<p>im applying EA...</p>
<p>math - 800
writing - 790
cr - 660</p>
<p>math ii - 770
physics - 770
chemistry - 760
us history - 750
biology m - 690</p>
<p>I'm most concerned about cr score. also will my biology score hurt me at all, even though i put the math ii and physics on my actual application?</p>
<p>Are you actually on here asking if a 690 will HURT YOU? Please get a reality check, then put down your books and go play outside or something.</p>
<p>Seriously.</p>
<p>It seems like a lot of people here are so obsessed with scores. I really hate the people who say they got a 2250 or something and then ask whether they should retake. No one understands that above a certain level, the scores don’t matter. Scores just get you considered.</p>
<p>considering that mit doesn’t ask you to list all your sat scores…i don’t think your 690 will be that much of a detriment. what I do wonder about is how you have no 800s…considering that avg scores for a lot of SAT IIs are 800s b/c students only take them if it’s a subject they know pretty thoroughly</p>
<p>Ok I can’t resist: it is mathematically impossible for an “average” SAT score to be an 800, unless EVERYONE who took the test got an 800.</p>
<p>Also, I generally really hope you’re being somehow sarcastic.</p>
<p>…what about a 740 on chem</p>
<p>I think this is a legitimate question…don’t be so harsh.</p>
<p>@phish: students take subject tests when they THINK they know the subject thouroughly…e.g. I took the math 1, bio m, and world history and thought I was very good at all three subjects but didn’t do as well as I hoped on any of them.
@zhonginator: don’t stress…your scores are great</p>
<p>It’s definitely possible that the modal score is an 800, but average? That’s pretty tough.</p>
<p>@ raiderade: it’s really not a legitimate question. This kind of thing perfectly embodies a lot of what’s wrong with our education system. I mean…a 690? Out of 800? That’s an 86% Since when do we teach people that only being 86% perfect is harmful? Students are taught that anything less than a perfect score will hurt their chances of admission to a school, which leads to flat, one-dimensional test takers graduating from our high schools. I’m not saying that the original poster fits that mold, but their question is really indicative of a truly tragic situation that we have forced our youth into.</p>
<p><em>gets off soapbox</em></p>
<p>I don’t know where you meet these flat one-dimensional people, Laura. I know a lot of 17 year olds, and some of them are a little shy, but every one of them has something interesting to share. Granted, sometimes it takes encouragement and a safe environment for their potential to emerge. I guess I just don’t see an epidemic of boringness. To the contrary, more often I see an unsatisfied hunger for learning, and a desire to go to a top college not for prestige but because at a place like MIT the passion for knowledge is real.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure MIT’s app only has two spots for SAT II’s, so they would only see math II and physics for you (Which are both 770’s).</p>
<p>And don’t worry about your scores. They are fine.</p>
<p>this is something i say all the time, because i get tons of migraines, and have learned to deal with retaking low tests.
for all they know, you had a huge stomachache during bio. don’t sweat it. if you don’t report it, they’ll just pass it by.</p>
<p>oh, and cr is a bit low considering what we’re competing with, but if you have a good reason for that (i.e. not being a native english speaker) don’t worry</p>
<p>@ geomom: I get lots of questions from them through my admissions blog. Also, I went to high school with a good number. Trust me, they exist. I’m not blaming anyone or anything, I’m just saying I think it’s unfortunate that we’ve created a culture in which students feel the need to ask “I really love marching band, but should I quit so I have more time to study for the SATs?” Yes, I do get asked things like that. Maybe these students aren’t one dimensional to begin with, but they sell themselves into it because they think that colleges care much more about one dimension than all the others.</p>
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<p>I disagree with this sentiment, and I do feel that the OP’s question is legitimate. It’s not about a score–it’s about developing true mastery of a subject matter. If you have that mastery, you will get a high score (750+). If you have the opportunity to take AP classes, you shouldn’t have to study for the science SATII’s beyond maybe a couple of hours to get familiar with the tests.</p>
<p>The way I see it, if you want to play at a certain level, you put in the work. It’s true for sports, it’s true for music, and it’s true for professions. Maybe late in high school is the first time a lot of kids realize this - that their dreams aren’t going to be realized by them coasting along. That maybe you have to give up a little of A and B if you want a whole lot of C. I just don’t see that as being one-dimensional, I see it as making mature decisions.</p>
<p>I agree with collegealum. SAT 2’s show mastery of the basics of a subject area. If you are interested in the subject area at all you should want to have this knowledge anyway.</p>
<p>As for the SAT I verbal it seems that a high score comes from having a good vocabulary (useful for the rest of your life!), and that reading speed in the wide variety of passages comes from having read on a variety of subjects. Developing this wide exposure is the very opposite of being one dimensional. And I would hope, far from being a grim process, that reading a lot would just be fun.</p>
<p>I do agree with you that it would be better to be less stressed out. But a central question is whether this stress comes from unrealistic, narrow striving or, on the other hand, frustration with the poor preparation most high schools offer.</p>
<p>Back to the OP’s original question: Your SAT scores will gain you consideration and no – your application won’t be set aside or tossed in the trash heap simply because your critical reading score places you in the top 3 % of applicants, rather than the top 1%. RELAX.</p>
<p>Look, I’m not saying not to work hard. I’m just saying that it’s ridiculous to think that a 690 is not a good score on a ridiculous test that most people agree doesn’t actually predict college preparedness anyway. You can take the same test twice on different days and get a point difference of 60 points, easily, in either direction, just because there were different questions. And yet we are so obsessed with getting as close to 800 as possible. Is 690 a bad score? Is 740? REALLY?</p>