The main reason to pursue superior SAT & ACT scores (other than that dream of a six-figure starting job on Wall Street) is to open doors to the nation’s most competitive colleges. While even perfect test scores cannot assure an applicant of enrollment at top tier schools, scores in the top percentiles are typically required just to have a shot.
Which schools exactly require 97th percentile and higher scores? Matt Schifrin at Forbes has compiled a comprehensive list in his article, Top 100 SAT Scores Ranking: Which Colleges Have The Brightest Kids?
While I strongly dispute the implications of his headline, I still recommend the article for some shrewd insights into the valuable role the SAT and ACT play in college admissions.