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"How important is the transcript compared to SAT or ACT scores when it comes to college admissions or scholarships? I know it is good to have both but without those great scores it seems like all is lost."

~ Anne on Facebook

Hi Anne!

The transcript is extremely important. It's the one page overview of your student so the college can give them a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" quickly. It's a good idea to have some outside documentation besides your transcript. Usually that's the SAT or ACT test. Sometimes it can be online classes, dual enrollment, or letters of recommendation. It depends on the college how much emphasis they put on tests, because each college is unique that way.

It's NOT necessarily good to have both the SAT and ACT test, actually. First, check to see if the college your child wants to go to prefers one test over the other. Usually colleges don't care which test they take. Then give a sample SAT and sample ACT at home. Kids usually do better on one test than the other. Then take them to be tested with the one that makes them look smarter :-) This article will explain everything. Your children don't have to have a perfect score, you just want them to score their best.