SAT or ACT

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NJcandidate2024

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I was wondering if admissions weighs one test differently over the other. For instance, I know a 1600 SAT is adjusted down a bit by admissions. Does anybody know how an ACT score is adjusted for comparison to the SAT? How is a 36 ACT compared to a 1600 SAT? Thanks
 
NJcandidate2024 said:
...I know a 1600 SAT is adjusted down a bit by admissions...
Click to expand...

Really? How do you know this? Are you privy to the calculations used by admissions to score a candidate? Why would admissions take a perfect score and "adjust it down" to a (ostensibly) less-than-perfect score?
That makes no sense, whatsoever. Do candidates with perfect 1600s not get into the academy?
Absolutely.
Every year.

1600 SAT = 36 ACT, as they are both "perfect" scores. You should take both the SAT and the ACT - if you are applying to any Service Academy or civilian college - in my humble opinion.

Again, just my opinion.
 
THParent said:
NJcandidate2024 said:
...I know a 1600 SAT is adjusted down a bit by admissions...
Click to expand...

Really? How do you know this? Are you privy to the calculations used by admissions to score a candidate? Why would admissions take a perfect score and "adjust it down" to a (ostensibly) less-than-perfect score?
That makes no sense, whatsoever. Do candidates with perfect 1600s not get into the academy?
Absolutely.
Every year.

1600 SAT = 36 ACT, as they are both "perfect" scores. You should take both the SAT and the ACT - if you are applying to any Service Academy or civilian college - in my humble opinion.

Again, just my opinion.
Click to expand...

I was told this while attending SLE. So for instance, a 1600 might be viewed as a 1580 for admissions purposes. So then what I’m wondering is if a 36 is also viewed as a 1580, or if it is actually viewed more favorably than a max SAT score.
 
NJcandidate2024 said:
I was told this while attending SLE. So for instance, a 1600 might be viewed as a 1580 for admissions purposes...
Click to expand...

Did they tell you what sort of rationale they used to come up with this (seemingly) bizarre process?
 
NJcandidate2024 said:
THParent said:
NJcandidate2024 said:
...I know a 1600 SAT is adjusted down a bit by admissions...
Click to expand...

Really? How do you know this? Are you privy to the calculations used by admissions to score a candidate? Why would admissions take a perfect score and "adjust it down" to a (ostensibly) less-than-perfect score?
That makes no sense, whatsoever. Do candidates with perfect 1600s not get into the academy?
Absolutely.
Every year.

1600 SAT = 36 ACT, as they are both "perfect" scores. You should take both the SAT and the ACT - if you are applying to any Service Academy or civilian college - in my humble opinion.

Again, just my opinion.
Click to expand...

I was told this while attending SLE. So for instance, a 1600 might be viewed as a 1580 for admissions purposes. So then what I’m wondering is if a 36 is also viewed as a 1580, or if it is actually viewed more favorably than a max SAT score.
Click to expand...

Who told you this , a Plebe?
Seriously, a perfect score is perfect. Take whichever test you prefer or both, and retake and practice until you’ve either maxed/nearly maxed, or have plateaued.
They superscore them so it’s worth taking them multiple times along with practicing and studying for them. I’ve heard mention of admissions calculating and “converting “ an SAT score to an ACT score for comparison, but never one outweighing the other. I also can’t imagine why they would downgrade any score regardless of what it was for an SA rating for WCS. They use the two tests as a part of WCS because they are a national standardized test. What purpose would it serve to “dumb down” these scores?
Considering no one here has the answer to the admissions secret sauce questions, it’s always been said to do the best you can on all parts of your application and control what you can control. Don’t worry about that which you can’t control.

You should follow up with your original source for this clarification, which was hopefully an admissions rep.
 
jl123 said:
No difference in consideration of SAT/ACT. Take them one you are best at or take both - USMA will choose the one that makes your file strongest.
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I agree with jl123, take both tests, and I will also add that you should seriously consider taking each test multiple times. Academy Admissions not only super-score your tests (best sub-scores on multiple tests for a best overall composite-score), but supposedly they will credit you for the highest of your two super-scores (ACT or SAT).
 
If you get a 1600, no need to take the ACT (or visa versa).
If you are happy with your SAT score, don't worry about the ACT.
If you keep taking the SAT but can't get a score you are happy with, try the ACT. Some people do better on the ACT.
 
Just remember to take the tests 'with essay.' My son took the SAT twice. He thought he was done, but had to take it a third time because USMA was the only SA to require the tests be taken with essay.
 
ROTC requires the essay as well, I believe.
 
