<p>Exactly as the topic says.
I'm a junior right now, and I took the January 2014 SAT and somehow got a 2320.
Thing is, though, my mom wants me to take it again (her standard that she set for me since freshman year is a 2350 or above), my classmates are telling me to not take it again because there's a good chance my score will drop instead (but I heard that the top student in our grade scored 2340 and I'm competitive), and my counselor tells me that it doesn't really matter either way, because my score will be in that general range anyways (and he's reviewed college apps for Berkeley).
I personally sort of want to retake it and aim for a 2400, because the questions I missed were either stupid mistakes or just mostly due to vocab, but then again, it's another $60 and 4 hours down the drain if I do take it (and the first time was bad enough, I got so fidgety, ugh.)
I'm taking the ACT this April if that helps. Should I retake?</p>
<p>Focus on the other stuff like GPA and ECs. I learned that from reading CollegeConfidential.com (Trademark)</p>
<p>Your time is probably better spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>How to you plan/study to make fewer stupid mistakes next time? Some people are just more mistake-prone than others. Ask yourself three things. Is it worth the time to try again? How will my application look if my score goes down? Why am I bothering to take the ACT with an SAT score like that to show?</p>
<p>Studying for an 80 point increase is definitely time that could be better spent on other areas. Have some real life experiences, some of which you can list as part of your EC’s. </p>
<p>2320 is basically the same thing as a 2400. I’d rather focus on other things like what the first two posters suggested.</p>
<p>Your priorities are not going to be helpful with admissions, believe it or not.</p>
<p>My son also got 2320 on January 2014 SAT: M800, CR800, and W720.
We just received the QAS last week from the College Board.
When I looked at the questions that he missed on the Writing, I was like, oh my God.
I believed he could have gotten 2400 easy if he just paid a bit more attention.
Anyway, like what many others have said, your time is better spent elsewhere.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should retake. 2400 is about luck and doesn’t really guarantee acceptance into top schools. For example, my friend got a 2400 but was rejected by MIT because all he did was study and sleep. (He did participate in few activities and did a ton of community service). My other friend had a 2130 and was accepted into MIT. (No, they were not ethnic/gender minorities. Both of them were white males from the same town with similar life experiences.) </p>
<p>So i think you should spend your time…“broadening your horizons” (dunno if that’s the phrase). Join some clubs, volunteer, teach little kids, write a book, etc. </p>
<p>I dislike these threads.
2320 IS GOOD ENOUGH OK.
Focus on other things. Extracurriculars. GPA. AP exams. Cure cancer. You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I believe that schools that want to see all your scores would regard it as a red flag, indicative of a perfectionist streak (or worse). Fwiw, my son got one question wrong in math in his first and only test sitting, which kept him from a 2400. He had better things to do than retake it.</p>
<p>Tell your Mom to take the test herself if a 2400 is so important to her. I’m sure your mother means well, but she is not giving you good advice – her suggestion could backfire. </p>
<p>ETA: and why would you now take the ACT? Schools don’t usually like trophy hunters. </p>
<p>For admission, it is not likely to make any difference with a higher score. For merit aids, it may. If you are aiming at Ivies or other schools that do not offer merit aid but need based aids, you should put your effort on something else like SAT2 and EC.</p>
<p>Most schools that award merit aid probably won’t make too much distinction between a 2320 and 2400. The school with the highest merit cutoff that I can think of is Rutgers, and they stop making a distinction after 2300. </p>
<p>Retaking is too much effort for too little return, and as others have said, could easily backfire.</p>
<p>Your pride is on the line. RETAKE ITTTTTT!!! You must beat that 2340 to make your HS’s history!!!</p>
<p>Personally, I’d be fine with 2320.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t retake it. Math and CR are both 800’s, writing while not spectacular is good enough.
though i don’t understand why being a “perfectionist” would ever back fire on someone, especially to a top school??</p>
<p>I agree with all the previous posters – a waste of time and money for a negligible score difference. Congratulations on the awesome score though. :)</p>
<p>My S got 2300 first try and insisted on taking it again. He went down but around 100 points and he actually studied a but for the second one! Not worth it.</p>
<p>I also got a 2320 on the January SAT and I also used to think about retaking the test but in the end I decided that it’s not worth the try.I got an imperfect score on the Math portion so retaking the SAT was REALLY tempting considering the fact that I usually got 800 on practice tests and my Math grade is something in the top 5% at my school AND I’m an Asian. I think were I to retake the SAT now, I could easily ace an 800 on the Math and receive the sweet 2400.
BUT the SAT is, to be honest, a joke. As you may have probably heard a lot, the SAT measures nothing but one’s ability to take the test. Where’s the aptitude in a test that aims to trick students instead of testing their knowledge?
Enjoy high school. There’s no need to waste time retaking the meaningless SAT when you still have a lot in front of you (ECA, essay, GPA, etc.)
I’m not sure if you know this already but some schools (like, and especially, Yale) require you to send ALL the scores. Retaking the SAT while you’ve got above 2300 just makes you seem obsessed with scores.</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>No way you should take it again. Focus on other stuff.</p>