When to send test scores?

MKlap

5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2017
Messages
38
My 9th grade son just took the ACT (for practice) and received the following scores:

English: 30
Math: 25
Reading: 34
Science: 24
Composite: 28

Should he submit these scores to the Academy now? He will certainly need to increase his Math/science but his reading score is great. I know they “super score” so it would be great to lock that one in. He is our oldest so we haven’t navigated college admissions at all. Any insight would be appreciated.

Also, any knowledge of how much you would expect a math/science score to increase in the next 2 years? I realize there may be too many factors to consider.

Thanks,
Marie
 
It's too early to submit. You may want to check out the individual SAs' admission websites for application process info. It's never too early to check them out.
 
Hello Marie, welcome to SAF! As 1mom stated, it is too early to submit test scores as that won't be an option until he opens up a formal application when he is a senior in high school. That being said, taking the test early now is great practice and can be used when applying for the summer seminar programs at the different service academies. They do super score but I don't believe there is a statute of limitations for how old the scores are unless the testing system changes.

I can't give you studies or scientific research for score improvement but I personally was able to increase my SAT math score by 100 points after taking a prep class so a significant jump is possible. I would recommend your son take the SAT as well as the ACT as students might perform better in one over the other.

Please continue to ask questions and we'll help where we can!
 
I know he can’t start applying. I was referring to the option to report scores to schools through the ACT website.

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.
 
It is hard to say how much you may need to score on the math, because you don't have the whole picture yet. If your son is a recruited athlete or part of an under-represented minority group then he can go a little lower. However, if your son is a white male, from an affluent area of the country that sends quite a few students to the academy, then you need to shoot for a math score of around 32.
 
I know he can’t start applying. I was referring to the option to report scores to schools through the ACT website.

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.
Since he will not have an account open yet, there will be nowhere to put the scores, so they will probably be ignored.
 
Thanks, very helpful!

He is a potential soccer recruit, not underrepresented, and since we are a military family we won’t know where we’ll be living in 2 years!!
 
Since he will not have an account open yet, there will be nowhere to put the scores, so they will probably be ignored.

I know he can’t start applying. I was referring to the option to report scores to schools through the ACT website.

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.

Dave's post is what I was referring to, USCGA will not accept the scores (nor will you be able to send them) until he has an active account and application open. It would be a waste of time for Admissions to review every score sent to them unless the applicant completes the application because it is an indicator that the applicant is committed to the process and has a desire to attend. There are cases where people start the process and then don't finish as they realize they are no longer interested.
 
One thing to get on your radar, though its a few years out, is the summer programs for the academies. For the USCGA its AIM - http://uscga.edu/aim.aspx?id=88 - your son can apply starting in February of his junior year for that summer. it will give him a decent look into academy life
 
Thanks, very helpful!

He is a potential soccer recruit, not underrepresented, and since we are a military family we won’t know where we’ll be living in 2 years!!
Where you are from can be important. The USCGA does not use nominations, but they still want to enter a class that has regional diversity. For instance, Virginia sends a lot of cadets to the academy, so the ACT standard will be higher. Also, keep in mind there are different levels of recruit. The only way a coach will help is if you are one of the top recruits. Just receiving mass emails from a coach is probably not enough to consider yourself a top recruit.
 
Thanks, very helpful!

He is a potential soccer recruit, not underrepresented, and since we are a military family we won’t know where we’ll be living in 2 years!!
Where you are from can be important. The USCGA does not use nominations, but they still want to enter a class that has regional diversity. For instance, Virginia sends a lot of cadets to the academy, so the ACT standard will be higher. Also, keep in mind there are different levels of recruit. The only way a coach will help is if you are one of the top recruits. Just receiving mass emails from a coach is probably definitely not enough to consider yourself a top recruit.
I fixed your post above.

If you aren't sure if you are a recruit, you're not.
 
Since he will not have an account open yet, there will be nowhere to put the scores, so they will probably be ignored.

I know he can’t start applying. I was referring to the option to report scores to schools through the ACT website.

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.

Dave's post is what I was referring to, USCGA will not accept the scores (nor will you be able to send them) until he has an active account and application open. It would be a waste of time for Admissions to review every score sent to them unless the applicant completes the application because it is an indicator that the applicant is committed to the process and has a desire to attend. There are cases where people start the process and then don't finish as they realize they are no longer interested.

Makes total sense, thanks.
 
Thanks, very helpful!

He is a potential soccer recruit, not underrepresented, and since we are a military family we won’t know where we’ll be living in 2 years!!
Where you are from can be important. The USCGA does not use nominations, but they still want to enter a class that has regional diversity. For instance, Virginia sends a lot of cadets to the academy, so the ACT standard will be higher. Also, keep in mind there are different levels of recruit. The only way a coach will help is if you are one of the top recruits. Just receiving mass emails from a coach is probably definitely not enough to consider yourself a top recruit.
I fixed your post above.

If you aren't sure if you are a recruit, you're not.

I played at USAFA (many years ago when we sent our scores by carrier pigeon) so I understand what it means to be a recruit. He hasn't been seen by the coaches yet as we aren't geographically close and he's only a freshman. We'd like to get him to an ID camp out there if possible but he'd hope to have a strong enough application to make it even without help from athletics. Thanks for your feedback.
 
I played at USAFA (many years ago when we sent our scores by carrier pigeon) so I understand what it means to be a recruit. He hasn't been seen by the coaches yet as we aren't geographically close and he's only a freshman. We'd like to get him to an ID camp out there if possible but he'd hope to have a strong enough application to make it even without help from athletics. Thanks for your feedback.

What we did when my son first started thinking of CGA was to sign up for the tour. We then contacted the coach and told him we would be there and would like to meet him. It was a 5 minute meet but it put him on the radar and he let us know the one place over the summer that he evaluates potential recruits.

