Testing Dilemma

<p>So I took the SAT and got a 2280 (cr.m.w:710.770.800)...but my CR is kind of low for the top schools...so I'm taking the ACT in September to see if I can do better. I figured that if I bombed ACT, I'd just submit SAT, but now I realized that my top choice school (UPenn-wharton) wants ALL of your SATI AND ACT scores sent to them. So now I'm freaking out because if I bomb the ACT, I have to self-report it on commonapp and send the scores to Penn! :( My big fear is that I'll get below a 33 on ACT and it will hurt my chances...</p>

<p>Should I cancel my ACT, or work hard and hope for a good score? Also some posters have said I should just not report ACT since colleges Penn would never know, but I don't want to violate their policy.</p>

<p>I would not start off my college career with what is essentially a lie (technically, a lie of omission). Might make more sense to retake the SAT?</p>

<p>went through this same conversation recently…decided to leave well enough alone. the chance of getting a bad score and having to submit it outweighed having already good enough scores to send in.</p>

<p>nemom I agree, I don’t want to lie about anything on college apps, and omitting the score does in my mind constitute as lying. So that is definitely out of the question.</p>

<p>The only thing is that I feel that if I get a 35 or 36 on ACT it may help my chances at the very top schools (i.e. HYPS)</p>

<p>Have you calculated your ACT score on practice tests yet? Those should give you a good idea of what you might score on the actual test and might help you decide whether it’s worth it to take it.</p>

<p>it doesn’t do any harm if you take some additional ACT test. your current SAT is decent enough while the additional ACT would be some kinda PLUS for you…</p>

<p>At our school probably around 75% of our students score better on the ACT than the SAT. Our Superintendent thinks it’s because our science curriculum is superior to some of the other states.</p>

<p>Stop worrying and work as hard as you can. Generally, if you submit both scores, colleges will only look at the better. Extra information in applications is always taken as a “bonus” (i.e., if it’s negative, it’s not considered).</p>

<p>Yeah you know what…I’m just going to read really hard and take it. I’ve already taken the SAT twice and I’m not retaking that, so ACT can really only help me so long as I’m prepared for it. Thanks for all the advice!</p>