Asking for my son. He has 33 ACT (35 Science and Reading, 33 Math, 30 English). He wants to raise it to 34 and thinks it’s realistic, because getting just one more point in any of the sections gets him a 34. I think this is pretty uncertain, considering he can also make a mistake and have a section go down. I’m pretty sure he can raise his math score, though. This was his second ACT, and all sections went up from the first try.
On the other hand, his SAT (taken once) is lower (according to any conversion tables you look at): 2060 (740 Math, 680 CR, 640 Writing). He wants to raise this for sure.
What is his best bet? I know pretty much all schools will take on or another, and I’m not sure he can raise his SAT to be higher than 33 ACT in comparison. Writing/English is his weakness, and since it has more weight in SAT, I think he is better off with ACT. Also, he says ACT reading is significantly easier for him that SAT reading.
Also, majority of schools on his list only look at SAT CR+M, and with his 1420 there he is in OK shape.
He also has two SAT II (Math at 780 and Chem at 730) and wants to take Physics. I don’t even know why. Would taking History instead paint a more well rounded picture? Taking another SAT 2 also means two weekends in SAT testing, if he takes full SAT.
Yep, I agree with your son. He did a better performance on the ACT so he should take it. If he get a 34+, then he is done with the standarized tests.
I agree with your son. Taking the ACT again would be best.
However, I wouldn’t focus on raising a 33 math. I’d focus on his English subscore, because even if he’s a “math-type,” colleges will still want ALL applicants to have strong writing skills, as writing is the core of basically anything in college and will be a big determiner of his success. If he could get that English subscore to a 32+ it would greatly help his chances at any school.
Good luck to him!
I don’t have any experience with the ACT, but I’ve heard that it’s easier for students who are weaker in english compared to math/sciences, so I will just give my opinion on SAT prep. I started preparing for the SAT with a similar score to your son (I had a 2100 on a mock exam from the Collegeboard’s Blue Book - 760 math, 710 Critical Reading and 630 Writing) and after around a year of prep and about 10-12 mock exams later, I managed to score a 2400. Since your son’s math score is already a 740, I’d say he has what it takes to get a higher math score, even up to a 800 due to the harsh curves (I was getting 760’s regularly in mock exams). With the writing and reading, for me personally it really was just about getting used to the style of questions and answers, as well as brushing up on some grammar rules and vocabulary (I suggest Erica Meltzer’s SAT books for this purpose). So I’m sure your son can raise his SAT scores easily with a little more practice and study if ACT doesn’t work out. Good luck to him.
I’d get some professional advice outside this forum from an admissions officer. A 33 ACT composite score is still 99% and is obviously better than the 2060 SAT. Since most schools require only the SAT or the ACT, the 33 will be essentially be at the high end of the range for the best schools. Maybe energy and resources are better spent focusing on SAT II subject tests – maybe add a language or humanities, which are still recommended by some of the top schools, and working on essays and community service or other worthwhile activities that really show who he is as a person. All the time and money spent on testing just to get an extra point on a test for which he’s already in the 99% may not be necessary. A better essay will take him farther than 1 ACT point. Some other parent pointed out that Penn requires complete testing history of both SAT and ACT. I haven’t seen this requirement from other schools but it’s worth knowing exactly what the requirements are for each school he’s interested in. I would actually think that the more extensive the testing history, the less impact – way too much valuable time and money spent on standardized testing. My two cents on these tests after watching my kids go through them is that natural abstract thinkers prefer the SAT and more hands on, tactile learners prefer the ACT. My son actually loved the challenge of the SAT and hated the ACT – napped through it. My daughter scored well on the ACT and was done, no more SAT for her, except for subject tests.
Thank you all for your feedback! One clarification - he wants to take SAT over ACT, I think that it should be either ACT or nothing. I also agree with MOM1613 that adding humanities SAT 2 would enhance his application better than a slightly higher ACT/SAT score. Any of these do not interfere with his other activities - he is a club/high school swimmer (will be a team captain next year, so “check” for leadership), is in IB diploma program so has adequate number of volunteer hours, have done an internship last summer, is working odd jobs during school year and over the summer.
I think a lot of his drive to take any of the tests again is coming from (positive) peer pressure. Most of his friends from IB program got 34s and 35s, so, of course, he can’t possibly be the “dumbest”. All of them also got higher scores on SAT.
He was born overseas and learned another language first, and we still speak that language at home. So I sometimes think this is where his relative weakness in English is coming from. Still, I would think that he speaks and writes on par with any other kid for whom English is a first language. English was pretty much the only section he studied for while prepping for ACT. He raised it from 28 to 30, and while it would be nice to go even higher, I’m not sure he can do it.
He is mostly applying to engineering schools, no Ivys on the list. His highest reach is probably Carnegie Mellon, and they only want 2 SAT IIs - Math and one other (some colleges at CMU stipulate Math and a Science) so it may be hard for me to convince him to take another one. He found subject tests to be the most stressful for him.
I may encourage him to write to an admission officer at one of the schools he is interested in. We are also going on a few visits this summer, so that may be a good time to ask these questions.