SAT scores are absolutely scored down by USMA admissions. They use the conversion tables between the old SAT and the new SAT which is 4 or 5 years old approximately. This is because the College Board has admitted that the new SAT is not as difficult as the old test, therefore it is scaled down. My son thought there was a mistake when he corresponded with his State Coordinator because he knew his scores were higher but then he received the above explanation. Google SAT conversion tables. If you look at this chart and take a score of 1500 on the new SAT for example, this converts to 1460 on the old SAT test and that is the score that USMA will give you.
 

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Roadking said:
SAT scores are absolutely scored down by USMA admissions. They use the conversion tables between the old SAT and the new SAT which is 4 or 5 years old approximately. This is because the College Board has admitted that the new SAT is not as difficult as the old test, therefore it is scaled down. My son thought there was a mistake when he corresponded with his State Coordinator because he knew his scores were higher but then he received the above explanation. Google SAT conversion tables. If you look at this chart and take a score of 1500 on the new SAT for example, this converts to 1460 on the old SAT test and that is the score that USMA will give you.
Click to expand...
This is very interesting. My DS had super-scores of 1500 SAT and 34 ACT, now I wonder which one they counted on his WCS?
 
birdwatcher4125 said:
Roadking said:
SAT scores are absolutely scored down by USMA admissions. They use the conversion tables between the old SAT and the new SAT which is 4 or 5 years old approximately. This is because the College Board has admitted that the new SAT is not as difficult as the old test, therefore it is scaled down. My son thought there was a mistake when he corresponded with his State Coordinator because he knew his scores were higher but then he received the above explanation. Google SAT conversion tables. If you look at this chart and take a score of 1500 on the new SAT for example, this converts to 1460 on the old SAT test and that is the score that USMA will give you.
Click to expand...
This is very interesting. My DS had super-scores of 1500 SAT and 34 ACT, now I wonder which one they counted on his WCS?
Click to expand...
I would say the ACT of 34 is being used because it is fractionally higher (1520/1490) than his SAT. just my guess however.
 
birdwatcher4125 said:
This is very interesting. My DS had super-scores of 1500 SAT and 34 ACT, now I wonder which one they counted on his WCS?
Click to expand...
The admissions file contains SAT and ACT scores and then indicates which is being used. The candidate portal does not indicate which score is being used, but the RC does have access to this information. Someone deciding which test to take again to improve the super score can ask RC.

The conversion is between new SAT and old SAT, probably to compare apples to apples vs ACT.
 
This begs the question, if you get a 1600 and it gets reduced to a 1580, what happens when you get a 1580. Do they discount that also or is a 1580 equal to a 1600 after being discounted. There would be no logical reason to reduce a score unless you reduce every score thereby making the discount pointless. If a 1600 is equal to a 1580, you basically made the 1580 the perfect score. A real 1580 score would then be 1560 and so on and so on. What would then be the benefit as a 1600/1600 = 100% and a 1580/1580 also equal 100% unles of course the max you go ever get was 1580/1600 = 98.75%. But then again 98.75% would be the top score and all scores below that would adjusted to reflec the top percentage.
 
Probably all scores would be reduced, but not necessarily by the same amount. It would depend on the distribution of scores under the old test and the new test compared to the ACT and how USMA interprets those scores.

The 1600 gets reduced to 1580, but it does not follow that USMA would convert other scores by the same number of points or ratio as they converted the top score.

When the College Board created the new SAT, USMA did convert new to old. I assumed this was due to the fact that for an overlapping period of time they would have to evaluate both old and new scores and would stop converting once they only had to deal with the new test.
 
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Yes, this is what made me think about how the ACT and SAT are then compared. Does an ACT score get converted and then go through a similar reduction (36 converted to 1600 and then dropped to 1580)? Or does a 36 convert to a 1600 with no further reduction, thus resulting in the ACT being just slightly favored over the SAT? Curious if anybody has any insight.
 
My DS got a 1,500 (SAT) and a 35 (ACT). Those scores showed up in his application as a 1,500 (SAT) and a 35 (ACT).
 
My son's scores also showed up exactly as scored with no adjustments in the things he could see. I guess we will not know what admissions folks do with the scores during internal processes.
 
The portal will show the actual test scores, not the converted scores. Imagine the emails and phone calls if a score appeared in the portal that was different from the test result.

Roadking's table explains why a conversion must be made in order to evaluate applicants taking different tests. Scores are valid for five years, so scores from the old SAT test are still being considered for soldiers, college candidates, and any other applicants that may have taken the old SAT test. Additionally, percentile ranges are different for the SAT and ACT, as can be seen in the table.

Those difference must be reconciled to evaluate applicants apples to apples. USMA does this by converting test scores to a standardized basis that can be used to calculate WCS points - possibly by using percentiles, but only admissions knows exactly how it is done.

To my knowledge USMA does not convert ACT scores.
 
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