What Does Your Score Say?

Okay, so you've taken the SAT and gotten your results back. What do they mean? Here are some quick ways to tell:

First the top scores:

• The ACT consists of 4 separate sections: English, Math, Reading Comprehension, Science, and an optional essay section. Scores get averaged and the best score is a 36. By the way this is no easy feat. Only about 1 in 4000 students are going to score that highly.
• The SAT is only 3 sections long although the odds of getting a perfect 2400 are about 1 in 10,000. The SAT tests you on Reading, Math, and an essay section.

But what does this mean?

Here's the deal, most Ivy League schools (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc.) are going to require that you are at least in the top 10% of these scores. That is, unless your parents are intending to donate a library. For SAT that's 2100 and for ACT that's 28. This does not guarantee admission however (see library donation). Most schools these days are looking for the whole package. They want to see well rounded students who participate in extra-curricular and after school activities as well as great scholastic achievement.

Here's a great comparison of SAT scores found at the National Center for Education Statistics. For more information on proper interpretation of your scores, see this article at universitylanguage.com. Happy reading!