Standardized testing: the value of trying again for that extra point.

Applying to College
1

I see questions on here all the time of “I got (33/34/1550/1500) score on my ACT/SAT. My first choice is (insert ivy/Stanford/MIT). Should I take it again?” Nearly every time, the response is no don’t bother, and someone claims that schools don’t actually care about those couple point differences at the top of the scores tables.

I did some research though, and it looks like (at least some of) the schools say otherwise. Here ( http://ephblog.com/2006/06/08/academic-ranks/ ) is a link that outlines Amherst’s academic rating system. Their cut off to be in the top tier of their academic rating system is a 1520 (old SAT, no writing), which converts to a 1550 on the new SAT. That means, assuming the system is still the same from a few years ago, getting a 1540 vs getting a 1560 can be the difference between getting in and not getting in.

Here’s a similar one from Williams ( http://ephblog.com/2014/10/21/academic-rating-details/ ). Again, their ‘1’ rating is only available to those with a 35-36, so a 34 vs a 35 can mean the difference between being rated a 1 and being rated a 2. While they don’t publish the acceptance rates for the different groups, I would wager the acceptance rate for 1s is significantly higher than for 2s.

You can read those articles for more information on the specific schools and their rating system, but the main point I am drawing is that schools clearly do care about a 34 vs 35, 1500 vs 1560, etc. Again, this is only for Amherst/Williams, but I would wager Ivies and other highly selective schools are in the same boat.

2

It is usually more clear when there is a published admission or scholarship threshold, such as “32 ACT for full tuition scholarship”. A student with a 31 may want to try for that point (and for the SAT equivalent) for the extra scholarship money.

3

Evidence is mounting that colleges aren’t using the CB’s conversion table.

4

At the very top colleges, I don’t believe a kid with a 34 ACT and amazing ECs is going to be rejected in favor of the kid with a 35 and humdrum ECs. You might be right, but I will put my money on the kid with the 34. And I would put my money on that same kid at Williams or Amherst too.

5

@Lindagaf but what about the two kids, both with amazing ECs, where one has a 34 and the other has a 35? My point isn’t that test scores make or break a candidate, but simply that having that super high score can offer someone an additional advantage on top of an already strong application.

6

Again, you might be right. But you might not be, too. Johnny has a 36, Jimmy has a 35. Jimmy has amazing letters of rec and Johnny doesn’t. Jimmy is getting in, not Johnny. The extra point on the ACT is not going to be a magic bullet. My point is that at the colleges that really care about the whole package, once you get to about 34, they are not going to admit based on that extra point. I could be wrong, of course.