SAT and ACT scores

jansenmichael2013

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Nov 21, 2012
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I am a Naval Academy applicant for the Class of 2017. I have sent the academy both my SAT and ACT scores. Do I need to contact my admissions counselor to specify which test scores I want to be considered, or will the admissions team automatically consider both my SAT and ACT scores?
 
Future navy mom is correct. Don't bother contacting admissions unless there really is an issue with your app.
 
To confirm that your SAT and ACT scores have been received, simply log back into the Candidate Information System. Scores normally appear about a week after they are supplied to Admissions.

No need to specify which scores you want Admissions to use. Admissions will "superscore" your results, selecting your best performance from multiple test sessions. ACT scores are converted to an equivalent SAT score before the best numbers are used to calculate your Candidate Multiple. My best SAT math was just a 700, while my best ACT math score was a 34. The 34 converted to a SAT score of 800.

I strongly recommend that everyone take both the SAT and ACT multiple times. They're very different, and one might suit you better.
 
I have a question, I'm going to take the test in the late spring and I am curious what score I should shoot for, 2100?
 
I've heard the "magic numbers" are 26 English & 26 Math. Of course, the better the scores the better your chances!
 
I have a question, I'm going to take the test in the late spring and I am curious what score I should shoot for, 2100?

Over 700 in each section is a good place to be, and it's really not hard to get there.

I got an LOA last year with 660M/670CR. This year is probably going to be even more competitive though; it gets harder every year.
 
ACT math and reading scores of just 26 are "magic" only for most Members of Congress. If you can't crack 26, you won't be considered competitive for a nomination.

ACT math and reading scores of just 26 are less "magic" for Academy admissions. There are ACT to SAT conversion tables on line that indicates a 26 reading score converts to an SAT of 590. A 26 math converts to an SAT of 650. The conversion charts used by Admissions might be slightly different than those available on line.

I concur that 700 should be your minimum SAT target. On the ACT side, your minimum reading target should be a 31-32. Your minimum math target should be 29-30.

Happy Thankgiving!
 
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First of all, why would you not shoot to do the best you can on the SAT and ACT exams? You need to go into this figuring that you are going to be in a competitive situation for ANY of the academies - because you will be! You should start taking the exams early - remembering that familiarity tends to breed better scores. When you talk about 650 on the SAT's or 26 on the ACT's you are talking about scores that generally are the MINIMUM qualifying scores - not COMPETITIVE scores. NAVY keys heavily on the math scores, and you need to be in the 700's in math on the SAT's or in the 30's on the ACT's to be reasonably competitive. Plan on taking both exams at least once to determine which is more favorable to you. For those of you competing for 2017, the last ACT scores that will be considered are those from the Dec 2012 exam, and the last SAT scores that will be considered are those from the Jan 2013 exam! Best wishes.
 
1964BGO,

Thank You for making my point. When our son went through the process, an admissions representative told us that they are "looking for" a 26 and a 26. While there are no official minimums, we came to believe that the 26 & 26 are the "unofficial" minimums. 1964BGO makes a good point that due to the competition for admissions, higher scores should be sought after.

Coincidentally, our son did receive an appointment with a pair of 26s. He had other really good things going for him however, 4.0 GPA, 1st in his class, 3 sport varsity athlete, 4 year class president, 4 yr. involvement in band, heavily involved in 4-H holding multiple offices, etc.

My point is that ACT scores are only part of the puzzle.
 
I have a question about superscoring.

Say I do better on the English section of the ACT and better on the Math section of the SAT.

Will Admissions take the best score from each section between both the ACT and SAT, or do they only superscore for one of the tests?
 
I've spoken with an admissions officer since i was in this position.
He told me that they convert your ACT score to an equivalent SAT score and then take the higher of the two.
 
cpanddj1: As a BGO I am not going to fall into the trap of trying to second-guess Admissions and end up with a bunch of candidates who missed selection because I told them they probably could get by with marginal scores. Quite frankly, BGO's don't have access to enough information on the candidates to be particularly successful at guessing who will get selected, and there are just too many variables involved. Furthermore, it is never too early for the candidates to get used to the idea of striving to do their best across the board; if they do get into one of the SA's they quickly will find that the better they do, the better the opportunities that will be available to them... and that will follow them into their commissioned life.
 
cpanddj1: As a BGO I am not going to fall into the trap of trying to second-guess Admissions and end up with a bunch of candidates who missed selection because I told them they probably could get by with marginal scores. Quite frankly, BGO's don't have access to enough information on the candidates to be particularly successful at guessing who will get selected, and there are just too many variables involved. Furthermore, it is never too early for the candidates to get used to the idea of striving to do their best across the board; if they do get into one of the SA's they quickly will find that the better they do, the better the opportunities that will be available to them... and that will follow them into their commissioned life.

2 thoughts ...

1. Trust 1964's counsel. His is seasoned and wise.

2. Here's the stats for the Class of 2016. As you can see, there are a significant number who score well below the projected "minimum" and many more well above it. Furthermore, it is my understanding that scores of NAPs (and other post-HS grad) admits are not included since they are not required to re-take the exam. If someone knows specifics on this as to what or if standardized scores are included in the collective, please inform.

Interestingly, there has been significant decline in these measures over the past 4 admission seasons.

COLLEGE BOARD DATA (Taken from USNA Catalog)

Middle 50th percentile*
Verbal 560-670 Math 600-700
* 50% of the class achieved SAT scores within the range
between the 25th and 75th percentile
 
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