<p>Hey guys, I have a question that's probably not really answerable, but I thought that I'd give it a shot anyways. So this is my situation: I took the ACT this April, recently found out I got a 36. (35 english/writing). Should I also take the SAT? I have already paid for it, but, as I've learned in econ, that's a sunk cost, and shouldn't affect my decision.
I'm planning on applying to Stanford, MIT, Uchicago, etc.</p>
<p>Take it. If you get a bad score, you don’t have to report it. However, if you get a good score, then it’ll be confirmation that your test scores aren’t a fluke.</p>
<p>^ This person has no idea what he/she’s talking about.</p>
<p>You got a perfect score, no SAT necessary. Even if the 36 was a fluke, I’m sure you would be capable of at least a 34 on a consistent basis. Admissions people know this too, taking another test to confirm a score is pointless.</p>
<p>I mean, if you already paid for it you might as well take it in my opinion. If you’re capable of a 36 ACT you’re probably capable of a 2200+ SAT, so if anything, you get “free” score reports, lol.</p>
<p>Change the SAT to an SAT II and sign up for a few subject tests. It’s cheaper than paying for the SAT II on a separate test date (if I recall), and then you’ll knock some of those out of the way. Some colleges require them no matter what, and most (if not all) will accept them as part of your application. If you have the ACT score already, no point in wasting money on another test that may or may not be a perfect score.</p>
<p>Haha if you don’t have anything better to do, sure. A good test score won’t get you into a selective college, but a bad test score certainly will keep you out. You have a good test score and thus there’s no reason to continue taking standardized tests. </p>
<p>I don’t know if you necessarily need/want to take the SAT II, either. For MIT, yes, you’ll need to take the SAT II. Stanford recommends them, but doesn’t require them, while I don’t believe UChicago requires them. You may want to double check. If you take the ACT, a lot of colleges won’t require subject tests.</p>
<p>I’m with PieceofToast. If you are at all lacking in Subject Tests, go ahead and take those.</p>
<p>No point if you got a 36, seriously congrats. Take those SAT IIs though.</p>
<p>What do you mean I have no idea what I’m talking about? It can’t hurt, and the OP already paid for it. The whole application is a confirmation of a student’s abilities. For example, you have get high grades consistently, not once and reason that the student can probably get high grades again if he/she tried. Or why take SAT IIs (if they’re not required) if a student has AP scores. Furthermore, admissions officers are very much [url=<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-it-matters-that-experts-are-poor-predictors-in-education/2012/03/01/gIQAtVirlR_blog.html]human[/url”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-it-matters-that-experts-are-poor-predictors-in-education/2012/03/01/gIQAtVirlR_blog.html]human[/url</a>], and there can be psychological impacts of seeing multiple excellent scores. At the very worst, there will be no impact, but no negative impact can be made. The SAT II suggestion is another good one (however, it is based on the assumption that the OP has not taken SAT IIs), but it was made after your post.</p>
<p>Don’t take unless you can confidently get over a 2300.</p>
<p>The point of the standardized test is to make sure that there isn’t some gross discrepancy between your GPA and actual proficiency, as measured by a test that checks standard knowledge. Colleges like to look at the best test for potential admits, because it makes the college’s stats look better. So if you have a perfect ACT, then there’s nowhere to go but down.</p>
<p>SAT II scores are required by some schools no matter what, and others will accept them as an additional part of the application. If you already have AP scores in some subjects, why not use the SAT II to fill out other parts? When I was going through the application process, everyone always emphasized breadth over depth. So if the choice is another standardized test, versus subject tests… why not show off a little more specific knowledge?</p>