Should I send ACT or SAT?? Or both?? Is SAT preferred?

<p>Hi!! So I really want to go to Columbia. I am 95% sure I will apply early decision this fall!</p>

<p>I was wondering which scores I should send in! Is SAT preferred above ACT??</p>

<p>My ACT score is a 35. (only taken once)</p>

<p>My SAT score is 2120. (only taken once). Plus subject test scores: 710 US History. (I would need to take at least one more)</p>

<p>So, obviously my ACT is better than my SAT. My SAT is on the low end for Columbia. Columbia says they accept either ACT or SAT with Subject tests.</p>

<p>I was looking at stats of people who were accepted to Columbia and it seemed like the vast majority submitted SAT scores. Should I retake the SAT to try to improve it in order to send it WITH my ACT score?</p>

<p>Should I just take more subject tests and send my ACT score with subject tests?</p>

<p>Should I ONLY send my ACT scores?</p>

<p>So many questions. </p>

<p>First make sure that Columbia does not require you to send all of your scores. Also, schools do not have a preference for the ACT or SAT. The school will look at whichever one is higher. I would retake the subject test and send in the ACT score. </p>

<p>So you would recommend I retake the Subject Tests and send my ACT score plus subject tests?</p>

<p>Yes</p>

<p>Actually, you are not required for Columbia to take any more tests. Columbia accepts score choice so you are not required to send all tests and it accepts ACT in lieu of both SAT and SAT subject tests, see <a href=“Testing Policy | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions”>https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/first-year/testing&lt;/a&gt;. Though the majority of applicants submit SAT scores, that mainly results from the majority of applicants being from eastern states where most high school students usually take the SAT rather than the ACT. It does get a significant percentage of ACT applicants and says it has no preference for either test.</p>

<p>in any event, you should probably still take two more SAT subject tests because you should not assume you will be admitted ED to any college and instead should assume you may need those tests to apply to other colleges RD, e.g., Harvard, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth require two subject tests whether you submit SAT or ACT, although Yale, Brown, and Penn are three others that accept ACT in lieu of both SAT and subject tests.</p>

<p>When the scores for the 2 tests are closer, I would still suggest to send both (if it does not cost extra as you are sending SAT2 anyway). But your ACT score is clearly far better than the SAT score. In that case, I would not send the SAT1 score unless it is necessary. There is no preference between the 2 (as long as you have writing with ACT) particularly when you are submitting SAT2.</p>

<p>I hear over and over from college professionals and colleges that there is no preference. But, anecdotally (and based on some of the results threads and some admissions outcome data), it appears that it affects the outcome with top schools. You just don’t see as many “I got in threads” reporting just ACT and SATIIs. And, some schools that post test scores of admitted applicants seem to skew in favor of those with SATs. However, that may be a skewed snapshot of a small sample of kids. And, I have not researched it.</p>

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Uh, yes.</p>