The Common Data Set does not display the range of SAT subject test scores of those admitted, so I’m wondering whether my son’s scores of 770 in Math II and 720 in Bio M are within the “range”? Of course, I understand that these tests are looked at within the context of all others. Let’s just say his GPA is excellent and his EC’s are his best strength, particularly his violin accomplishments. His first new SAT I test was 1510 but he intends to retake it in Oct, so I assume he’ll improve on that score. His first ACT test was 33 composite, and he also intends to retake it in Sept, so I also assume he’ll bring the composite score up.
My own guess is that any subject scores above 700 is within the safe “range” as I don’t believe that the admissions officers are going to really make issues with those who scored 720 as compared to those who scored, say, 780. I think they’d turn to other, qualitative aspects of the candidate at that point? What are your thoughts?
IMHO, scores over 700 are within Harvard’s range. As such, your son should NOT bother to retake the test. If he is deferred or rejected from Harvard, it will not be because he didn’t score higher on one of his SAT Subject tests. FWIW: http://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-subject-test-scores-for-the-ivy-league
As it happens, in 2015 both the Math II 770 and the Molecular Bio 720 represented the 69th percentile of students taking the test that year. Almost 145,000 students took the math test, and 42,000 the molecular biology test. So . . . both scores are acceptable, and within a range of students Harvard would accept – the 770, notwithstanding its relatively low percentile ranking, is not significantly different from an 800, according to College Board. But neither is much of a selling point, and as a practical matter they are pretty much at the bottom of the range Harvard accepts.
Does that mean the OP’s son should retake the BioM test? I don’t know. I don’t know the weight Harvard puts on these. If he has 5s on some lab science APs, including Biology, and great grades at a good high school that sends kids to Harvard with some regularity, I wouldn’t worry about the SAT IIs. Or if what he really is, is a musician, and science is just a hobby. If, however, he doesn’t have other nationally normed evidence of his ability, and it’s not clear from experience that Harvard admissions trusts the school’s grading, and he generally presents as a science student who’s a good musician, not the other way around . . .I think the test could hurt some.
By the way, the standard for having your violin accomplishments stand out at Harvard is very high. I was at Marlboro two summers ago, and there were three current Harvard students and one recent graduate in residence there. If you are not basically already something of an international star, or on the verge of it, I don’t think musical ECs are going to make your application compelling if it is not compelling academically.
If you don’t mind me asking in this thread …I have a similar question @gibby and anyone else willing to chime in.
I’m an international from a subsaharan African country
I got a 1440 in the SAT
700CR and 740M. It’s my first time taking the test and I plan on applying to the really selective schools (Harvard MIT Stanford etc)
Should I retake the test or just move on and focus on just the subject tests(october)
@JHS: As far as I’m aware, all ivy league schools, Harvard included, use the highest two SAT Subject test scores, regardless of percentiles, in conjunction with GPA, rank, and SAT scores to calculate a student’s Academic Index (http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index/). Once an AI is calculated, I’m not sure how much weight is actually placed on the number or the percentile. In the link I posted in #2, MIT and Princeton don’t seem to be concerned with percentiles, just the number. Harvard has been mum on the subject, so it’s anyone’s guess.
@CrimsonZA: What you just did is called “hijacking a thread.” You posted your question relating to SAT tests on someone else’s thread about SAT Subject tests. If you’d like an answer to your question you should start a new thread.
@gibby thank you for your post! I love the academic index thing. But, what about a kid that gives the ACT and doesn’t take the SAT I? I have a kid who has the ACT and SAT subject tests…it doesn’t seem to factor in the ACT, only a mandatory SAT…? Thanks for your thoughts!
Regarding above - if a child got a 36 on the ACT, as far as doing the AI calculator, would you just put in a perfect score for the SAT? Thanks again. this is fun!
@gibby, you didn’t read what you linked very carefully. Not that I find it very reliable, but it says specifically that you should try to be in the 80th percentile or higher on whatever SAT IIs you choose to take.
I am somewhat confused about the Academic Index. The Ivy League protocol on athletic admissions requires that an AI be calculated for every student admitted so that the recruited athletes can be compared to non-athlete figures, but I always thought that AIs were not actually used in the admission process for anyone other than athletes. It doesn’t make much sense to me that a college would ask students to take two or three SAT IIs and then ignore the fact that the same score means very different things depending on which test you took. I don’t think scores are that important, but I don’t think they are only used as dumbly as the AI implies.
Meanwhile, on the anecdotal level, I’m sure Princeton, MIT, and Harvard admit people who send them 720 SAT IIs, but I never meet any of those people.
@JHS well that is weird about being in the 80th percentile on whatever SAT 2 you chose to send. The Math 2 SAT II this time around was a 81% for scoring 800…it would seem then, that they would only want to see 800s???
I don’t think it’s that bad. The tests aren’t that precise in differentiating students, and the Math II SAT II is generally known to be ultracompetitive like that.
But look at it the other way: Last year there were about 29,000 students who got an 800 on the Math II SAT II. These colleges see a lot of Math II 800s in their applicant pools. I don’t think any admissions officer is going to look at a 770 and think “What a crappy score!” But she’s not likely to think “Nice high score,” either, because the pool is full of people with that score or better.
It also depends on the rest of the application. If a kid is presenting herself as a math genius, that 770 may raise a question. If there’s lots of other objective stuff in the file that shows she really is a math genius, then the 770 will be fine, or won’t matter. (The Math II SAT II is probably like going back to grade school for math geniuses anyway. Who can expect them to focus on something that rudimentary?) If not, well then it’s a question. If the kid is presenting herself as a French Literature person, that same 770 may look pretty good.
As I’m sure you know, the author of the blog is Michele Hernandez, who was an Admissions Officer at Dartmouth and who written many best selling books on the college admissions process: http://www.amazon.com/Michele-A.-Hernández/e/B001IGFHZS
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