So I have a 36 on the ACT and a 1540 on the SAT. I think in terms of conversion charts, they are very comparable. The thing is the ACT score is “perfect” whereas the SAT’s isn’t, which makes me wonder, should I submit both or just the ACT?
I think that in the end it won’t really matter, and the school would like to learn as much about me as possible, and after all 1540 isn’t that bad. On the other hand, since I took both of these tests only 1 time each, maybe a single seating 36 might look better than a 1540? Or maybe they’ll think I just got lucky on the ACT? You can see I like to worry myself…
What are your guys’ thoughts?
But. It’s not Composite or SAT total. It’s the sections. You have to realize it’s not about score perfection. That misleads many kids. Your app will tell a whole story. Or not.
So it’s 770/770 or 800/740 or? The lower score is presumably not math?
Make sure you have a good read on what MIT does want, besides these test scores. Rigor, grades (not just gpa,) AP scores, ECs, and your activation, etc. Hope you’ve read their blogs.
This. 1540 is an absolutely excellent score on its own, and it will not hurt you the slightest if you decide to send both scores, nor will not sending your SAT scores harm your chances in any way.
I also had similar question in mind. If I take both SAT and ACT and send both scores. Will they take the test with most points for superscore or would I have to pick between the SAT/ACT.
MIT does not grant admission by numbers alone. So, they won’t be choosing between ACT and SAT. Your WHOLE application should tell a story about who you are. The interview, if you have one, will add to that as will your references. MIT admits people.
Did you get 36 on all ACT sections or was it like M35, S35, R36, E36 (35.5 rounded to 36)? If 36 in all sections I would just send the ACT. BTW - the only kid I know well that got 36s in all sections of the ACT, was accepted to every college applied to including Harvard (attending), Brown, UPenn, Duke, and UCB (except Stanford). Not having an SAT score did not hurt her at all.
By the way, only 3,700 test takers get a 36 while 15,000 get a 1540, for what it’s worth. Both very impressive…
Agree with HPuck35. You have hit the threshold as to what MIT expects in terms of scores. It’s now everything else that matters beyond that. My daughter sent both - with a 1490 SAT (790 math) and without a 36 ACT - and was admitted.
While they aren’t actually equivalent - 36 equates to a 1590 and 1540 equates to a 35, it’s splitting hairs. Both are sufficiently high that evaluators will check the box and move on to other areas of the application.
The only situation I can think of for which the SAT would be beneficial is if the ACT Math was 34 (with 3 other 36s) and the SAT had a math 800.