Hi everyone! I just have a quick question. Recently I scored a 1570, with 770 CR (40 writing, 37 CR). While I understand that overall, 1570 is a “good enough” score for Ivy League-tier colleges, a 37 CR is at the 25th percentile of HYP and since I am planning to apply as a humanities/social science major, I really want to avoid ANY potential weaknesses.
I plan to take Literature and aim to get an 800. If I do succeed at getting this score, would it be seen similarly to my SAT critical reading score, or would it be viewed in an entirely different context?
To what extent would having an 800 Literature score benefit me (or mitigate me having a 770 CR instead of 800)? Thanks!
You’re overthinking this. Subject tests are used to make sure your grades aren’t inflated. Anything above a 750 is fine for any college, including Ivies. The 800 Literature will have no significant impact on your application, except prove you know how to analyze literature and that your AP Lit / Lang grade is legit. An 800 on Lit isn’t necessary either. Like I said, a 750 is perfectly fine.
BTW, where are you getting stats that indicate a 37 CR is the 25th percentile for Ivies? This is the first time adcoms are considering applicants using the New SAT, and RD decisions aren’t even out yet. Even if a 37 CR subscore is at the 25th percentile, it is still in range at the Ivies. Adcoms will look at the 1570, see that it’s in range, and move on to the rest of your application.
Note that standardized testing is a 4 hr window into your academic record while your transcript is 4 years’ worth. Take the test, and move on. Don’t waste time trying to perfect every score on your application because it’ll then make you look like a robot that only cares about perfect numbers.
Personally, I took the USH subject test right after the AP exam. Read the Kaplan SAT book over once before the test. Got a 750. Done. I recommend you do the same and start working on your essays and building your narrative.
@hhjjlala Thank you for the insight. The (indirect) source I looked at was PrepScholar’s pages on Harvard, Yale, etc. many of which indicate that Reading “37” is at the 25 percentile.
@hhjjlala those percentages come out of College Board concordance table between the old SAT and new SAT. College Board is saying that a 37 in reading is equivalent to 700 of old test. 700 CR is in the 25% for Harvard.