How Colleges Really Look at SAT Scores

Hey guys, it’s Eric at Solution Prep and today I want to tell you how colleges actually look at your SAT scores.

It’s no secret that a growing list of colleges are going back to requiring SAT or ACT scores of all applicants. Whether that’s MIT or all the public colleges in Florida, big schools like Purdue, Georgetown, all the service academies, some big flagship public colleges, some highly competitive colleges, six out of eight Ivies and many more. The list grows every year.

But it’s important to know that even colleges not on the list of schools requiring scores of all students may still require scores for students applying to certain majors or may require scores for certain scholarships or may still use scores for class placement. And that goes from the biggest colleges all the way down to your local county college.

It’s important to understand though that when colleges look at your scores, they’re not just comparing you to the nation. They’re also comparing your scores to the average in your school, your district, your state, the nation, and overall. So, when colleges are considering you, understand that your classmates are your competition. And that when you’re applying to a school, if you have a 1200 and the average for your school is 1100, you look pretty great. But if you have a 1200 and the average for your school is a 1300, you don’t look as great.

So, when you’re picking colleges to apply to, think about what are the more popular colleges being applied to by your classmates, and consider applying to some lesser-known schools, maybe further away, maybe not on your classmates’ radar. That way, you can be the number one applicant from your high school as opposed to a middle-of the-pack or even bottom-of-the-pack applicant.

So, if you need to improve your SAT or ACT scores, get cracking. And if you need help, reach out to us at 732-556-8220. We are here to help.