Just took the new SAT for the first time. I got a 1550 (CR: 760, M: 790, all 8s on the essay), and my only preparation was doing the practice problems on the College Board website.
Would it be worth retaking with more preparation?
No, not worth it.
Congrats. You have very little to improve on.
I hate people like you
Elite schools would look on a retake as someone who is obsessed with test scores. It would be a negative factor in your application.
Thanks for the replies. I figured it wouldn’t be worth it, but just wanted to get some other opinions.
What Keggin and Tom said.
What would be the point?
he just wanted to impress
No, work on your essays, get a summer job or hang out with your friends.
If you really feel a need to try again, do it; but don’t set your hopes high unless you are willing to spend a lot of effort and time over this summer. I would suggest allocating your resources towards drafting application essays, deciding on what you want from college / life, and or working on your extracurriculars. More importantly, I’d recommend doing something out of your comfort zone, as it gives you both a unique experience and a topic to write about. Cheers!
Tom has a great point, that is what happened to a kid at our school, he retook the ACT 5 times in order to receive straight 36’s but still ended up rejected from the Ivy Leagues he applied too. Enjoy your score and work on writing great essays!
No.
You just got a 1550 and you want to retake?? Wow. The fact that your only preparation were the practice tests while I have to pay a tutor because I think I won’t do well by myself.
You don’t need to retake the test, but keep in mind that many colleges won’t even know how many times you’ve taken it…thus you don’t need to worry about the “test obsessed” stereotype coming from those schools. You’re so close to a perfect score that it might make sense to give it one more try, but you also run the risk of taking it again and getting a lower score.
Seems contradictory to me. If the OP is that close to perfect why bother wasting a Saturday morning when it makes no difference in the final result? That score will not keep the OP out of any school.
I agree that it’s a questionable decision to re-take with a 1550. But does a 1600 look better than a 1550 on its face? Yes, of course it does. If most, or all, of your prospective colleges are “best sitting” or “superstore” schools, then a wasted Saturday morning (and some $) is all you have to lose.
Keep in mind that you are competing with others who are taking the SAT many times until they receive their desired scores, then sending only their best scores to colleges who, in many cases, have no idea whether the test was taken more than once.
“That score will not keep the OP out of any school.” <— How can you be so sure? If all else is equal, then the student with the higher test scores gets in.
Uh, no because all other things are not equal. Outside of a couple of schools like CalTech that specifically emphasize scores, once the bar is passed then it’s everything else that gets a student in.
Maybe I’m missing something here. The OP took the SAT once and got 1550.
If he/she decides to take it again, how is taking it a second time considered “test obsessed”?
1550 should be more than enough for any college, even Ivies. I agree that everything else (i.e., GPA, ECs, college application essays, etc.) will matter more at that point.
But if the OP wants to take it again for piece of mind, why condemn him/her for trying?
For the record, if I’m a Junior, I wouldn’t bother taking it again. But if I’m a Sophmore, I would try one more time.
Thanks for being the voice of reason, @mmk2015 .