<p>Hi, I took my Sats in March and the end result was a 630 in math. </p>
<p>The thing is I'm really bad at the math section on the Sat but I do fairly well in my math classes. For example, I got a 5 on BC Calc and have pretty much high 90s grades in my math classes.</p>
<p>Would MIT even care about my classes and instead just look at my SAT math and automatically reject me?</p>
<p>I'm planning on retaking though it doesn't look like it will turn out well either.</p>
<p>of course you should go for it! are you kidding? MIT isn't dumb enough to reject a kid because of one SAT score.. you're obviously pretty good if you got a 5 in BC as a junior, haha</p>
<p>I applied to MIT last year. My situation was comparable to yours. My stats:</p>
<p>670 SAT I Math
770 SAT II Math Level 2
5 AP Calculus BC (as a junior)
5 AP Physics C (both tests, as a junior)
5 AP Statistics (as a junior)
Got As in all math classes, including multivariable calculus, linear algebra, discrete math, number theory, probability theory, and differential equations, as well as receiving a note from my MVC prof (who has a PhD in math from NYU) saying that I'm the best student of mathematics he's had in his career.</p>
<p>Rejected.</p>
<p>You may just suck at multiple-choice tests like me, and your performance on the AP Calc BC test and various classes show this. Does MIT care? No. You will be rejected if you do not have a higher score.</p>
<p>My advice? The SAT is ridiculous, and I've seen people get 800s on the math portion who didn't know a thing about math. Get a book and study up. Take lots of practice tests. You won't make yourself any better at math, you're just playing the system (which is very easy to do), and unfortunately, this will greatly increase your chances of admission. (<em>sigh</em> College admission is so shallow. Thank God I go somewhere different.)</p>
<p>^ roflcopterz...just retake the test and work on whatever it is you're doing wrong.</p>
<p>i think you might have bad accuracy. if you are really good at math you can probably finish everything in like half of the time. just double check.</p>
<p>for SAT 1 Math you can only get like 4-5 ish to get above 700 ( that's more likr 93% accuracy
and 770 on 2c is about like 85% accuracy ish
and for a 5 on calc BC is only like high 60% accuracy.</p>
<p>just make sure you do your basic math accurately</p>
<p>Hey don't sweat it ...
If it's your first time I can understand. The SAT IS ridiculous, in that getting 5-6 wrong will result in you losing a 100 pts.
The questions themselves are easy ... but I was also careless... so when I took a practice test I got like 670 or something. After that I just remembered to quadruple check my answers during the real test and I got an 800.
My strategy was this:
Do all the questions in ~25% time then spend 75% time checking to make sure you didn't make any mistake.
Even if you are totally sure just keep going over it... re-do the hard problems, it's the best way to catch little mistakes.</p>
<p>5 on BC?
take it again!
The SAT has a lot of word tricks. I'm guessing they tripped you up.
Try the ACT. It is much more straight-forward.</p>
<p>I guess I don't understand why a multiple choice test in math would be any harder than if you simply had to write down the answer.</p>
<p>MIT puts some good emphasis on your performance in math competitions.</p>
<p>Have you ever taken the AMC? AIME? USAMO? If you can reach the USAMO level, which is pretty difficult and very prestigious, then you have something that will definitely cancel out that SAT score.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you should probably retake it and aim for a score of +700 on the math section.</p>
<p>^^I agree. AMC is much more respected than SAT math, but the adcom is going to wonder what is going on with your score.</p>
<p>Shoot for 750+ on SATI math and 800 on SATII math and you'll be considered in the top echelon in terms of performance on that test.</p>
<p>Make sure you check your work. And don't look at the answers until you figure out the answer.</p>
<p>Maybe try taking the ACT.....?</p>
<p>@ phuriku: How the **** did you pass all those advanced courses and still get a 670 in math?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback. I've taken a couple more practice math sections and still got about the same amount wrong but it's getting better.</p>
<p>I think my problem is accuracy, when I go back to check what I got wrong, the mistake is usually a stupid error, for example, putting 3 instead of -3 and thinking too quickly. So thanks for the advice, I guess I just have to brush up on my mistake catching skills.</p>
<p>As for the AMC I did take it, both the 10 and 12 but the scores weren't THAT great and I didn't make the next level either, but they were respectable I guess.</p>
<p>You've got the same problem as me.</p>
<p>accuracy comes with practice..... A LOT of it.
