One daughter got an 800 verbal SAT and 640 math. She went to William and Mary.
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I would define âperfectâ somewhere around the 750+ range. They really are not that rare. Here are some 75th percentiles for the SAT EBWR test from really excellent but not tippy top schools:
Gâtown: 760
UCB: 750
UMich:730
Vandy: 790
Grinnell: 750
To have the numbers above as a 75th, they have a lot of âperfectâ scores walking around campus
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Gtown UCB Michigan and Vanderbilt are in fact the cringe worthy âtippy topâ schools category. There are thousands of schools. These are the super elite.
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If that 790 for Vandy is true, thatâs pretty high, probably the highest 75% in the country, I saw that Stanford and Yale are at 770. But supposedly Vandy loves high test scores.
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Based on my personal experience, the SAT math is vastly easier to study for and execute than the ACT math. However, I am reaaally slow when it comes to math, so Iâve never been able to finish the math section on any ACT test I took (practice or real). I had to guess on the last 7 questions on my best ACT, while I have never had a problem finishing SAT math. If youâre slow when it comes to math like me, Iâd say focus on building up the SAT math score.
It will be.
Colleges also look at the score breakdown in context. For a prospective math or engineering major, a lower math score could be a barrier. For a prospective humanities or social studies major⊠no problem.
There would be no value in holding back scores if she has a perfect score (36?) on English & Reading. Most liberal arts colleges will be very happy to have a student like her, and even if lopsided those scores would be a admissions advantage at most college. So donât hold back.
And keep in mind that on a retake if she brings up math & science scores, there is a good chance that the English/Reading scores might drop. Just because itâs harder to sustain top end scores.
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You can look at the Common Data Sets for ACT score breakdowns. For instance William & Mary which was mentioned upthread, reports 42% of enrolled students with a math ACT in the 24-29 range. Vanderbilt reports 18% in that range.
Vanderbiltâs admissions do suggest they emphasize scores more than HYPS⊠Their admission scattergrams used to almost form a wall of acceptances at their 75th percentile score, with nearly everyone accepted who crossed that threshold, and many rejected who were slightly below the threshold. However, I believe the quoted 790 is for their accepted students, not matriculating students. Their matriculating students 75th percentile score was 760. There are a few colleges that do have 75th percentile matriculating scores that high. Caltech, Harvard, and Yale all list a 75th percentile score of 790 in their latest CDS.
I think Vanderbiltâs emphasis on scores to this degree is more the exception than the rule. Other highly selective private colleges to tend to take a more holistic approach where they more consider the score in the context of the application. This includes considering individual subscores in the context of the rest of the application, including planned field of study, rather than just looking at composite. Itâs difficult give more specific details without more soecific details about both the applicant and which colleges she is applying to.
Back when I applied to colleges (not recent), I always received a perfect score on standardized tests related to math or science, including the math SAT and the math/science related SAT II tests. However, I didnât do as well on the CR and only scored a 500; so there was huge gap between my subscores. I was accepted at Stanford, MIT and multiple Ivies in spite of having a CR score that was among the bottom few % at each. My CR score was among the lowest ~6 students at Stanford where I attended, which was well in to the bottom 1% of my matriculating class.
I expect that the colleges considered things like which subscores were most important for a prospective engineering major, whether the rest of the application suggested Iâd be successful in less math/science intensive classes (had received Aâs in non math/science classes at another university), and whether the scores more suggest a consistent pattern in the application as weak in ⊠or more a fluke test result. In my case, I believe the lower score primarily related to a weaker vocabulary. Only having taken the test once without being familiar with the format probably also played a role. After getting exposed to a larger vocabulary in college and doing some degree of prep, I was no longer at the bottom of the class for GRE scores. Instead my GRE verbal score was above average among Stanford grad students.
Iâd expect the math score to be easier to prep for than the verbal. Is there a clear reason why the score is lower, such as missing questions about a certain math concept, running out of time, test anxiety when seeing math questions, âŠ?
Looked up a bunch of schools to see and many (not Ivies) have over 30-40% of kids getting 25-29 on their math ACTs, while over 70-80% are getting 30-36 on EnglishâŠso maybe it is not as uncommon as I thoughtâŠthough obviously makes getting in harder unless she brings up her overall composite or superscore.
@wisteria100 thank you-- I looked up the CDS at a bunch of schools she might be interested and it was helpful
@calmom thanks-- yes with perfect 36s on English and Reading, she will be submitting her scores and hoping for the best even if her math/sci scores do not improve, though she is clearly hoping they improve a couple of points on the June ACT.
@Eeyore123 â perfect as in 36 on english/reading on ACT.
but much lower on math/sci
The more competitive a college is for an admit, the more they will look for all scores to meet their bar. They can afford to. Iâm seeing Vandyâs CDS shows the 75th percentile at a math score of 35. A 30 would put her under the 25th percentile. There is no saying a perfect Engl/Reading would tip her in.
Similarly, a 650M would put her below the 25th percentile for the SAT. Depending on where you live, there can be many stronger applicants. It also matters what her actual major interests are and how strong she is with ECs related to that. And thatâs in and out of the high school.
Donât forget the impact recruited athletes can have on score ranges.
My D had a 33 composite. 36 English, 35 reading, 33 science, 26 math. On her first ACT test, she had similar E, R and M scores but S was a 23. She focused on studying for the science section and went up 10 points between tests.
Sheâs a humanities kid which was evident in her classes and ECs. She would be happy if she never had to take another math or science class again!
She got into 8/9 schools that she applied to. Deferred and then rejected from an Ivy that she applied ED to. I would say that of the 8, one was a super reach,ranked in the low twenties. She is attending there now. Rest of the schools were ranked 30s and below. She got merit at 5/8 schools.
Edit-I just looked up her schoolâs scores. 25% for math is a 28 so her 26 puts her well below the 25%.