I’m aiming for elite colleges (HYPSYM, the Ivies, JHU, etc). I think bio is fine, but some of my friends got 800s and I’m wondering if a score of 780 on the bio subject test could hurt my application in any way. I didn’t get to study much at all for the math subject test since I mostly concentrated on studying for the bio subject test, so I think I will retake that sometimes next year. Should I not retake bio and retake math? How does that sound/look? Thanks!
No. It’s a great score. Your time is better spent on other aspects of your application packet. If you get rejected, it will not be the result of a 780.
You may want to retake the math since you are targeting MIT. since a 760 in M2 is 25th percentile for them:
http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/class-of-2017-by-the-numbers
Again, it won’t be the reason you are rejected, if you are. Good luck.
@skieurope Thanks! If I retake Math II, will colleges only see my best score, all score attempts, or does it depend on the college in question?
It depends on the college in question. The vast majority allow applicants to send in Subject Tests of their choice. A very small handful, like Georgetown, require all scores. You can read through the following thread, but confirm with your target colleges.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/1912440-must-you-submit-all-sat-act-or-sat-subject-test-scores-p1.html
Definitely retake math. There is no way a 760 on math 2 is acceptable for schools like the ones you listed. If your major is going to be related to biology, I recommend retaking bio as well. Colleges like JHU have some of the best biology programs in the country, so anything short of an 800 is only going to hurt. If you don’t have time though, don’t sweat the bio one, but without a doubt retake the math one.