Is a 1310 a competitive SAT?

griffdog123

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I am a rising senior navigating the nomination and application process. I am trying to get my applications in as early as possible, and I am just wondering if my 1310 is competitive enough to submit as is? Or should I delay submitting my applications to the Academy and for Nominations until I have another chance at the SAT in late August. My applications for Senator's Nominations are due Sept 30. Additionally, idk if this matters but in my application for Summer Seminar, I had a 1210 and was denied, so is that 100 point growth enough?
 
Keep trying until that deadline comes in if you have the means financially. I would also suggest using Khan Academy. There are 40+ real tests with answer keys available online for free. 1310 is not the end of the world. It is a competitive score. If you could improve your score and make yourself more competitive, wouldn't you? It's a game of numbers and a higher score = higher WCS.
 
Okay thx! I was just making sure there was not some advantage to turning your applications in earlier that would outweigh waiting.
 
Do not connect summer seminar decisions with SAT scores.

Nobody knows if that score is competitive. Some have been denied admission with much higher scores, while others have gained admission with lesser scores. It depends on your slate and the strength of the competition on it.

Submit the scores. And take the test again and do your best. A lower score won’t hurt you.
 
I am a rising senior navigating the nomination and application process. I am trying to get my applications in as early as possible, and I am just wondering if my 1310 is competitive enough to submit as is? Or should I delay submitting my applications to the Academy and for Nominations until I have another chance at the SAT in late August. My applications for Senator's Nominations are due Sept 30. Additionally, idk if this matters but in my application for Summer Seminar, I had a 1210 and was denied, so is that 100 point growth enough?
highly suggest that you retake it, since there is literally no drawback in doing so
 
Keep in mind that the academy does superscore, so if you perform better on one section during another test and the same (or worse) on the other, you'll still receive an overall score bump.
 
Test scores have no bearing on summer program selections.

If you have the time to prep and test again do so.

My son was appointed with a lesser score, but his ACT was higher and his GPA and course load made up for the lesser score. I also have no clue who his competition was that cycle. And you won’t know either.

It’s early in the cycle. Max out your options to improve if possible. Don’t leave anything on the table that you can improve. That is all you can do.
 
Okay thx! I was just making sure there was not some advantage to turning your applications in earlier that would outweigh waiting.
Never submit an application super early in the cycle if it can be improved substantially by waiting.

You have until 31 January.

Don’t get too antsy, it’s difficult, but this isn’t a he/she who submits first wins situation.
 
1310 is a good start but if this is not the best you can do, try again until it is. You should also try ACT and see if it works better for you. If you can put your energy into getting SAT/ACT scores and CFA to where you want early in the cycle, you can later focus on the candidate activity records, essays, and interviews. Submitting USNA application in Fall is still early in my opinion.

Do not rush. Your goal should be sending the best package you can and not having to add and change things afterward. Once you hit the submit button and all items on your portal are checked off (except medical and nomination), you should expect that the admission board may review your application at any time.
 
It’s different every year, I was in this 2027 cycle and am still waitlisted for an appointment with a 1310 SAT, I think my strong GPA and EC’s definitely helped my cause though.
 
Do not connect summer seminar decisions with SAT scores.

Nobody knows if that score is competitive. Some have been denied admission with much higher scores, while others have gained admission with lesser scores. It depends on your slate and the strength of the competition on it.

Submit the scores. And take the test again and do your best. A lower score won’t hurt you.
To give an example of this, I know somebody who has a 1520 SAT but did not get into NASS. Probably because he did a CVW earlier this year but it just goes to show that SA summer programs are nothing more than outreach programs.
 
As far as the admission process my opinion would be who knows. I could see it being or not being an issue in the seeking of a nomination, if the nomination panel places emphasis on it. But back to my original opinion of “Who knows?”
 
I am a rising senior navigating the nomination and application process. I am trying to get my applications in as early as possible, and I am just wondering if my 1310 is competitive enough to submit as is? Or should I delay submitting my applications to the Academy and for Nominations until I have another chance at the SAT in late August. My applications for Senator's Nominations are due Sept 30. Additionally, idk if this matters but in my application for Summer Seminar, I had a 1210 and was denied, so is that 100 point growth enough?
For what it's worth, my MOC has a scoring system for the evaluation of nomination applicants. In the "Standardized Testing" category, a 1310 SAT would get you 8 out of 10 points. Room for improvement. You've got August 26th and October 7th as additional dates before you get into the heat of the nomination process.
 
A 1310 dosn't exist in a vacuum. If your grades are excellent or you're a three sport star or your leadership is outstanding then it's well above average. If several of those areas are soft then your test scores need to carry more weight and a 1310 might not be that strong. And little of that matters if the rest of the applicant pool is stronger than last year. You never know, so all you can do is work on the things you can improve, and retaking standardized tests is an easy lever to pull.
 
Is 1310 high enough?

I'm an interviewer for an MOC that has stopped considering SAT scores in the interviews as we now leave that up to the Service Academies.
That said, over the 5 years before we stopped reviewing SATs, I interviewed over 50 candidates within our district and just about all of them were above 1400.

In this district, I would not recommend "sitting" on a 1310.
 
If your math score is 650+, it's good enough to get into USNA -- in a vacuum. You still need a nom and I TOTALLY agree with OldRetSWO that 1310 may not be good enough to get a nom in certain areas. Where I used to live, 1310 was not competitive for any of the MOCs I advised candidates to aim for at least 1350 with at least a 650 math, though we had many with 1500+ SATs (not kidding) and most above 1400.

In other parts of the country, you may be the only candidate with a 1300+ SAT and all else being equal, will be fine. I suggest checking with your BGO. S/he should have a pretty good idea of what's needed in that area to be competitive.
 
1310 wouldn't get an nom in our District, I would imagine, even with all of the other things as we live in a super competitive one. ------>. Stellar grades, lots of sports and leadership, and a difficult course load will go far for the Academy itself.
 
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