<p>I will be a junior this upcoming year so I won't be applying for another year, but I have some questions on test scores. I have never taken the ACT before, but I have taken the SAT twice. The first time was when i was in 7th grade(I had to take it as part of a middle school gifted program) so I'm hoping that won't count against me, i got a 1550/2400, which for my age i think is pretty good. I also took the test in January of my sophomore year, and I did not do as well as I would have hoped. I got a 1810/2400, 660 math, 600 CR, and 550 W. I did not study or prepare at all for the test and I took it in sophomore year instead of junior year like most kids. Anyways I was wondering how high I would need to improve it to? I am planning on taking practice courses and studying alot before I take it again, and I will also do the same for the ACT, which I think I might do better on because there is a science section and I heard that the grammar is easier.
So basically just what scores are needed for both the SAT and ACT to get in, and does Northwestern care about the SAT writing or just the CR+math score?</p>
<p>northwestern doesnt take the writing section into consideration. there’s no set score that will keep you out or guarantee your admission. however, i’d say if you get above a 2100, you won’t be rejected because of your test score, and if you get above a 2250, your score could probably compensate for weaker aspects of your application. with the act, 31-33 won’t hurt you, and 34+ will probably help you. don’t worry. it’s definitely possible for you to improve your score by 300 points. during my junior year i took the act three times with minimal studying and jumped from a 28 to a 33 (which is like an 1850 to a 2200).</p>
<p>thank you, that was actually really helpful. I think that I will probably do better on the ACT just because in regular school science is by far my best area, and I heard that the reading/english on the ACT is less focused on vocabulary(not my strong point).</p>
<p>One word of caution: while many students find that the questions on the ACT science section are not that hard, they think that doing them all in the allotted time can be extremely difficult, so I would recommend doing multiple practice tests in the appropriate time constraints.</p>
<p>Another word of caution: The Science section of the ACT does not truly test anything that you would have learned in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. The title is sort of misleading. There will be no questions like “What is ATP?” or “Which of these is a closed circuit?” Instead, it’s more general, and doesn’t require concrete factual knowledge (although knowing some scientific stuff helps a little.) What it really tests is your ability to comprehend, analyze, and draw conclusions from graphs, charts, and other data.</p>
<p>I’m fairly good at Science classes, but both times I took the ACT I got a 27 on the section, despite much better scores on the other sections. My friend who hates science and avoids it at all costs got a 36 because she’s good at reading graphs, though. </p>
<p>I think what hurts people the most is definitely time, as WCAS said. And the fact that science is last, and by that time you just want to put your pencil down and die.</p>
<p>I know this thread is ancient, but I just wanted to thank everyone for commenting. I never retook the SAT, but I took the ACT and got a 34 on the first time I took it (35 science, 34 math and reading, 31 english) and I’m really happy. I hope/think now I have a test score good enough for northwestern.</p>
<p>34 on the ACT is good enough for any school in the country.</p>
<p>This being said (and if you read these boards, I’m sure you’re aware of this), it is not good enough to guaranty you admissions by itself. Unfortunately, NU has to turn down many qualified students who score in this range.</p>
<p>However, if the rest of your stats are consistent with this score, you will certainly be in the pool from which NU chooses its class.</p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>
<p>Thank you zephyr15!</p>