Hello, I am a junior and I recently just took my first ACT given by my school. However, I do not think I scored very well (probably not even a 30) as I have only been preparing for the SAT. Unfortunately, all 5 of the SATs that I signed up for were cancelled by the test center due to COVID-19. UPenn's website says that they won't be requiring test scores for my application year, and that if I choose not to submit then I wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Knowing this, what would be the ideal ACT or SAT (assuming I can take the May SAT) score to get to submit vs. choosing to not submit?
-Have a 3.9 GPA with a pretty broad range of ECs.
Thanks!
Hey @jack_cristofano, this is a really good question! First, I wanted to let you know that once you get your test score you can plug it into your chancing profile and it will actually recommend if you should apply with test scores or without test scores based on where you are applying. It's actually pretty neat! I'd recommend trying to out just as another data point for you to decide what to do.
Here's an article which discusses if you should apply test optional or not [https://blog.collegevine.com/test-optional-coronavirus-policies/]. There's also a video by Vinay in there, one of CollegeVine's co-founders, that is the ultimate guide on whether or not you should apply test optional. Basically, if you're within 3 points of the 25th percentile you're probably OK to apply with your test scores. In UPenn's case their 25th percentile is a 33 - so if you score a 30 you're good to go. Of course, this is just a recommendation and you need to decide what you are comfortable with. Remember that if you decide to apply test optional the rest of the your application will be looked at more closely and the other aspects will be looked at with more weight so you will need to make sure you stand out in other ways.
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