<p>Has anyone used sophomore scores for college applications and if so, what were the results? Are there drawbacks to doing this?</p>
<p>My D got a 29 on the ACT sophomore year (32 English, 35 Reading, 27 Science, 25 Math, no prep) and does not want to retake the test...and does not want to take the SAT at all (her PSAT math is even worse than her ACT) I checked the websites of the schools she's interested in, and none specify that the test has to be taken junior or senior year.</p>
<p>I'm concerned though, that she will look lazy or complacent for using that score. The problem is that she's not taking math this or next year (a LD that wasn't diagnosed until sophomore year...long story) and although her scores on the other sections should go up, her math score will drop. Should I try to convince her to do some prep over the summer (maybe just with a tutor for math) or let her use that score? It's in the high end of the mid-50% range for her top choice schools, but she's applying OOS. She would rather spend her summer running, doing volunteer work (the ECs are weak) or taking a college art class than doing test prep. Thanks!</p>
<p>califa: can’t hurt to retake ACT; you cherry-pick scores…agree with kameron…couple of hours a week (at the most)…worse thing that could happen is scores go down…she still has the 29 to use…she took it with writing, right???</p>
<p>For admission, it really doesn’t matter whether you use a sophomore ACT or junior or senior year ACT. So there is no disadvantage just because it is a sophomore year score. The real question is which colleges she intends to apply to. You say she is already in the high end of the middle 50% range for colleges to which she intends to appy. However, you also say they are OOS and if any those OOS are public universities there is a likelihood that the scores needed by a non-resident to be admitted are higher than the 50% range you are looking at. Barring that reason, you can likely go with the score that exists except for one important issue: I am guessing those OOS you are talking about include private colleges such as liberal arts colleges. Many of those (not high ranked) provide merit scholarships to large numbers of freshman that usually equal some tuiton relief which can often range from 1/4 to 3/4 tuition and the amount you actually get depends heavily on test scores (combined with GPA); thus, the higher the score, the more you can get. So you might look into what they do on merit awards and then consider whether it might be a good idea to retake particularly if merit aid is important to the decision as to which college to attend.</p>
<p>I suggest taking the ACTs again and trying to take the SATs–it wouldn’t hurt to keep your options open, and it certainly wouldn’t do to regret this decision later on down the road. </p>
<p>Also, most people score higher as they progress throughout high school, though some studying will be needed, especially since the ACTs are more knowledge, fact intensive than the SATs, which gauge your test taking skills and common knowledge, basic math, and etc. comparitively more.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who replied. I’ll try to get her to prep for the math and maybe science too, with a tutor rather than a test prep course (I’ve read on cc that sometimes high scores actually decline after a course, and she wants to minimze prep time anyway). Even if she uses the 29, there’s nothing to lose. So far I can’t talk her into taking the SAT (and her math PSAT was 48, so she would probably do even worse on SAT than ACT math) but maybe she will change her mind. She took it with writing, but after AP English Language, that should go up too. </p>
<p>She’s going to apply to OOS state schools, and one private school she’s applying to offers scholarships with a 31 ACT (she has the GPA), which would be nice if she got in and decided to go there. </p>
<p>Does ACT round up scores? Her average was 29.25, so if they round up, she would only need one more point on any section to cross the 30 barrier. If so, maybe that would motivate her to study before taking it this time…</p>