<p>My son - a junior - did very well on the PSAT. So well that he could probably get a 2400 on his SATs, especially with multiple testing dates. He took the SAT last weekend and we're now waiting for the results.</p>
<p>So the question is: At what point do you say this is good enough and anything more is just not going to make a difference and not worth it? 2200? 2300?</p>
<p>Some other points to consider:</p>
<p>His SAT scores will probably be his strongest suit. His GPA is about 3.7. He'll get great recommendations from teachers but his ECs are another story. They may be seen as excellent; they may be seen as nothing special, but that's another story.</p>
<p>His top two choices are Stanford and Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>He doesn't get anxious or do any real test prep. All he does is a few speed contests against me from old QOTD and some test prep books. So there actually isn't that much cost involved in further testing.</p>
<p>If you have any questions to clarify the situation let me know; I'll be checking in here for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Well, if you’re very comfortable with the test and you KNOW you can make around a 2400, I’d think that you would want to retake a 2200. IMHO, 2300 is a bit more controversial.</p>
<p>I think 2250 is a good stopping point. That score will make you competitive most anywhere; after that it is just a waste of time. Unless it was your first time, in which case one more time might be in order, but that’s it really.</p>
<p>It’s way easier said than done. If you have a 2290, you’d have every urge to try for 2300+. If you have 2350+, you start to believe that 2400 is very possible. Must resist the urge!</p>
<p>The results of the individual tests are more important than the aggregate score. 2280 can be composed of 760-760-760 or 680-800-800. A person receiving the latter set of scores would be much more likely to retest.</p>
<p>And you will probably want to evaluate with SAT II scores in hand, e.g., if SAT II Math 2 (probably desired for Stanford, although I don’t know) is 780, but for some reason, he didn’t break 700 on SAT I Math, then he clearly had a bad day and should retake SAT I.</p>
<p>There are score choice implications, too.</p>
<p>And with no disrespect intended, as Vandy is an excellent school, what you need to get into Stanford is different than what you need for Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I got 2200 1/09 and retook on 3/14. Many of my peers sharply said I shouldn’t have taken such a good score over again. However, I’m in the same boat as OPs son (3.7 GPA, no ridiculous ECs) so SAT will probably be one of the strongest parts of my app if I raised in march. </p>
<p>I think it’s really all about personal standards. I thought I could do better than my jan cr (690) so I retook. If one retook a 2350+, it would be self indulgent. If it’s something like at andrews said, you would need to judge if the risk for going down in the 800 sections is worth the increase in the other section</p>
<p>Thanks to all who have offered advice so far. This has been very helpful in clarifying what to do. Of course, we’ll wait to get 3/14 results before deciding, but it sounds like if there’s any doubt, he should lean towards trying again.</p>
<p>I’ll keep checking in to see if there’s more input.</p>
<p>I think there are really two considerations here: being risky and being self-indulgent. For many people, getting a 2300 has a bit of luck involved and it wouldn’t be wise to risk losing it. For others, 2300 may actually be at the lower end of their score range, so it may be smart to retake it. It’s not like colleges care a huge deal once you’re in that range, but it can’t hurt your application to have an even higher score.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I’ve seen people get 2370s or 2380s and then retake just to have the satisfaction of getting a 2400. At that point I think it gets a little egotistical. No college is going to care whether you get those last 20 or 30 points.</p>
<p>But I don’t think it’s egotistical to retake a 2300; it’s more of a prudence issue - it’s a question of whether you’re really going to raise your score significantly, or just risk getting a lower score.</p>
<p>there was a screenshot before, idk if it was photoshopped, of someone who scored a 2390 then retook it and got a 2400 (not superscored). That was pretty hilarious.</p>
<p>bird rock, some of the most selective colleges want to see ALL your scores, regardless of score choice; they are certainly within their rights to set their own rules for application.</p>
<p>^^Is there any list of which colleges don’t accept superscoring? I know it’s new this year and it might be evolving as colleges see what works for them.</p>
<p>I disagree- a 2300’s very high went a lot further in getting noticed/scholarship money than a 2200’s & something would. Also it can pick up future scholarships based heavily or solely on SAT scores- ie Robert Byrd. Also some national scholarships use SAT as a screening/ranking for academic component of scholarship. So by all means test away-
my student took it 3 times- 10th, 11th, 12th- improved each time to near perfect with no test prep at all. Matutrity will certainly help with writing/reading.</p>