2
3 years ago
Admissions Advice

SAT Chancing?

Why is collegevine telling me to submit my sat score when it is 100 points lower than the average accepted student?

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collegevine
SAT
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@Luyanda3 years ago

The score can still boost your overall application. If its higher than the 25th percentile. particularly at test optional schools.

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3 years ago[edited]

Hi, can you reply with the source of this advice? Was it a CV expert response, a blog post, a video, or a CV member who said that?

In general, if you have an SAT score that falls within the 50% percentile, then submit that. So if you applying to UPENN (middle range is 1500/1560ish), unless you have close to 1500, I wouldn't submit it unless you are a recruited athlete, a legacy candidate, a son/daughter of a UPENN faculty member, or have super-rich parents that have already donated $5MM+.

If you are applying to Syracuse who has a middle range of 1180-1380, with an avg. of 1280, you are still okay submitting an 1180 even if it's 100 pts. less than the average.

The best schools have a super tight 50% range which is like between 98%-99.7% percentile test scores.

CV chancing engine builds in different probabilities whether you submit a test score or not. If you submit a good test score you get a bump. If go test optional, the chancing engine applies a haircut and a lowered probability range. That being said, the advice they gave the last cycle which was to submit test scores even if your SAT was 60 points lower than the 25% percentile and your ACT was 3 pts lower than the 25% percentile is no longer something I think anyone would advocate giving the very competitive admissions environment for top20 colleges. It might hold true for 3rd tier smaller liberal arts colleges that are finding it hard to fill seats but that is not the case for t20 schools.

The best advice I can give is if you have time, take the SAT or ACT over!. Or do not submit a test score to a T20 college if it is 100pts lower than the avg.score.

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