great SAT score but bad SAT II's

Applying to College
1

<p>hi guys! im new on this forum and have many questions for you all^_^
so basically, i have a good SAT score (2260-math 800 reading 720 writing 740) but bad SAT II scores-680 in chem and 690 in US history.
will this hurt me badly in regards to college admissions? do colleges weigh SAT scores much higher than SAT II scores? Im planning on applying to top schools like Columbia and Northwestern as my reaches. </p>

<p>a few extra things--
I'm planning on retaking US history tomorrow to hopefully get 740+ and i will take Math II and maybe Lit in the fall of my senior year.
Im going to retake my SAT in october to improve my overall score to 2300+
and..I do really well (A+) in all my AP subject classes, but SAT II's just seem to have something against me.</p>

<p>Im a bit scared for the answers haha, please be perfectly honest but don't bite:-D</p>

2

<p>Do yourself a favor.</p>

<p>Go outside, find a nice place to sit, sit, and just close your eyes for an hour. Your scores are great. Stop worrying. Above 2200 is excellent for your SAT, and your subject test scores are fine. You’re smart. I don’t want to sound like a presumptuous jerk, but in all honesty you kind of sound like a nerd. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.</p>

<p>You’re going to get into a good college. Just have fun in your last year of high school and enjoy life.</p>

3

<p>I wouldn’t take the above poster’s advice. I think you definitely need to take them again.</p>

<p>Reason: For the SAT II tests, selective colleges pay attention to percentiles. You scored at around ~75th percentile for U.S. History, which is alright, but not amazing. Chemistry, however, is another story. ~60th percentile is absolutely a call for a retake.</p>

4

<p>Honestly, the SAT IIs are probably going to be one of the least significant facets of your application. I wouldn’t stress it. You’ll be fine and you have a great SAT score and GPA. Don’t bother retaking them again after tomorrow.</p>

5

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<p>Uh, since when? A quick Google search should bring up quite a few articles about how SAT IIs are becoming more important than SATs at predicting a student’s college success.</p>

<p>OP, yes, your scores are good. But “good” doesn’t mean much without context, and it the context of competitive college admissions, “good” probably won’t cut it. Ideally, you would have at least mid-700’s on your SAT IIs.</p>

<p>The SAT forums on CC have some fantastic, fantastic advice. I’d check those out and devote a bit of time to studying this summer.</p>

6

<p>Also would retake. The SAT CR will also hurt at Columbia, so if you’re not retaking that, everything else needs to be very strong.</p>

7

<p>I was speaking in a more general sense. The OP’s SAT superscore is good, apparently his/her grades are very good… he or she is going to get into a good college regardless, I’d just take some time to relax and enjoy life if I was him or her.</p>

8

<p>^ The OP would have a better chance at top colleges if he or she increased the Subject Test scores, as they are currently subpar.</p>

9

<p>Retake them /only/ if you’re positive you can add a whole bunch of points onto your score. Study study study!</p>

10

<p>Thanks for all your advice everyone! It was very reassuring. I retook the history SAT II today and am fairly confident i scored 770+.</p>

<p>Also, I’m pretty sure that i can get 750+ on the SAT CR. I’m actually slightly better at reading than math so my SAT breakdown was a surprise to me. Hopefully I’ll get a good CR score when I retake it this fall.
Do you guys know if it’s common and/or easy to increase your SAT score from junior year to senior year?</p>

11

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<p>Here are the relevant data: <a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2009-Percentage-of-Students-with-Senior-Year-Score-Gain-or-Loss.pdf[/url]”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2009-Percentage-of-Students-with-Senior-Year-Score-Gain-or-Loss.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

12

<p>hmm…based on the table my chances of improving are smaller than I expected. If i do a lot of prep over the summer and basically take all the Blue Book practice tests and then some, would that be enough to improve significantly on CR? aghhhh.</p>

13

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<p>Maybe; it varies from person to person. Keep in mind, though, that with respect to the College Board data, many people do not prepare for the retake, or at least do not prepare effectively.</p>

14

<p>I think you are on the right track. A 720 CR is not good, and for the schools you are interested in, SAT Subject Tests scores in the 600s will hurt your applications.
Studying and retaking are a small price to pay for strengthening your chances.</p>

15

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<p>I wouldn’t go that far.</p>

16

<p>haha you people are crazy…Well im slightly crazy too.</p>

17

<p>Your SAT scores are great. Don’t ****ing worry.</p>

18

<p>Not exactly. Look at the percentiles. His score for Chem is almost average.</p>

19

<p>Re-take. Columbia wants as high as scores as possible. Does that mean breaking your neck for 800s? No. However, you definitely should aim for 750+ (and 800ish for Math II) on them, but anywhere between 700-800 is great. For Northwestern that would be more than enough, considering they don’t even technically require SAT Sub. Tests.</p>