Academic Disqualifying?

LesakUSAFA

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Jul 25, 2015
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I'm ranked 1/193 in my class, have a 4.2 weighted GPA, 3.952 unweighted GPA, but my ACT scores is what scares me. 26E, 22R, 28M, 33S. (I just retook it and am very confident my English and math increased, but my reading definitely did not.) If my Reading score does not increase, are my chances for an appointment shattered? Any feedback is appreciated.
 
What do you struggle at within the reading and english sections? (Speed, comprehension, both?)
Those scores do not look good!
 
What are your SAT scores? If those are better, then they just might save the day. :thumb: Also, don't rule out the possibility that your most recent ACT scores may turn out to be better than you think. I know it looks bad, but don't ever sell yourself short while you still have a chance. Good luck to you.
 
You can order a copy of the ACT test to review your answers for about $20 or so. My DD hates studying for the ACT, but spent about an hour reviewing her English scores from the previous ACT test. It helped her to see what questions she kept getting wrong. On the next ACT, she improved by 3 points, moving it to a 30. Hope this helps.
 
It's too late to retake the ACT. What I have is what I have.

Based off the stats you posted, I'd say your reading score is too low for direct appointment. It may be too late to take more tests for this year's application, but if you want to go to the Academy bad enough it is never to early to begin preparing for next year....

Also keep in mind that if you are not quite academically qualified there is a shot at a Prep spot or possibly a Falcon foundation scholarship (Not certain on this though). What better way to prove your desire than to keep working at getting better?

My DS struggled as well on the Reading and after taking the test 6 times, the highest he could manage was a 26 and I think that was near the bottom of what was acceptable. He is doing very well academically so it certainly doesn't reflect on how you will do once there.

Good luck and keep pressing forward.
 
If I am right, USAFA only states that the min. requirement to be deemed non-competitive is a 24E ACT or 490 V for SAT. It says nothing about Reading.

Now for why some older posters like me will take stats from HS (gpa, rank, etc) with a grain of salt. There are over 2000 HSs in this nation. Nobody knows how competitive your HS is from your state or a national perspective.
~ No offense, but if I could get a dollar for everytime a candidate here said I go to a competitive HS, than I would be living on a private island and not working.
~~ This is why your GC will submit a school profile because that will allow USAFA to use their algorithm to equalize your school to the other candidates. Colleges will do this too.

Thus, stating I am #1 out of 193, 3.952, 4.2 really means nothing when you think about it, unless you say that 50% of the kids go to an Ivy. If 50% go to Ivy and 0% go straight into the workforce than what that says you have test anxiety, but if 0% go to an Ivy and 50% go to workforce, than it says something different about your scores. Hence, why they look at everything, just not one aspect like the ACT or SAT.

You have hope, but you need to be honest with yourself about the WHOLE PAR aspect. Will they say this kid is from a competitive school and it was test anxiety, or is this kid from a school where they hand out As like candy on Halloween?

Finally, it is also going to come down to how your WCS ranks out on your nomination slates.
 
If I am right, USAFA only states that the min. requirement to be deemed non-competitive is a 24E ACT or 490 V for SAT. It says nothing about Reading.

Now for why some older posters like me will take stats from HS (gpa, rank, etc) with a grain of salt. There are over 2000 HSs in this nation. Nobody knows how competitive your HS is from your state or a national perspective.
~ No offense, but if I could get a dollar for everytime a candidate here said I go to a competitive HS, than I would be living on a private island and not working.
~~ This is why your GC will submit a school profile because that will allow USAFA to use their algorithm to equalize your school to the other candidates. Colleges will do this too.

Thus, stating I am #1 out of 193, 3.952, 4.2 really means nothing when you think about it, unless you say that 50% of the kids go to an Ivy. If 50% go to Ivy and 0% go straight into the workforce than what that says you have test anxiety, but if 0% go to an Ivy and 50% go to workforce, than it says something different about your scores. Hence, why they look at everything, just not one aspect like the ACT or SAT.
According to my portal, it states that my reading score "may be deemed uncompetitive to USAFA". The only reason I do poorly on the section is because I'm stressing out during that time knowing I need a better score which is test anxiety. If this score is an automatic DQ, do you think I may have a shot at the prep school?
 
