I recently took the SAT without essay and got a 1540. I’m thinking about retaking not because I think it’s a bad score but because I didn’t take the essay. Does whether or not you took the SAT essay and what you got on it make a difference in admissions to selective schools?
It depends on the school, but most super-selective schools these days don’t take the essay or make it optional. Just check the requirements of the schools to which you’re applying, @RWR8910
The number of schools that require the SAT essay becomes smaller by the minute. In the grand scheme of things the SAT essay is close to the bottom in importance, and your 1540 is outstanding.
I liken the various components of the application to the Avengers; they are all important in their own way, but there’s a reason that the guy who shoots trick arrows and the dude that shrinks didn’t go up against Thanos. SAT/ACT essays represent Ant-Man. 