It's a marathon not a sprint (I wish it had been a sprint lol). I would start here then continue to test to get his best score. At time of application send scores the. If he applies to AIM I believe they ask for the scores but not official ones.

Hope this helped we were in your spot not too long ago but now he is there and doing great. All worth it.
 
Assuming you are serious about athletics, I recommend opening an NCAA clearinghouse account and then reporting test scores there so at least you don't "waste" some of the free reports. I 2nd the idea of trying the SAT. If there is a significant difference in outcomes of the two tests, then you've got a path to focus on the best one for re-takes and keep getting a better score. My DS was reluctant at first and then shocked to find out how much better he did on the SAT after multiple attempts with tutoring on the ACT. He ended up with SAT in the 99th percentile vs consistent ACT's in the mid-20's. Crazy how this stuff works!
 
Never too early to contact coaches at CGA. Here's the link to the recruiting questionnaire http://uscgasports.com/information/recruiting

DIII schools have very liberal rules regarding contact between coaches and recruits. My 2/c was recruited for 2 varsity sports at CGA. She had contact with the coaches starting as a high school sophomore, and then frequent contact as a junior, and received an LOA in August of her senior year. Definitely try to meet the coach, or attend a camp if available, and maintain contact to show interest.

Regarding test scores, Admissions has confirmed what trackandfield08 stated above...no use submitting them until there is an active application. One thing to keep in mind concerning test scores when applying...it does not hurt to take them multiple times and submit those scores. CGA super scores the SAT and ACT tests, and only those super scores are presented to the review board when the application is reviewed . There is no indication as to how many times the tests were taken.
 
Assuming you are serious about athletics, I recommend opening an NCAA clearinghouse account and then reporting test scores there so at least you don't "waste" some of the free reports. I 2nd the idea of trying the SAT. If there is a significant difference in outcomes of the two tests, then you've got a path to focus on the best one for re-takes and keep getting a better score. My DS was reluctant at first and then shocked to find out how much better he did on the SAT after multiple attempts with tutoring on the ACT. He ended up with SAT in the 99th percentile vs consistent ACT's in the mid-20's. Crazy how this stuff works!
Can you elaborate on this NCAA Clearinghouse thing for athletes? I have a HS sophomore son who is a solid wrestler (#1 in Texas State prep last year and #3 in TAPPS this year) and he is Asian American (Chinese) and a STEM kid who just won his HS Science Fair. How do we get him more on the radar with the NCAA? We are already getting emails regarding recruiting and such but we are clueless. I think he is a solid wrestler but he is also very grounded. When he did not win state this year (he moved up weight classes this year) he was kind of relieved because Nationals conflicted with the Regional Science Fair and he was glad he was getting a chance to go to the science fair competition, lol. Any info on how athletic recruiting works would be appreciated.
 
Can you elaborate on this NCAA Clearinghouse thing for athletes? I have a HS sophomore son who is a solid wrestler (#1 in Texas State prep last year and #3 in TAPPS this year) and he is Asian American (Chinese) and a STEM kid who just won his HS Science Fair. How do we get him more on the radar with the NCAA? We are already getting emails regarding recruiting and such but we are clueless. I think he is a solid wrestler but he is also very grounded. When he did not win state this year (he moved up weight classes this year) he was kind of relieved because Nationals conflicted with the Regional Science Fair and he was glad he was getting a chance to go to the science fair competition, lol. Any info on how athletic recruiting works would be appreciated.
Then you should get in touch with coach bratland at the Academy ... He is a great coach a great person and hes taking the wrestling program in a very good direction at this time
 
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Can you elaborate on this NCAA Clearinghouse thing for athletes? I have a HS sophomore son who is a solid wrestler (#1 in Texas State prep last year and #3 in TAPPS this year) and he is Asian American (Chinese) and a STEM kid who just won his HS Science Fair. How do we get him more on the radar with the NCAA? We are already getting emails regarding recruiting and such but we are clueless. I think he is a solid wrestler but he is also very grounded. When he did not win state this year (he moved up weight classes this year) he was kind of relieved because Nationals conflicted with the Regional Science Fair and he was glad he was getting a chance to go to the science fair competition, lol. Any info on how athletic recruiting works would be appreciated.

Go to NCAA.com I believe. You fill out a whole bunch of pages and then pay them (which in my opinion is what NCAA is all about). This gives them the info to clear you or make sure that you are compliant with the academic rules they set. You end up with a number. Save that somewhere because you will put it on every recruiting questionnaire you come on.

As far as those go to the places you are interested in their web pages and fill out the questionnaire. This puts you on the radar. You might need to do it each year as stuff updates.
 
Can you elaborate on this NCAA Clearinghouse thing for athletes? I have a HS sophomore son who is a solid wrestler (#1 in Texas State prep last year and #3 in TAPPS this year) and he is Asian American (Chinese) and a STEM kid who just won his HS Science Fair. How do we get him more on the radar with the NCAA? We are already getting emails regarding recruiting and such but we are clueless. I think he is a solid wrestler but he is also very grounded. When he did not win state this year (he moved up weight classes this year) he was kind of relieved because Nationals conflicted with the Regional Science Fair and he was glad he was getting a chance to go to the science fair competition, lol. Any info on how athletic recruiting works would be appreciated.

Go to NCAA.com I believe. You fill out a whole bunch of pages and then pay them (which in my opinion is what NCAA is all about). This gives them the info to clear you or make sure that you are compliant with the academic rules they set. You end up with a number. Save that somewhere because you will put it on every recruiting questionnaire you come on.

As far as those go to the places you are interested in their web pages and fill out the questionnaire. This puts you on the radar. You might need to do it each year as stuff updates.

Try here -
https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/
 
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