Hi!
I am a rising junior and I am very confused as to what would make me a competitive applicant- I want to stand out, but I want to choose the right path.
I am interested in going into the medical field in college, specifically something to do with biology.
Should I take the SAT or ACT? I want to and plan on attending a UC (Berkeley and UCLA are my top choices!), and I am confused as to what are the scores expected by these colleges. How does the SAT and ACT work? How are they different? What exactly are SAT subject tests?
Would having an exceptional SAT/ACT score cover a relatively average/tad competitive GPA?
All the UC’s accept either test. I suggest you try each test and see which one you like and score better. You can always retake after some good test prep.
UC’s are very GPA focused but to be competitive for the top UC’s (UCLA/UCB) you also want competitive test scores.
Here the 25th-75th percentiles for admitted students for all the UC’s in 2017. Aim for at least the 50th percentile or higher to be competitive.
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT:
UCB: 1280-1490
UCLA: 1280-1500
UCSD: 1250-1470
UCSB: 1210- 1450
UCD: 1190-1430
UCI: 1190-1420
UCSC: 1170-1380
UCR: 1090-1310
UCM: 1020-1230
25th - 75th percentiles for ACT:
UCB: 30-34
UCLA: 30-34
UCSD: 29-34
UCSB: 28-33
UCD: 26-32
UCI: 26-32
UCSC: 26-31
UCR: 23-30
UCM: 20-27
different people favor different ones- for me, the SAT was trickier, but I got more time, while the ACT was way easier, but I had to go faster. I’d suggest taking at least a practice test for both so you can figure out which one you like more. SAT subject tests are multiple choice tests on different subjects, like foreign languages, biology, or math, and they’re about 40-60 questions each, though I don’t quite remember. Good luck!