My competitivness

a2roxas28

5-Year Member
Joined
May 25, 2010
Messages
115
Academics (College)

GPA: 3.69
ACT 26 (E 26, M 27, R 26, SR 26)

Leadership
JROTC
-Battalion Commander

ROTC (first year)
-Team Member

Extracurricular
Weightlifting
- 2 years (1 varsity)
Swimming
- 1 year varsity

Work
7 months

check box for awards (dont want to list them all)

I know I will pass the pt test

All I am worried about is my test scores. I already have a nomination under my file. Any advice/suggestions will be welcomed and appreciated.
 
GPA/ACT a little low. Retake the ACT - they will take the highest score
 
Try taking the SAT! Some people do better on the other test. Also you could get some test prep materials, they helped my son a lot.
 
I took the SAT three times and they did not go well. Im hoping to raise my GPA towards the week of final exam. Also, I am scheduled to take the ACT on December and February.
 
a2 - you may want to look into a SAT prep course. My son applied to USMA last year and was a QNS (Qualified, Not Selected) - and a big reason why he became Qualified was that he did well on his SAT's. He took them 4 times. After the first time his scores were average - middle of the road. With those scores (high 500's) he would not have had a chance. We signed him up for a 6 week prep course. His last class was 2 days before his next SAT. He raised his overall SAT score 200 points! Did he enjoy going to class - NO, but even he realized the benefit of being better prepared. Look into it - some classes are very intense and very expensive ($1000 +) But, some are very affordable and can be done over a 4-6 week period! Good luck
 
Can anyone offer any insight to how they achieve a high score on the SAT/ACT? How did you prepare for the test. I only have money for prep book; I cant do any prep courses.
 
Can anyone offer any insight to how they achieve a high score on the SAT/ACT? How did you prepare for the test. I only have money for prep book; I cant do any prep courses.

There are several prep books out there but I think the most valuable part of the books are the practice exams. Take a look at march2success.com. It is a free test preparation program put out by the Army and based on Kaplan. My son has used it some and it seems to be pretty good.
 
One small tip

My reading is still at a 25 so I can't help you there.

But

For English: I took two practice act tests and found out what the wrong answer was then found out what the answer should have been. (looked for patterns) Then I sat down with my English teacher and he taught me the grammar rules that I had missed. Then I read page by page the Princeton review act English section. I went from a 24 to a 34 in English and an 11 in the writing.

For reading I'm switching to the SAT. The act time limit is killing me.My practice SAT test was much higher than my act scores On the other hand it's not as high as a 34 on the English section of the act. My point, go to the sat website and take a practice test. Score it. See how you do.

Good luck
I feel your pain.
 
Can anyone offer any insight to how they achieve a high score on the SAT/ACT? How did you prepare for the test. I only have money for prep book; I cant do any prep courses.

I would check with admissions before pursuing this further. If I read your original post correctly, you are already a college freshman ROTC student. Most colleges require SAT/ACT as an indicator of how one would do in college. However, in your case they have your actual college grades to look at. Of course I have no idea what your course load is like at that would be a factor as well.

I could also be al wet and the SAT/ACT scores are important regardless. That's why I suggest checking with admissions.

Good luck!
 
My only advice is take the test many times. Thats the only thing you can do. Sure there are strategies, but personally its a load of crap. Just take as many practice tests as you can.
 
I firmly dispised the SATs, although i did get a decent score (1900's), but i think the ACT was much easier than SATs. But i used that big blue Sat book, and did all the practice tests, like Packer stated. Thing about the SATs is that there will be the same types of questions in each section of the SAT. Doing those practice tests helped me prepare for those questions, and by being familiar with them, boosted my score. If you sign up to the Sat.com site, they send you daily sat questions, which may also help.

Best of Luck
 
Honestly, I took the ACT 3 times and got the same darn score a 29. I prepped so much but still got the same results. However, with the SAT, I improved dramatically from a 1900 to a 2070. IMPO the SAT is much easier to IMPROVE on but once you hit a plateau, tutoring will not help too much.

I have a question. Do SAT Subjects help in the admissions process at all? Just wondering...
 
Honestly, I took the ACT 3 times and got the same darn score a 29. I prepped so much but still got the same results. However, with the SAT, I improved dramatically from a 1900 to a 2070. IMPO the SAT is much easier to IMPROVE on but once you hit a plateau, tutoring will not help too much.

I have a question. Do SAT Subjects help in the admissions process at all? Just wondering...

It all just depends on the person. It was much easier for me to improve on the ACT.

Also on the reading ACT I jumped from a 22 to a 29, but not from much prepping. I've been reading all my life and from what I read I can tell the ideas that people are trying to get across. I was just a slow reader and I used to only finish like 3/4 of the problems and have to bubble in the rest. My advice and if its the only thing that you do to improve on the ACT is to practice reading fast. Not skimming but reading quickly and underlining important things.
 
I firmly dispised the SATs, although i did get a decent score (1900's), but i think the ACT was much easier than SATs.

There seems to be two types of students, those that do better on the ACT and those that do better on the SAT.

There does not seem to be rhyme or reason to either. IE: it's not that one is easier or harder than the other. They just seem to test different ways, and some students respond better to one than the other.

There is also a regional variance, with east coast schools leaning more toward the SAT and vice versa.

One view with the ACT is you are spending time testing on areas that are not considered by many schools. IE: most schools only look at the math/reading rather than the composite. (Just like most do not use SAT writing, yet)
 
OP is in college >>>>

Ok, it does appear OP is IN COLLEGE NOW, and applying to USMA as, I presume, a freshman in college.

So, does the USMA look at SAT/ACT for applicants already in college? They might, or might now. Anybody know?
 
Your ACT scores will put you in the bottom quarter of the cadets admitted in the Class of 2015. They are good enough to get you in if you have a Principle appointment (vacancy winner in your Congressional district). However, if you are on the NWL or have a Presidential nomination, you would probably not be selected.
Take the ACT again and the SATs as many times as you can. West Point counts the highest results. You need an ACT of 29-30 to be really competitive unless you are a recruited athlete or a minority chosen to "round out the class"
 
The question asked, was I think about the weight of SAT/ACT when an applicant is in college. From what we have learned from various sources from both USNA and USMA, the first semester grades take the place of these scores. Maybe it's thought of as what you DID do in college, rather than what you SHOULD do. In any event, 26 ACT is = to about 600 SAT...although numbers vary a little depending on section (Math, Science etc.) From what is posted in many places on this forum, your grades need to be B and above to move on...of course...WHO KNOWS!!!
 
Raise your ACT/SATS up. Keep on striving with extracurricular activities. Passing the PT test is not a good goal, blowing it out of the water is. Work on the GPA more too. I think you're one par under competitive, just work hard to get there!
 
I know this is going to sound whiny but I do not know how to convey the tone of this message any other way. I know that gaining admission this is not on my side this year.

1) I do not have the test scores. Currently have a 26 and have one more test (Feb.) Unlikely I will be able to get a 30 or better.

2) I do not have the GPA.
-Freshman Comp- B
-Algebra- A
-Chemistry- B
- ROTC- A
-History- A

I know everyone will say that there is more ways to become an officer, but I am not working my butt off to settle for alternatives. I want to strive for the best. However, I guess there is next year to apply.
 
Sprinkle in some honors and AP courses in there. It definitely makes a difference taking more rigorous courses- the type of classes they you will be in at WP. Also, try to do better on those SAT/ ACT's.

How are your EC's?
 
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