I slacked off a lil( actually a lot >.<) when i skipped pre cal, so when to took Calc bc 2 years ago, I was 3% away from getting a B first semester. then after winter break, 15 SAT math2C practice tests later , I got A+ second semester. =D
you have to start telling your self that mistakes aren't acceptable in SAT 1 math . Even if they are stupid mistake, they are STILL mistakes. >.>
So just blitzkrieg through lots of SAT 1 math practice tests.</p>
<p>
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@ phuriku: How the **** did you pass all those advanced courses and still get a 670 in math?"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because 1) I only took it once 2) I'm probably the most apathetic person you'll ever meet concerning SAT scores (read: I go to UChicago). No school which will look at my SATs and automatically reject me despite my other accomplishments is worth my time. Period.</p>
<p>(I've also tutored someone in Calculus BC who got into Stanford and Columbia as a math major (probably more due to affirmative action than anything, though), and I've tutored several people in math who got 800s on their SAT I Math. I get teased a lot for my low score, but I refused to retake it. I wasted enough of my time and money the first time (the test itself, not studying, mind you -- I wouldn't lay a hand on an SAT practice book if you paid me to)... I could've spent that wasted time and money on a paperback copy of Rudin or Apostol.)</p>
<p>
[quote]
accuracy comes with practice..... A LOT of it.
[/quote]
[quote]
So just blitzkrieg through lots of SAT 1 math practice tests.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes, this is exactly how you get into MIT and Caltech. Waste your time practicing a bunch of tests which reflect absolutely nothing but how much practice you've had with standardized tests. It's a shame we've come to such a point where the SAT has come to be a representation of one's intelligence.</p>
<p>(I'm not trying to insult you, rainynightstarz, as I agree with you, so don't take my harsh response against you personally.)</p>
<p>^^ Um, most people who are at your level or above in terms of ability in real math can ace the SATI and II math sections without any practice.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Um, most people who are at your level or above in terms of ability in real math do not have the same problem acing the math SAT I and II without practice.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I doubt this. As many have said already on this thread, the problem many have with the SAT is accuracy. Make a few stupid mistakes and you're done for. Anyone who has taken upper math courses knows that if you make a few small mistakes on, say, a real analysis test at an elite university, it's not going to hurt you. This is particularly because when you're limited on time, your work is not going to be super-high quality, and you're bound to make a few small errors here and there. Mathematics, however, is a subject area where high quality is necessary, which is exactly why problem sets compose 67% of your grade in Harvard 55 and also is exactly why no test (especially multiple choice) can accurately express one's mathematical ability.</p>
<p>The reason why so many are able to manage an 800 on the SAT is that there are a number of typical questions, and once you get used to them by means of practice tests, your accuracy on these questions is going to increase significantly. The people on this thread clearly notice this, as nearly every post has something pertaining to taking practice tests to increase the OP's score. I myself know that the few people who took classes on my level took the SAT for the first time in 11th grade and they pretty much all scored in the 700-750 range, and then they took a few practice tests, retook it, and got an 800. I think that if you know the material well and you haven't done any SAT practice, scoring in the 650-750 range is quite common, and that's why an 800 is almost automatic for some people in higher mathematics: some started taking the SATs as early as the 8th grade, and by the time they were in 10th grade, the content was automatic. And others studied like hell in their earlier days (one of my friends' parents GROUNDED her because she got a 710 on the Math I section -- she practiced the SAT and got a 800 the next time she took it).</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that I did take the ACT. I got a 35 on the math portion (I missed a pre-algebra question. Ben Golub criticized me for making this point the last time, but I think it's mandatory for understanding that I understand the material well, and the only problem that I have is accuracy due to lack of practice). I do agree with a previous poster who said that the ACT is a lot more straight-forward. I think if you take the ACT and the SAT without doing any practice tests, you'll score higher on the ACT almost undoubtedly, despite the fact that the ACT involves higher math such as trigonometry.</p>
<p>Well, I don't think MIT or Caltech ever differentiated between math SAT scores that are ~750+ for exactly the reason you mentioned. Anyone can make a couple of stupid mistakes. But to get a score below 700, you have to make like 6 mistakes...</p>
<p>I don't know why you've singled out MIT and Caltech here...the other top 5 schools are far worse in terms of rejecting intellectually talented students in favor of more modestly talented ones.</p>
<p>'Course you should try.</p>
<p>First, try retaking the SAT to get AT LEAST 700+ in math, preferably 750+. You're deifnitely capable of an 800 though.</p>
<p>Secondly, try your luck come December/January!</p>