Score Choice - SAT II and ACT

<p>How exactly does score choice work with the SAT II and ACT? Suppose I take the SAT I and I am willing to send out every score to every college (although in practice I may not need to depending on the specific college policies for the college to which I will apply). Would I need to send any SAT II or ACT scores if those exams would not be required at the specific college?</p>

<p>For example, suppose I take 2 or 3 SAT II's and I'm unhappy with all of the scores. Can I just pretend like I never took it and not send any of them out? (That presumes that colleges to which I apply are SAT II optional). If some colleges I apply to are score choice type schools, then say I like only 1 of the SAT II scores, I could just send out only that one? </p>

<p>The same type of situation with the ACT. If I am willing to send any or all SAT I scores and if I take the ACT once but am not happy with the score can I also just pretend like I never took it?</p>

<p>You need to check rules of each college to which you intend to apply. Majority of colleges accept score choice and allow you to send whatever you want. Then the minority beak down into different groups. A small number require all SAT, all ACT and all subject test scores (Upenn is one). Some require either all SAT and all subject test scores, or, alternatively to both of those, all ACT scores (Yale is one). Some require all SAT and all ACT scores but you can send whatever subject tests you want (Stanford is one). Some do not require subject tests at all and you can send either all SAT or all ACT. Still others do not require any subject tests, require all SATs if you submit SAT, but you can submit only one ACT if you submit ACT.</p>

<p>Yes I understand that the exact rule is a very college specific thing. </p>

<p>But how would a college know that I took an ACT if I decide I’m only interested in sticking with the SAT? The ACT is not administered by the College Board. How would UPenn, for example, which requires SAT or ACT, find out that I experimented with the ACT how in the event I decide I do not want to use my ACT score at all? And when we are talking about some colleges, is UPenn the only one with this sort of policy?</p>

<p>You should follow the rules a particular college has and not try to avoid them. As to whether they can learn of your scores if you do not have them sent by the testing agency, you need to check to determine what your high school does. Many high schools put all your scores on the official transcript that they send to colleges and thus tryong to hide scores by not having them sent by the testing agency may accomplish nothing except to tell the college that you tried to hide scores. I am not sure whether there are others like Upenn that require all test scores of all three types of tests, SATs, SAT IIs, and ACTs.</p>

<p>If you want to hide a test, you need to make sure if it is not listed on your CommonApp self report and transcript. If a school wants all score, do send all scores. They will mostly look the better ones anyway. There are thousands of reason one may bomb a test, but there is only one reason to get a good score.</p>