Is it a good idea to report a higher than average (~90th percentile) but not AIME qualifying AMC 12 score to highly selective colleges? I have 800s on both the SAT math section and SAT math level 2 subject test.
Thanks
Hello! There will be lots of people who apply to highly selective colleges who have qualified for AIME, USAMO, USABO and the few other olympiads that are out there, so I don’t think reporting a higher than average score will really help your application. It may seem to the AO that you are “trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.” However, if math isn’t the main thing you are trying to highlight, I don’t think it would hurt your application really, and a 90th percentile is still really good. Overall, I don’t think it would help or hurt your application much.
Also, many people applying to selective colleges will have a perfect math level 2 and sat math section score.
Good luck and congrats on your AMC score!