<p>randomperson: :o whoa I am positive I didn't get 7 wrong. That's a very generous curve... Do you know this for a fact? Or did you get it off a Kaplan book. I'm wondering because I recall seeing the same, although I do not remember for which SATII Math it was.</p>
<p>Anyhow, my position still stands. I will not retake unless time permits. Thanks for the input though. You, HarvardAlum, and Tami all make good points. Harvard is my reach, so my scores won't really compare to extraordinary things other applicants have time. but yes...I will see how things go and take this step by step. SAT I first. then the rest.</p>
<p>I absolutely adore how high school juniors who haven't taken the SATs themselves feel they know more than everyone else about how college adcoms view test scores. </p>
<p>"randomperson" had one of the few logical posts in this topic. As he mentioned, several bonafide adcoms on this site have stated how extremely common 800s on the SAT II are, and how anything lower is undesirable, especially for a math/science major. (Which it appears SASWombat is aspiring to be)</p>
<p>I'm not an adcom. Maybe I don't have a clue. </p>
<p>But these are real, living, adcoms here. The decision makers. They know what they're talking about.</p>
<p>When one argues against what they have stated on numerous occasions, one is displaying ignorance. </p>
<p>If I recall correctly, over 10% of the people taking the SAT II Math 2C receive 800s. The national average is a 720. </p>
<p>At a technical school like Caltech or MIT, over 50% of the students have received an 800 on the test, and many of those aren't even planning to major in a math-heavy field. </p>
<p>SASWombat:</p>
<p>Your other scores on the SAT II are fine. Even your scores on the SAT I, the test you want to retake, are alright. But I would definitely re-take SAT II Math if you want to major in a scientific field at a top university.</p>
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[quote]
I think you have a decent chance. I applied EA to Harvard and was deferred and then rejected so obviously I had some shot at admission if not a strong one. I got a 1580 on the old sat, a 790 on the math IIC, an 800 on the writing sat II, and a 770 on the literature. I had crappy extracurriculars and several B's and even a C from high school. You seem much better off than me. Work on those essays and prepare for the interview. Good luck.
<p>Math IIC is not a required test. Many students won't take it at all. Retaking a 790 is laughable. If anything, I would retake the SAT I to raise your CR score. It appears you can do better. </p>
<p>50% of the incoming class at HYP are from the EA/ED round. If Harvard is your first choice, go EA.</p>
<p>Harvard Alum you are right. If I want the best chance I will have to get an 800. I know I won't be able to get those scores in on time for Harvard EA so I won't be doing EA for Harvard because naturally better scores should help my chances.</p>
<p>I'm planning to retake in November, but the SAT I in October is my priority because like you said, my CR scores leaves much room for improvement. I'm sure everyone has their views on what scores are "good enough" and what aren't, but I think I will go with the more critical view.</p>
<p>The truth is, I would love to hear that I have a 100% or even a decent chance at Harvard, and I may be tempted to lean towards that side of an argument such as this one. I like reading about good chances, but I know HarvardAlum is just giving me a dose of reality here. If I want to compete, I will have to try to match the 10% of high schoolers who score 800s, not just in Math IIC, but I guess on other tests too. It will just take an extra Saturday and some review. Part of me doesn't think it's necessary and wants to sleep in that Saturday, but a bigger part of me will hate myself later if I know I didn't do my absolute best to get into a top university. I will retake......unless someone comes up with a huge con. Otherwise I don't see how it can hurt me because it will only be my first retake.</p>
<p>If a student misses 7 questions, they score a 790. If another misses 6, then its an 800. I think the adcoms know that some of the 800's out there were just 1 question away from a 790, so it would make more sense that they would see the grade on a range scale. But that's just my two cents. I obviously have no clue about the admissions process according to Alum, even after getting accepted to Cornell, Duke and Wellesley. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I absolutely adore how high school juniors who haven't taken the SATs themselves feel they know more than everyone else about how college adcoms view test scores.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not really sure where on earth you're getting the "high school juniors" idea from, but I think it's unfair to discredit a person knowledge on college admissions just by based on grade.</p>
<p>SASWombat: Based on the fact that you participate in math extracurriculars with a certain degree of success, getting an 800 probably shouldn't be difficult for you.</p>
<p>I know several intelligent science majors who got a 750-790 the first time around, but were able to obtain the 800 on the second try. </p>
<p>If you think your time and energy is best spent elsewhere, then go for it. However, if you have a free hour on a Saturday and minimal preparation time, I'm reasonably confident you could get a 800. </p>
<p>EA at Harvard will help your chances far more than raising a 790 to 800. November scores will get there in time for EA if you really want to take it again. And I stand by my comments, an 800 is not going to help your case significantly, but EA will, as 50% of the class will come from the EA round with a 23% acceptance rate vs. about 6% RD.</p>