{"id":3805,"date":"2016-05-27t23:50:33","date_gmt":"2016-05-27t23:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/?p=3805"},"modified":"2016-05-27t23:50:33","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27t23:50:33","slug":"whats-more-important-gpa-or-test-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/whats-more-important-gpa-or-test-scores\/","title":{"rendered":"what\u2019s more important, gpa or test scores?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>students often ask whether their gpa or test score counts more in the admissions process. many believe that gpa matters more, simply because so much more work and time goes into maintaining a four-year cumulative gpa than studying for an entrance exam.<\/p>\n<p>because it\u2019s true that maintaining a good gpa requires a lot of work, the <strong>schools that you\u2019re applying to will evaluate it carefully<\/strong>. they\u2019ll consider the rigor of your classes and look for upward trends in your academic record. your gpa is a good indicator of your commitment and sustained motivation, since it reflects many semesters\u2019 worth of work.<\/p>\n<p>but at the end of the day, <strong>many schools will still view the test score as more important<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>that seems counterintuitive, right? do schools really believe that a single test that you can study for (or even cram for) in just a matter of months or weeks is a better reflection of your academic abilities than your gpa?<\/p>\n<p>the thing to keep in mind is that schools don\u2019t just use test scores to assess your academic abilities. (schools are well aware that test scores aren\u2019t perfect predictors of either your current knowledge or future academic success.) one key purpose of standardized admission tests is to allow admissions officers to <strong>differentiate candidates with varying academic backgrounds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>let\u2019s think about what \u201cvarying academic backgrounds\u201d means. there are thousands of high schools and colleges across the country. there\u2019s really no standardization across these schools in terms of grading scales or rigor. and let\u2019s not forget that every student\u2019s course work looks different, too.<\/p>\n<p>for example, a student majoring in harp performance at a music conservatory might have a stellar 4.0 gpa. another student studying political science at a liberal arts college might have earned a 3.3 gpa. at first glance, the political science major might look like the &#8220;worse&#8221; student, compared to the harpist.<\/p>\n<p>but let&#8217;s say the political science major&#8217;s college is known for grade deflation. to complicate things even more, let&#8217;s say the political science major&#8217;s professor emphatically states in a letter of recommendation that the student consistently earns the highest grade in every class. can admissions officers truly say that the harpist with the perfect 4.0 gpa is the better student, in this case? they can\u2019t, really. now multiply that dilemma by the thousands of students applying for schools each year. you get the picture why <strong>gpa can\u2019t be the ultimate measure<\/strong> that schools use to evaluate students.   <\/p>\n<p>that\u2019s where standardized admission tests come in. their role in admissions is to \u2013 for lack of a better word \u2013 standardize academic aptitude. while they\u2019re not faultless, <strong>they do give admissions officers a sense of where students stand relative to others in the applicant pool<\/strong>. college and grad school admissions are competitive, and test scores give admissions officers an easy way to quickly assess who to consider further and who to reject.<\/p>\n<p>the system isn\u2019t necessarily fair, but it\u2019s the unfortunate reality of competitive admissions. since you now know how important your test score is, make sure you do everything in your power to prepare well in advance! check out our favorite score-boosting strategies <a href=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/strategies-to-boost-any-standardized-test-score\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>about the author:<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" style=\"float: left;margin-right: 10px;margin-bottom: 20px\" src=\"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/files\/2016\/02\/2016-02-02-1.png\" alt=\"catherine blogger photo\" width=\"181\" height=\"158\" \/><em>catherine supports magoosh\u2019s future grad school students by unlocking tricks of the test prep and application trade. catherine spends her free time checking out local farmer\u2019s markets, reading food and lifestyle blogs, and watching bravo. she is forever in search of the best mexican and italian food in any given city.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h6><i>photo attribution:<\/p>\n<p>1 &#8211; photo at top courtesy of flickr user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/55659230@n02\/21509495395\/in\/photolist-ylhmat-fgcgk-4xcsf6-felwfo-gdgnkn-9ovuvc-akllse-f3fs5r-5nkzyw-66a85s-bwdc21-bzh2fn-8guqml-qrkwc-dgbyhk-8oly6u-cbmq7l-fzpx6q-qbcryc-bsgaab-6fgs6t-uutnbl-dgbyrr-qpcqbg-dvgruj-dgbyuz-cdphcl-dsxrde-adhmty-dadxau-on12lt-9xcof7-a7pjzw-j5yex-hfhsuk-gvojpp-rnffag-bmb2v4-cx8a9d-kvenqm-niahht-9p1gzw-draw35-kvdlfx-gvnqv7-92fzr-9nxquf-cdphsb-7co1eq-hsgdgb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">osair manassan<\/a> under the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">creative commons 2.0 license<\/a>.<br \/>\n<\/i><\/h6>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>students often ask whether their gpa or test score counts more in the admissions process. see how schools will use your gpa and test scores in admissions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":3960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[508],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- this site is optimized with the yoast seo premium plugin v21.7 (yoast seo v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>what\u2019s more important, gpa or test scores? 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