ACT/SAT and Class Rank vs GPA

If student A - from High School A - has a GPA of 4.40 and student B - from High School B - has a GPA of 4.10, both calculated from a 4.0 scale due to added points given to honors and AP level classes (which is both mathematically impossible and just plain old silly), which one is “smarter”?

Of course, “smarter” is hard to determine, but let’s assume that both high schools are in the same general geographic area and pull from a comparable student population. With a glance, most would say the student with the 4.40, but let’s take a deeper dive before making our choice.

• Student population: High School A: 500, High School B: 500

• Honors and AP classes offered: High School A=25, High School B=6

• GPA: Student A=4.40, Student B=4.10

• Class Rank: Student A=45/500 (top 9%), Student B=15/500 (top 3%)

• SAT Scores: Student A=1350 (top 10%), Student B = 1440 (top 5%)

It’s challenging to compare students from different high schools unless you factor in how they perform compared to their peers, and you have a good understanding of what constitutes their peer group. Looking over the bigger picture, Student B, even with a lower GPA, compares more favorably to their peers than Student A and “outperformed” Student A on a standardized test (the one common metric). Might there be more grade inflation at one school than another? Sure, but it would affect all students at that school equally, so class rank would offset any possible undue increase to GPA across the board.

What about two students from the same school? Student C has a GPA of 4.40 and Student D has a GPA of 4.25 (and therefore a lower class rank), but Student D scores 1440 (top 5%) while Student C scores 1350 (top 10%). Does the higher SAT ranking completely offset the lower class ranking (tied directly to the GPA)?

Tough scenarios for admissions officers to process. And a valid reason why ACT/SAT scores are an important part of decision-making for colleges.