Should I submit both my ACT score of 33 and my SAT score of 1490?

Test Preparation
1

I am applying to UT Austin’s engineering school. I live in Texas, but am ranked 8/90 so I do not qualify for automatic admission. I feel like I have a good chance of getting admitted to the university, but I am not sure about the engineering school. My SAT score of 1490 has a math score of 780, which is better than my ACT score 33, which I got a 30 on the math (I was sick that day and couldn’t concentrate on solving problems, which is why I did good on all the other parts that really only require reading). I took another ACT previously that was a composite score of 32, and I got a 34 on the math section of that test, but I don’t want to send the 32 in. Also, I took the essay with the SAT but not the ACT. I made a 6,5,6 on the essay, which makes me even more reluctant to send the SAT in, but I really want the engineering school to see my high math score. Should I just stick with the 33, or send both in?

2

Send both. It sounds like both sets of scores have their pluses and minuses, thus producing an all-around image of you that should (fingers crossed) quiet any concerns, lower any raised eyebrows.

I’m curious to hear others’ responses. None of your scores are “bad,” BTW. Only in the world of CC would a score of 30 or 32 be considered mediocre. That’s not a knock on this community, which I’ve only recently found and love (rare to find an online community that is so helpful and thoughtful), but this site does attract very high-achieving students and/or their parents (which is to be expected, since for many B and C students, college choices are much more straightforward). In other words, your scores are very good, and for some sections, excellent! I would have sold my mother, my father, my siblings, and my Yorkshire Terrier for an ACT composite score of, oh, I don’t know, a 28!

Good luck! I know that UT is very tough to get into. All state flagships attract a hefty percentage of the state’s top students, but UT is crazy-difficult. I like your chances, though. I have no evidence to make that statement, but I’ll make it anyway.