JFSinIL Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 DS, halfway through AP Bio, took the subject test in January. Just found out he got an 710 - not all that high except he is only halfway through the course (so will score higher if he retakes the test in the spring). Question is, IF he sends this score to a college, will they realize it is a "only halfway through AP Bio" score and be impressed, or will they simply go "Eh. Only 710. Lets not take this kid" He did say that there was a place on the form to note if you will currently still taking AP Bio. So is it safe to assume the colleges get this info, too??? He is still waiting to hear from Vanderbilt and University of the Pacific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 If you're worried, why not have your son send an email to admissions making this ultra clear? Since you presumably sent his transcript they should be able to tell this themselves but sometimes it is good to connect the dots. jmho ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 DS, halfway through AP Bio, took the subject test in January. Just found out he got an 710 - not all that high except he is only halfway through the course (so will score higher if he retakes the test in the spring). Question is, IF he sends this score to a college, will they realize it is a "only halfway through AP Bio" score and be impressed, or will they simply go "Eh. Only 710. Lets not take this kid" He did say that there was a place on the form to note if you will currently still taking AP Bio. So is it safe to assume the colleges get this info, too??? He is still waiting to hear from Vanderbilt and University of the Pacific. He's a senior, right? I don't think the colleges would consider a score from the spring test dates. FWIW I think the answer to the question in your first question is "neither." ;) I don't think they'll connect the dots that much to say he's only halfway through AP Bio, but I also don't think 710 is a bad score. Does he plan to major in the sciences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I don't remember what the range of scores for these tests was. I do remember that I took a couple in my senior year for schools that required them. I had a similar experience with physics and chemistry, which I was taking that year. My scores definitely showed that I was still learning the material. I don't think this is that unusual. Probably I'd provide the scores, with some context, unless you felt that the scores were really low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupajoe Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I thought a 710 was considered to be a high score. Isn't the highest possible score an 800? Is there a reason a 710 is considered a low score for the bio subject test? I have a homeschooling friend who is thrilled right now because her son scored a 690 on a literature SAT subject test. Is she wrong in thinking this was a pretty good score? Thanks for any insight in this area, as my dd will be taking the Math II and Bio in June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Um... a 710 is considered a very good score. If your kid has AP Bio and a 710, I certainly wouldn't make him retest. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I thought a 710 was considered to be a high score. Isn't the highest possible score an 800? Is there a reason a 710 is considered a low score for the bio subject test? I have a homeschooling friend who is thrilled right now because her son scored a 690 on a literature SAT subject test. Is she wrong in thinking this was a pretty good score?. The SAT II percentiles are eye-opening! A 710 in Bio (which I think is a terrific score, and will be viewed as stellar by any school :001_smile:) is 68th percentile, and a 690 in literature is 79th percentile. The percentile scores for subject tests are completely different from the regular SAT. Here is a link to the subject test percentiles. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT-Subject-Test-Percentile-Ranks-2009.pdf ~Brigid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupajoe Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 The SAT II percentiles are eye-opening! A 710 in Bio (which I think is a terrific score, and will be viewed as stellar by any school :001_smile:) is 68th percentile, and a 690 in literature is 79th percentile. The percentile scores for subject tests are completely different from the regular SAT. Here is a link to the subject test percentiles. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/SAT-Subject-Test-Percentile-Ranks-2009.pdf ~Brigid Wow! I had no idea. So, since the OPs son earned 710 on his bio, how will colleges view that score in light of percentiles? Do most colleges consider the score rather than a percentile? If so, what is considered a good "score", without regard to percentiles? Now I understand the OPs concern. Is it a good idea for OPs son (or anyone else scoring in that range) to retake? This is an eye-opener, indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimhog Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Does he have any other SAT II science scores that is higher? If so, I wouldn't submit the bio one. If not, and a SAT II in science is required, I would submit the score together with a note saying he is only halfway through AP bio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Wow! I had no idea. So, since the OPs son earned 710 on his bio, how will colleges view that score in light of percentiles? Do most colleges consider the score rather than a percentile? If so, what is considered a good "score", without regard to percentiles? Now I understand the OPs concern. Is it a good idea for OPs son (or anyone else scoring in that range) to retake? I really don't have any firm answers on what college admissions folks think about SAT II scores. Many schools require or recommend SAT IIs -- not just from homeschoolers. Our feelling was, if a school recommends SAT II's as a general rule (not just for homeschoolers), then it seemed like a good idea to submit them. In our case, one school (Georgia Tech) required three, so we chose the subject areas where my ds was strongest, and just went with that. :001_smile: Is it a good idea for OPs son (or anyone else scoring in that range) to retake? For the score to have any bearing on admissions decisions that are taking place right now, a retake would be too late. Personally, I think a 710 is a great score anyway. I would only retake it if the student was a junior this year, and was looking at Ivy League-caliber schools. ~Brigid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cupajoe Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Thanks, Brigid. I appreciate your thoughts. JFS in IL... FWIW I think 710 is awesome, especially since your son hasn't finished AP Bio yet. Darn those percentiles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Did he take the E or the M? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 He took whichever one is cells and tiny stuff, not the ecology one. See how much I know;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 The high SAT 2 average scores is why I am probably not going to have my d take it or if I do, not the math or science ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 He took whichever one is cells and tiny stuff, not the ecology one. See how much I know;) He took the M. Which is recognized as a more difficult test than the E by most colleges. Both the M and the E are offered because some high schools only teach a Bio Ecology class and some teach a Molecular Bio class. Something to recognize is that, in getting the 68th percentile, he did not get 68% - he didn't get a, what would that equate to? a "C"? What "68th percentile" means is that, of ALL the people who took THAT test (the SAT II, Biology M, 2009 -whenever- test), he scored higher than 68% of them. The statistical mean for his test was 660 (50th percentile), and he was well above that. Take it from a mom whose kid's scores were flat out LOST - your kid has nothing to worry about. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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