. From my observation, only students with predicted score of 44 or 45 have a chance.