<p>Here's my conundrum: had I known that my ACT score would be so much better than my SAT score, I would've just sent the ACT score. Instead, Duke has all of these scores, and I'm worried that my relatively low SAT scores will be looked at and weighed in my decision, thus hurting my chances. With such a stronger ACT score present, how much will they weigh my SAT score?</p>
<p>To those of you who have already read my problem in the other thread, thanks for your help, and I'm sorry that I'm beating a dead horse. All opinions are welcome. Thanks, everyone!</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure they evaluate your highest scores possible. I'm not sure about this, but I don't think that they will look down upon your SAT scores because your ACT scores suggest that your SAT scores are not indicative of your true intellectual ability.</p>
<p>not that I think the higher score misrepresents you but a question for shnork.</p>
<p>How is it that you think the higher score is the indicative one and not the lower score. Maybe the person (not necessarily this one) is actually dumb and just got lucky.</p>
<p>This really isn't open to interpretation. Duke evaluates the highest scores you give them, not the lowest. (and as Madboy said someone who gets 1370/2090 on the SAT isn't stupid)</p>
<p>i'm not talking about madboy. What I meant to say is that in general people tend to take the higher score as representative of your actual abilities. Why is that is the question.</p>
<p>I know nothing about Duke's admission policies or how they evaluate scores so I have no comment on that.</p>
<p>Because that's what they report to USN, so it's what matters for rankings.</p>
<p>Also, to be nice. And I know, it doesn't make sense to be "nice" in the context of university admissions because being nice to one person is invariably being mean to someone else, but it's still nice to give kids second chances if the first exam doesn't go well.</p>
<p>That isn't always the case, just happens to be how undergrad admissions work. Other high stakes admission processes (such as Med school) take into account every score you give them. That is one reason why you don't typically take the MCAT more than once. (that and the test is really long) Undergrad admissions probably don't work that way because they want to give high school seniors a chance at not ruining their lives by blowing one test. (ie they can retake the test) Also I think it is to encourage people to send in the scores early and often because if they took the lowest score you gave them you would wait till the last minute and then maybe not apply. (schools all like to have lots of applicants)</p>
<p>well how exactly do they JUST look at ONE score. dont they see all the score reports? or will they reorganize your information so they only see the highest.</p>
<p>Duke of course sees all your scores. But when USN asks them, "What's the mean SAT score for your students?" I believe which kind of SAT score -- average, highest, lowest -- is left up to Duke's discretion. Of course it's to their benefit to report the highest score possible to USN.</p>
<p>What that means it that a 1530/1420 helps their rankings more than a 1500, so Duke has an incentive -- albeit a minor one -- to pay attention to the highest score.</p>