Will one bad section of the SAT hurt my chances for top tier schools?

Test Preparation
1

<p>Hi guys! So I will be applying to a lot of top schools this fall like Stanford, MIT, Caltech, etc. through the Questbridge national college match and I am a little worried about my SAT scores. I have taken it three times. The first one was really bad because I was in the middle of recovering from pneumonia and I didn't cancel my scores in time. The second one was a 2020 (770M 670W 580CR) and the third was a 2030(750M 730W 550CR) so my superscore is a 2080 (770M 730W 580CR). Will my bad critical reading scores really hurt my chances for prestigious schools? I plan on taking the ACT this fall, and I have taken one practice test and I got a 33 composite. So if my ACT is a 32-34ish on the real test should I not even submit my SAT scores and just submit my ACTs? </p>

<p>For extra info, I have great EC's and a great GPA and a rigorous course load. Also my essays will be very compelling because I have had to overcome a lot of adversity to get where I am today. I will also be applying through questbridge so adcoms will be able to read all of my questbridge essays and get to know me and my background better. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If you do reasonably well on the ACT, including reading, you’ll probably be better off not submitting SAT scores. My CR score was also really low (570 on first try, 610 on second) but my EC’s, GPA, awards, etc. likely compensated, so you might be in the same boat. I also did significantly better on the ACT English section. So my advice is, try to do well on the ACT and you should be fine.</p>

3

<p>Thanks! @MITer94 did you submit your sat scores too?</p>

4

<p>If you can get a 32-34 ACT, definitely submit it and forget about the SAT scores. </p>

5

<p>@biggestsunsfan I did, but took the ACT later.</p>

6

<p>Yes, it could hurt you. It will depend on who else is in the QB pool of applicants with you. If there are some with better scores, what do you think any school will do, all other things equal? </p>

7

<p>Depending on the school, the low CR could hurt a lot. Read the school’s fine print. Some do not consider the writing score at all, and you’ll be at a big disadvantage there.</p>

8

<p>Yeah it’s definitely going to hurt you… I’d definitely take the ACT and aim for around 32-33</p>

9

<p>Your SAT scores are low for MIT and Stanford. After three attempts, that is unlikely to change. Your only hope is 33 or better on your ACT. Good luck.</p>