So I took the new SAT three times and my highest superscore is a 1400 with a 710 on reading/writing and a 690 in math. I am definitely not a great tester when it comes to the SAT or the ACT, but I still think I’m a competitive candidate for princeton and my counselor’s and teachers think I have a shot as well. I still have to take the SAT II’s, so I’m not retaking the SAT since I want to apply SCEA, but I am, however, retaking the ACT. I first took the ACT in June having no exposure to the format at all and scored a 30 (which is around a 1400 on the new SAT apparently) and so if I study for it and prep more this summer before September, do you believe I stand a chance of scoring high enough on the ACT for Princeton?
If not, would a 1400 be good enough if I sent in other scores? My first score was a 1210 and so jumping to 1400 is a huge improvement, but does Princeton accept multiple scores? Thanks
Well, I hate to give bad news, but your chances would be slim even with a 1600, not because you’re not “good enough”, but because you simply can’t chance people for sub 15% acceptance rate schools because the admissions are so random!
@DurejaVu very true. test scores are just so unreliable to top-tier schools for so many reasons. Firstly, I think applicants to Harvard and Yale are already pretty much very qualified and secondly, I don’t think test scores are very accurate at identifying how smart or intelligent a person is
When it comes to super-competitive schools like H-Y-P, test scores do not really matter very much. Admissions committees look for students with heavy specialties and amazing talents, who usually have significant achievements, but sometimes less-than-stellar test scores. Other admitted students have to have the best of the best test scores to be accepted in order to bump up a college’s average admitted SAT/ACT score.
I applied Early Action last year to Princeton (acceptance rate ~18%), with a 2260/2400 on the old SAT (~1550 on the new one) and an ACT score of 35. I was unceremoniously rejected, but one of my friends was accepted to Harvard due to her talents. Her scores were much lower than mine and she failed some classes in high school, but she was a very prolific writer and her works were published by well-known entities.
Your academics seem a little weak to me, but if you have something besides test scores and grades that can vastly exceed the average high school level, then you should apply. Either way, good luck on applying to college this year!
Do as much practice as you can between now and the time you take your ACT. You can work on individual sections, do half-length, or full-length tests. Or any combination. I recommend working section by section until you feel confident on each and mix in full-length tests along the way. Figure out why you miss certain questions and implement ways to never make the same mistake again. Depending on your test taking ability, you should be able to bring your score up to at least a 33. Good luck!
SAT IIs are good and all, but unless you are confident you’ll be scoring 750+, I wouldn’t bother. I don’t believe they are required and really colleges like Princeton will care more about your ECs and achievements.
Just remember that test scores are not the most important part of your application. You need to meet the general standard to be admitted (in this case, 33+ on the ACT) and then move on. Hopefully, your ECs and letters of recommendation are strong. And make sure to work on your essays. show them why they’d be crazy not to admit you.
Standardized test scores are worth something – you need to get up to “baseline” to prove that you’re ready for a school like Princeton. With some practice, if you aren’t getting a 32 on the ACT, then you might not be prepared for an Ivy. At least that’s the logic.
@AL so what grades do you consider then that surpass average high school level? Currently I’m taking all IB classes with a 4.00 unweighted and around a 4.6 weighted so in my school there’s basically nothing more that I could do for academics
Assuming your GPA is out of 4.0, your academic achievement seems to be quite high, which might a beg a question from Princeton as to why your SAT/ACT scores might not match this high level of achievement.
And as I’ve said before, academic achievement is not the only thing. Is there anything you are passionate about, any extracurricular activities that might stand out, any contributions to your household or community that most high school students might not make? Look for ways outside of class and school that set you apart from the monsters of academic achievement that will apply to Princeton along with you.
Also, when I applied, Princeton required two SAT II subject test scores. They use Score Choice as well, so you need only send your best SAT/ACT. You should check whether or not they superscore their applicants, though.