Sending the ACT or the SAT? Questions!

Test Preparation
1

<p>Ok, first my scores:</p>

<p>SAT:
Critical Reading-------690-----700
Math-----------------600-----520<br>
Writing---------------570-----610</p>

<p>ACT: 28</p>

<p>I know colleges take the best of the SAT's and mix them... but the 28 on the ACT seems to be higher in comparison to my scores on the SAT. My Essay for the ACT i think was a 10/12 but i might be wrong, im on vacation now and dont have the report with me ;). What scores should I send? Any info, or questions if i left anything out just post. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>anyone? b.....</p>

3

<p>First, please know that not all college mix SAT scores. </p>

<p>Some will only use the best total score from one sitting while others will take your best math, best CR, best Wr score and combine them to get a grand total from different sittings. </p>

<p>And some will not be using the Writing score in their admissions calculations at all while others will. Some promise to "look at" it but are vague about what that means. (I take it to mean that if it's anywhere near to being in line with everything else, it will have no impact whatsoever, but if it's way, way low or way way high, it could.)</p>

<p>So the answer to your question would depend on the schools you'll be applying to. But all your SAT scores will ride in together and the colleges will be the ones to decide which ones they'll use in their calculations, so your only real decision is whether to send ACT or SAT scores or both. </p>

<p>A 28 ACT translates to about a 1260 SAT score on the old 1600 scale, so whether it is higher than your SAT score would depend entirely on whether the college mixes individual SAT scores from different sittings or just takes the best total score from one sitting. E.g., 690 + 600 = 1290 which is higher than than an ACT 28 equivalent of 1260 but not much, and 700 + 520 = 1220 which is lower than an ACT 28 equivalent, but not much. </p>

<p>If you were to look at the bar graph on the score report which shows your expected range, you would probably see a very close correlation amongst all your scores, SAT and ACT alike. </p>

<p>Just comparing the total and without seeing your ACT subscores, your ACT and SAT scores seem to support one another -- i.e., neither is out of line with the other, unless your English/Writing ACT subscore total (the one that includes your essay and your English subscore) is markedly better than 570/610. </p>

<p>ACT of 30 is roughly equivalent to SAT 1340 on the old 1600 scale, so if you think you can increase your ACT score by prepping over the summer and retaking in the fall, it might be worth a shot. You only send the ACT scores you choose, they don't ride in together they wat SAT scores do.</p>

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<p>It's the middle of July and you're on vacation. Stop worrying.</p>

<p>=&lt;/p>

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<p>Lol jimmy- ive put it off for months but my mom keeps prodding me, i did it to get her off my back :)</p>

<p>and thanks 1down, thats exactly what i needed! I am retaking the ACT shooting for the 30, we'll see what happens!</p>

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<p>Good luck! My daughter took some ACT practice tests the weekend before the June test. She was surprised at running out of time. That was her biggest challenge -- to get through it all. It took her three practice tests, I think, to get through it without making a bunch of mistakes. That was very helpful -- the first practice test gave her a composite score of 28. The actual June test score was 33. She's sure it had mostly to do with learning to move through it without wasting time. Your mileage may vary, but at the higher scores, one or two more questions correct can make a big difference. Good luck, good luck!</p>