contemplating fourth time SAT I retake? come here!

<p>I think we need a special thread for everyone(probably not many) who has already taken the SAT Is three times and aren't satified with their current score to discuss what they should do. We should state our current scores, propective colleges.
Anyways, I've taken the old SAT Is once and the new ones twice. My composite score right now is a 2130(CR_800, M-700, W-630). I wanted to apply EA to Yale. So today I asked my GC whether she thinks I should retake it and she basically just said 'unless you are going to do something serious to bring up your writing score, don't retake because you've already done it three times'.</p>

<p>i agree with the gc..
also i think its easier for u to bring up math than the writing.</p>

<p>I just took it my 4th time and i went up the most. My previous high for improvement was 60 but I went up 110. 4th is the charm :)
I might take it a 5th for the hell of it, i just took the old ones for practice.</p>

<p>Just to let you know, some schools frown upon it if you take the SATs too many times. Harvard suggests you take it twice, and three times max.</p>

<p>Many colleges will start to average your scores if you take it over three times and can bring down your score when in comparison to your highest ones combined..</p>

<p>ok. no more SATs for me.</p>

<p>even though I only took the new one once...</p>

<p>stupid changing system...</p>

<p>guys...no college avgs your scores! that is a myth...however, admissions officers do frown upon excessive retakes; if u r tied with someone else, the person with fewer retakes may get in...</p>

<p>I'm really confused whether the number of times that we take includes the old SAT. I really want to retake in the fall, but I took the new one twice and the old one once, like the OP. Can someone clarify this?</p>

<p>Yes, number of times you take includes the old SAT, unless the college ONLY accepts the new SAT of course.</p>

<p>i never took the old SAT. i took the new SAT twice, in march and in june. i'm considering taking it in october, but even three times seems too many. you don't want the admissions officer to get the idea that you are obsessed about the numbers and statistics. i think if you've retaken it at all, and have made improvement, think of it like a gift and just move on. a retake can't (usually) completely change how others will perceive your intellectual ability. just accept it and move on.</p>

<p>personally, after thinking about taking it a 4th time (and deciding I will not) I have come to this conclusion:</p>

<p>IT'S ONE PART OF THE ENTIRE COLLEGE APPLICATION.
ONE PART.</p>

<p>PEOPLE ARE STRESSING TOO MUCH OVER THESE SCORES.</p>

<p>what about actual grades? extracurriculars? community service?
TAKE THAT TIME YOU SPENT PREPPING AND THAT ONE SATURDAY MORNING AND USE IT TO GO HELP SOCIETY AND FURTHER MANKIND.</p>

<p>That is all.</p>

<p>haha, this sucks. oh well, i still want to retake for the 4th time because i know i can do much better...</p>

<p>I took 4 times, but 2 of them were in middle school, and I opted to have them deleted from my record.</p>

<p>"TAKE THAT TIME YOU SPENT PREPPING AND THAT ONE SATURDAY MORNING AND USE IT TO GO HELP SOCIETY AND FURTHER MANKIND."
I had, oh, 2 hours prep TOTAL (sat down with a book w/ practice exams) for SAT I. 300-400 hours of community service. Is there are problem with my wanting to spend a little time on myself by taking an exam?</p>

<p>"TAKE THAT TIME YOU SPENT PREPPING AND THAT ONE SATURDAY MORNING AND USE IT TO GO HELP SOCIETY AND FURTHER MANKIND."</p>

<p>it's only a couple hours for the test and the time studying isnt that much. if i don't take the test i'd probably still be sleeping anyways. i'm definitely retaking my SAT for the 4th time (i've taken the old twice and the new once so far).</p>

<p>in order:
710m 740v
780m 670v
760m 570cr 650wr</p>

<p>some colleges (like the UC's) won't even accept the old score, so i'm thinking it will only count as taking the test once (twice after my retake). if every college accepted the old one then i'd probably stop. why does this have to happen to class of 2006? :(</p>

<p>SATs are teh best and most fun part of college admissions.</p>

<p>How can you opt for your SAT record to be deleted??</p>

<p>Any tests you take in middle school are automatically deleted when you start high school unless you ask to have them kept on your record. Once you're in high school, tests can't be deleted.</p>

<p>This is a significant year in college admissions due to the New SAT. </p>

<p>As a result, I think colleges will definitely be more lenient as to the number of times you can take it before they "frown" upon it simply because it is new and it is a time of transitions. Perhaps the advice to take it no more than three times was once valuable advice in the past and will probably be valuable for those applying next year, but for the class of '06, this is not the case.</p>

<p>In regards to taking the SAT a 4th time, what the OP's GC said is exactly what AdCom's from many colleges (including Ivy's) have said. Essentially, take the SAT as many times as you are comfortable with if you think you can significantly do better (and have the time to practice/prep) each time. No college is known to average test scores - most will only consider your top score, either from a single sitting or from each section, depending on the college policy. Once you get a score you're happy with, move on. In the words on college admissions officer, "We don't think that what you did during 3 hours on one Saturday morning out of 17 or 18 years of your life sould determine whether you get admitted or not"</p>

<p>i took the old one once, and the new one once.</p>

<p>do you think if i take it one more time (3rd) it will be frowned upon? I know ppl say 3 is ok, but I'm afraid it might make me look obsessive. My highest total is 2110 (670CR, 800M, 640W).</p>