Hi,
On the UC Berkeley website, it says that “We require all scores and will use the highest scores from a single administration.” https://admissions.berkeley.edu/documentation
While the UC website, which is supposed to encompass all campuses, says that “In the College Board’s Score Choice module, we encourage you to send all official scores to UC…” https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/exam-requirement/
Which should I follow?
You will not be penalized if you do not send all scores or send all scores but overall the UC’s recommend to send all. The Decision is up to you.
@Acuriousgirl . . . I think a lot of it depends on how many times you have taken one or both tests. Let’s concentrate on the SAT… Let’s say you’ve taken this test, say, six times, and you’ve manifested these in order: 1,200, 1280, not inc PSAT freshman year; 1,400, soph year; 1,320, 1,430, junior year; 1,360, senior year, because you had a lot on your plate for the last one. You will have obviously reported the 1,430 on your app.
The UC campuses like improvement, so I probably wouldn’t send in the 4th and the 6th, but even that shouldn’t be a given. Though improvement has been generated by all but those two, the two that stand out of course are the 3rd and the 5th. Those would be good to send in because if you only send in the 5th, they’re going to say that she’s hiding other scores.
But if you send in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and the 5th, they’ll notice your improvement and give you points for it, depending, too, on the breakdown of scores between the M and EBRW. And, too, it would also depend on if you chose a major that has its own stepped-up standard, in which case mainly the 3rd and 5th because I don’t know if an engineering applicant would be dismissed based on low E scores, despite the first two being in your freshman year.
I don’t think there’s a lot of strategy despite my writeup, and I don’t think there’s really a wrong one. They would like the fact that you’ve taken the test from your freshman year.
Hope this hasn’t confused you more . . . all the best.
I called Berkeley, and they said their website is outdated. Your only required to send the score report of the one u self reported. Other scores are up to you.
Can you cite your sources for these two comments?
and
@lkg4answers . . . there’s not going to be a written procedure on how to proceed with taking the tests and how UC interprets their results. There are just some things in the admission process about which we’ll never fully know, because they will never divulge them. Being that the lower scores were mainly from earlier in this hypothetical student’s high-school years, manifesting an improvement would seem to be a natural progression as well as probably a necessary one. If this student showed forth early with decent results, but then they declined or remained static, I would think that that wouldn’t be a good sign – one hears it all the time: has the student peaked early on?
Additionally, when UCLA sends out mentors to LA public high schools that don’t send a lot of students to UC, they will try to encourage students not to be afraid of standardized testing, and to take the SAT or ACT early and often. With these students, especially, improvement even if the results are low are often rewarded because they come from disadvantaged background – say, from 950 to 1,200 over their course of taking, in this case, the SAT. These students are then encouraged to send in all the results. Truly, though, no one can expect a linear upward progression over taking each of the six or whatever amount of tests. That’s why in my hypothetical, I was still a bit in doubt. But the improvement in my example, though stair-stepped or even two backward steps, was obvious.
How long the boards will be a requirement is obviously the question with respect to UC. I stated the following in my last post, feel free to read it. When UC does away with the college boards, it’ll still state the following related to the SAT and ACT, “It is highly recommended that the applicant take and report either or both of the tests on her/his application for certain majors.” The UC desires more subject specificity in standardized testing, so it may emphasize subject tests or it’ll create its own testing, but I think the SAT I (and ACT) will still be around.
Sorry about my quasi-thesis, but some of it is intuitive, some of it was when I tutored in college. Feel free to post your objections, and your solutions.
Thank you so much! @Gumbymom and @firmament2x and @cjd114 ; I was just really confused on what to do, but you all gave really excellent insight!
Do you happen to know if UC Irvine has an outdated info page as well? On the portal after submitting an application, they say to submit all scores but upon calling the UC center they gave me a pretty vague answer of “it depends.”
I think the majority of the UC’s have not updated their test score information including the General UC website. If you call admissions, you can also get varying answers. Like I stated before, you will not be penalized for sending all SAT or ACT scores since they will use the highest score from a single sitting. If in doubt, send all and if you have not ordered them by now, the deadline is December 31 so any scores after that date may not be considered in your application review.