I would not even venture to guess if you have a shot.

Let's play a game...what is your career goal in the AF?
~ Understand, it can change, but for the games sake what is it right now?
 
If you think the SAT/ACT is stressful then you are going to have a shock while in college and your dream job of fighter pilot. The stakes are so much higher and the line at flight school to get cut is so small. And they won't care about your test anxiety... They are going to stress you in all kinds of scenarios, because people's lives depend on how you deal with stress and being able to deal with emergencies while in flight and the ground. You need to learn to deal with test anxiety and get a tutor to learn how deal with it and that section of the test. If you don't learn techniques now, it would be a long road.
 
My English increased to 27 and Math increased to a 33. So my best scores are 27E, 33M, 22R, 33S.
 
That's a 29C super score which is pretty good. If you do not get in this year and reapply try to think of the reading section as a treasure hunt. All the answers are there for you to find. Its really not much different then the science section just different subjects and you did quite well in science so you have the ability.
 
Here is what I will say about SAT/ACT/Rank

SAT - I have a 1300 Math/Reading (1910 total). I know I could have done so much better, but my entire summer after that test was painstakingly busy, which kind of upsets me since I wanted to go for that balance. It took me three attempts to get that score, and something that I discovered was when I practiced and knew why I got things wrong on my own, I did much better than going to a SAT study class and seeing a select set of questions. That all depends on your learning style though. All in all, practice!

ACT - As much as I wanted to take it, I never did. Like I said, I couldn't balance anything out, and I didn't really want to spend part of senior year studying for a different test knowing that with what I had, I couldn't make the time to practice.

Rank - If you're #1, woohoo. But, as Pima said, what kind of school is competitive? I know FOR SURE that my school has handed out grades/activity points which boosted someone's rank JUST because they are an athlete, but that doesn't stop people who aren't #1 on paper from being the best of the best. This is why USAFA looks at the whole character. I'm 22/62 and my ALO deemed me very competitive for my leadership/character abilities.

This may seem like a ramble, but what I am saying is don't give up, don't stress out over a number because there will be something that makes you stand out and lets everyone know that you can push yourself further than others.
 
Look at it like this:
Your superscore went up. That's amazing in itself because once you get into 30s, the difference between each point is one question. That said, don't worry about your reading score too much. As others have said, the admissions board looks at the whole character, not just your test scores. To drive this point home requires taking a look at our advice to candidates packet. Notice in the pic I attached that it says the academic composite is a combo of your standardized test scores AND your prior academic record, meaning your #1 rank, previous academic courses, and gpa play a role in it. Just because your reading score is not up to par with the average doesn't mean your chances are shot. Buuuut I think I should say that I'm not on the USAFA admissions board so don't sue me if I'm wrong. They may very well just DQ you now, but nobody really knows so all you can do is wait.
ImageUploadedByService Academy Forums®1450837762.796685.jpg
 
Look at it like this:
Your superscore went up. That's amazing in itself because once you get into 30s, the difference between each point is one question. That said, don't worry about your reading score too much. As others have said, the admissions board looks at the whole character, not just your test scores. To drive this point home requires taking a look at our advice to candidates packet. Notice in the pic I attached that it says the academic composite is a combo of your standardized test scores AND your prior academic record, meaning your #1 rank, previous academic courses, and gpa play a role in it. Just because your reading score is not up to par with the average doesn't mean your chances are shot. Buuuut I think I should say that I'm not on the USAFA admissions board so don't sue me if I'm wrong. They may very well just DQ you now, but nobody really knows so all you can do is wait.
View attachment 426
My pic ain't attaching for some reason but you'll see what I'm talking about if you check page 16 of your advice to candidates packet where it talks about academic composite
 

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My pic ain't attaching for some reason but you'll see what I'm talking about if you check page 16 of your advice to candidates packet where it talks about academic composite
So the academy does take the composite of my super scores? If so, this could work towards my advantage.
 
Yeah they look at your superscored composite but sadly they'd also look at each subject. If they post averages for each subject I'd assume they take it into account during the application process
 
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