SAT/ACT Scores and Merit Awards

Test Preparation
1

<p>I need advice on what I should do about my testing in order to receive scholarships at schools I am applying to. I talked to an admissions officer today and merit scholarships are awarded basically on GPA and SAT/ACT scores. </p>

<p>My GPA is well over 4.33 which is an A+ average at my school because it is weighted. I don't know what it is unweighted.</p>

<p>The admissions officer told me that to improve my chances of merit awards given by the university I should re-test to up my chances of receiving them. Right now my ACT score is well below the average of 28 necessary to receive the awards, whereas my SAT score is 10 points below the average recipient. </p>

<p>My question is should I take both, the ACT or the SAT? Can you please go into the advantages of each option?</p>

<p>Also any advice from people who have raised their scores the second time around would be helpful. I have never done any studying prior to testing. </p>

<p>Additionally the officer said they preferred ACT, although my SAT scores are okay. Right now my SAT score is good enough to get me straight into engineering. Also they do superscore and they look at CR + M. </p>

<p>SAT
Critical Reading: 600
Math: 630
Writing: 540
Multiple Choice: 51 (score range 20-80)
Essay: 9 (2 to 12)
Total: 1770
CR + M: 1230</p>

<p>ACT
Composite: 24
English: 24
Mathematics: 28
Reading: 26
Science: 19
Essay: 9 (2 to 12)</p>

<p>Maybe this will help, I'm not sure.
PSAT (Sophmore, Junior)
Critical Reading: (57, 64)
Math: (60, 61)
Writing Skills: (54, 50)
Total: (171, 175)</p>

<p>Agian, my question is should I take both, the ACT or the SAT? Can you please go into the advantages of each option?</p>

2

<p>seems like sat suits you better, so i say try sat again. since you can improve by 50 points easily by working hard on math section alone. do a lot of practice tests and learn why you get problems wrong.</p>

3

<p>Also I forgot to add I had never even looked the ACT science section until the day of the test and I was thrown off by it. I guessed on every question except eight which I read through. As I posted above I got a 19, how much does one score affect your ACT composite. </p>

<p>itsme123, thanks for your response. So you don’t think it will be difficult to raise my score. I felt more confident in my ability with the SAT because I had taken the PSAT.</p>

4

<p>Your composite is a rounded up average (if it is .5) of the four sections. You can probably bring your science score up, since you did well at reading and math.</p>

5

<p>What kind of a scholarship are you going for? o.O</p>