My daughter did very well on her first SAT. 2240- Math 760 (she says she got lucky), CR 720, writing 760. Her college advisor says colleges expect kids to retake, but she actually fears that if she does worse on the next test, it wil do more harm than good. She knows her scores are good, and as she only wants to raise the CR score, she feels she is going to do worse on the math score. Math is her weakest subject, and she knows they don’t care about writing. She is applying to some very selective colleges such as Tufts, Brown, and Carleton. She is getting a little stressed out about this. Should she retake? Or…maybe retake just her subject test in Math 1, in which she got 720? Advice welcome, please.
I can’t see any reason to retake either test. All the magic numbers are >700. Doesn’t she have other things she can focus on?
Sure she does, like four AP classes and applying to college:-). But she knows that the CR score is important. Her math 1 subject score is not in the 90th percentile, it is 88th. She knows those scores are all within the right range for,those schools, but do th extra 10 or 20 points make that much difference at that level?
Even if she stays the same or dips somewhat, colleges aren’t going to penalize her. That’s an unfounded worry.
She already has great scores. Use the time and money to find other stuff for her to do to buttress her chances. If she did take another SAT and got 2300, her chances wont increase dramatically. She is already in the right range. But if she manages to add some really interesting volunteer work to her resume… that will make a difference.
@khanam , thanks. I think part of the concern is the Common App. When it aks for SAT scores, it asks if it was from one test, or multiple tests. Why ask that if it doesn’t matter?
OP, I think you posted something similar back in April. Her SAT score looks solid and I would follow her lead on this. I’m not positive about this but I sense some anxiety on your part that the score isn’t good enough. As a parent, I get that but we have to be careful because our anxiety about the process can spill over. Go over the options with her then give her time to process then let her decide. It looks like she took the SAT back in March and she’s had time to think about it. At this point, focusing on the college apps and essays is paramount. Especially if applying ED or EA. Good luck to your D.
My understanding is that if the college super scores the SAT then it is only considering the highest score in each category. So no real harm in taking it again, I would let her decide. If it adds too much on her plate and too stressful then that may do more harm than good. She will land where she will thrive.
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She has the numbers. Percentiles don’t matter - top colleges will check that her scores are high 700s and move on to the rest of the application. They don’t have time to ponder 720 vs. 740 CR, for instance. They know a 720 on one test may mean the same as a 740 on another version of the test, and that both indicate that your daughter can do the work at the highest level. That’s all they want.
Scoring a bit higher won’t change that. And getting that score in one try is impressive on its own. Therefore, she definitely shouldn’t retake. 
Thanks all, I will show this thread to her. I did post something similar, back in April, before she had taken her Subject test. @MYOS1634 , I have seen a lot of your responses and you are very sensible. So if she doesn’t retake SAT 1, what about her math 1 subject test, on whihc she scored 720? That score is in the 88th percentile, is it good enough?
She’s good with the 720, but she’d likely want to emphasize areas of mastery, which presumably aren’t math-related since she chose Math1 - English Literature and a Foreign Language are good and relatively easy to take (less prep required than for History).
Thanks @MYOS1634. She did Lit and got 750, a great score. I don’t think she will consider a different subject test at this point She would get very stressed if she thought she had to study for a whole new subject for,the test in October. She is a senior, so her test dates are very limited. After reading what you have all said, she may not want to retake SAT 1. She has three 5’s on her AP tests so far, and is doing four APs this year. Her grades are good, about 3.7 GPA, though she has taken all Honors or AP courses. She knows she is applying to several reach schools, so she has 5 match and safety schools too that she is happy with. But of course, she would like to get into at least one reach.
Sounds good. If she has many colleges she’s happy with and you’ve run the NPCs and determined these are affordable, you’re all good.
Now’s the time to polish essays!
@Lindagaf UC’s only take the best sitting but many schools superstore - thats why they ask.
@khanam , which UCs? Califronia, Connecticut, or Colorado? Anyway, if some schools want the best scores from a single sitting, all the more reason for her not to retake. Whihc has decided she won’t. One less stressor.
@Lindagaf California and you and your daughter are right to not take another SAT. Its very marginal utility at this level and her time is definitely better spent on other things.