Test Scores vs. Class Rank

ripcalifi

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Mar 3, 2015
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If SAT scores are in the 99% range but class rank is around 20% of class, does that hurt my application? I know that some schools do not rank and SAs look at the test ranking instead. However, my school does rank so would it be beneficial if I excluded class rank so they would look at SAT national rank instead? Thanks in advance.
 
You can't exclude your class rank -- WP will look at it. But they will also look at your school's profile -- how many students attend Ivies/college, how many AP classes are offered, etc. and determine how competitive your school is, so a 20% class rank may not hurt you. Having SAT scores in the 99th percentile will definitely help you. But the WCS means you need to be well rounded, not just have great academics.
 
They are equally weighted. 30% of your WCS is SAT/ACT and 30% is class rank.

For people that aren't ranked they just look at ACT/SAT national ranking? I never knew that. If that's true competitive schools are doing their students a disservice by ranking them.
 
That can't be right? SAT/ACT and Class Rank make up the whole piece of Academics? That's the first time I've heard that. What about grade point average? National Merit Society? National Honor Society? Class Valedictorian? Don't those add points to the Academic score?
 
Not necessarily true. A hyper competitive school will also have the profile. I do not know if TJ in VA ranks, but I do know in the nation it is considered one of the top public HSs. Let's say the avg SAT best sitting is 2300 (the dummy scores 2200), that 95% of the kids take at least 12 APs., and their after HS education profile is 50% go Ivy, 25% go 4 yr Private and 25% go 4 yr Public, the SAs can see that even the bottom of the barrel would be considered competitive.

It has been a few years since my last graduated HS. However, if I recall their school profile also included the avg cgpa for the graduating class, that included the weighted scale and the grade scale (7 or 10 points).

If you were on the board and saw all of that info from the school profile that the GC submits, you would be able to tell very quickly from a ranking perspective.

As ca2 stated you cannot excluded it. However, I really wouldn't worry unless your school profile shows something to raise the eyebrows. IE. you took very little APs compared to the others when you had the opportunity. A top 20% if the school send 25% to Ivy looks better than 20% and 0% go Ivy.
~ The latter says to me there maybe a problem. Has the brains, but is not committed to doing HW and applying their brains everyday in the class room.

This is why many posters do not put much credence in the cgpa when posted here because we don't know your school profile.
 
What about grade point average? National Merit Society? National Honor Society? Class Valedictorian? Don't those add points to the Academic score?

I think you are mixing things here. Some are considered part of the EC/awards. NMF and NHS is not part of the PAR score. It is though part of their school profile. So in a round about way it does help the PAR. You can't be an NMF without that high SAT, so it is the SAT that matters there. The NMF is an award. Same with NHS. You can't be in it without a certain cgpa, so it is the cgpa that is part of the PAR, but NHS is not. The NHS membership is part of the ECs.

They basically walk hand in hand, but are different when it comes to the WCS.
 
Thanks, Pima, for the clarification. Also, found this on the FAQs for the Admission Process.

Whole candidate score - that by which USMA admissions judges the candidate is made up as follows: 60% academic, 30% leadership and 10% PAE. The 60% academic is comprised of the SAT/ACTs, the candidate's transcript and the level of difficulty of courses the candidate has taken, and the level of competitiveness of the candidate's school. The 30% leadership comes from extracurricular activities, athletic activities, community service activities, teacher recommendations and the interview conducted by the field force officer. The 10% PAE is the physical aptitude test referred to above.
 
That can't be right? SAT/ACT and Class Rank make up the whole piece of Academics? That's the first time I've heard that. What about grade point average? National Merit Society? National Honor Society? Class Valedictorian? Don't those add points to the Academic score?
https://www.facebook.com/westpointa...51809690057/10200987450198855/?type=2&theater
Skip to 1:20 in this video and an RC talks about how WCS is calculated. He says that 30% of your WCS is SAT/ACT and 30% is class rank and that together they make up the academics portion of your application.
 
My DS was in this situation. Solid ACT. Solid GPA, but class rank lower than "target". His HS is a top 200 in nation and definitely is "one of those schools". Many kids there take 7 AP classes but can't carry a conversation. It was kinda sick. At his graduation ceremony, it would've been easier to announce who didn't graduate with honors. Son took 3-4 AP classes depending on the year and mostly scored 4 and 5's on the AP exam. He also lettered in two sports and did a quality ECA. He is now at CBT.
 
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