<p>It’s not the “number” that kills the dream, it’s the intense nature of your competition. The SAT is not much more than a basic skills test for college; sure, it’s easy to miss a few, but the top 20-30,000 applicants out of millions of high school graduates each year have no trouble hitting 2250+ with minimal effort or prep, and without being distracted from their other goals – high GPA, stellar ECs, and special competitions.</p>
<p>The SATs are not that important to elite schools admins because it’s so easy to find plenty of applicants with high scores and a great portfolio of accomplishments. That does not mean that having a low SAT doesn’t automatically red-flag your application as someone who may struggle with their academic load if admitted. Of course, someone with unique accomplishments will be given due consideration – but unique accomplishments on a national level are actually quite rare.</p>