<p>On my first Sat (october) my score break downs were: 690 writing, 730 Math, 690 reading. </p>
<p>I never scored that high in writing for practice tests and 690 was my highest for practice tests so i think that it can only go down. (Disappointed in math considering i know i can get an 800) So i'm not sure i should retake it since my score would probably drop.</p>
<p>I thought over a 2100 would already be really good but even though it's the 96th percentile in the nation, it's only the 85th at my school. I really want to get into schools like Berkeley for engineering and i heard that i'm compared to my peers and people in my economic position so i'm assuming i would only be in the 85th percentile compared to the people i'm applying with. (Also considering I'm Asian, it'll be even more competitive)</p>
<p>My school is around ranked 350 in the U.S and i'm in a middle class family so how good is a 2110 considering all that? A lot of my friends are getting 2200s+ so how competitive is my score for a school like Berkeley? (especially since getting into an engineering major is even more competitive)</p>
<p>I know that SAT isn't everything, and i do have extracurriculars, but JUST looking at SAT score, is it competitive enough for a middle-class Asian?</p>
<p>They publish all this data for every school. Google tells me that the average composite for Cal’s freshman class last year was a 2076. You’re slightly above average for the university and probably slightly below average for their engineering program.</p>
<p>It’s worth retaking if you think you can do considerably better but your score isn’t good or bad enough to make a big difference.</p>
<p>It’s an okay score – not good enough to help you, not bad enough to significantly hurt you. </p>
<p>However, writing is the least important section, this is your first sitting, and you want to major in engineering. If you think you can retake the SAT and get an 800 math score, then I’d retake. </p>
<p>Writing is also one of the easiest SAT sections to study for; brush up on your grammar rules and do a bunch of practice problems and you should do okay.</p>
<p>Do you know if it looks bad if my score goes down from the first time? If it’s a considerable drop (maybe to a 2050) would that look bad for admissions?</p>
<p>I know. That is one of the reason i considered retaking it since my math score is really low for an engineering major. But i’m taking the SAT math level 2 test December and if i get an 800 or something like a 780, will admissions overlook my 720 on the SAT?</p>
<p>If you can easily get an 800 on the Math section, then you should review old SAT samples (get the blue SAT book from collegeboard) and know the formats of the SAT Math questions. The questions themselves aren’t that hard; it’s just the way they trick you up (by asking for 1/x instead of x).</p>
<p>I agree with renoverchat. The writing section is definitely the easiest section to increase your score on. If you just review the grammar rules and idioms, then you should be able to get a decent 750+ on the section.</p>
<p>If you get a good SAT score overall (like 800 on math, 750 on writing, and 700 CR), then it’s still better than your current score. It will make you stand out that you’re not just mathematically talented (like maybe other applicants to engineering), but pretty academically well rounded (there’s also your GPA to factor in).</p>
<p>Just review. I know the December test is like a week and a half away, but if get the right materials (like the blue book) quickly, you should be able to increase your score.</p>
<p>730 math is really low for an engineering major? My son got 4 wrong out of 54, and they were all difficult, and he had a 710.</p>
<p>Please remember that admissions officers are not as picky about test scores as you think they are (save HYPM maybe). 2110 is very respectable, and near the point of diminishing returns. I would bet most engineering professors would get near 2000 on the SAT, at best, and few would get 800 on the math section.</p>
<p>Now that you guys put it that way, I probably will retake it. But what other sources are there to improve my writing and reading score. I already took all the tests in the Blue Book and all of the ones i could find online (2). </p>
<p>@rhandco I know that 730 on math and a 2110 overall is respectable but what i’m unsure about is how good that kind of score is for a school as prestigious as Berkeley. Also considering it is top 5 for engineering, I’m assuming they only accept the best and i’m not sure if that’s good enough.</p>
<p>But also another question, if i do worse on the second time will that look bad for UCs? Because to be honest, I got way lucky on the critical reading and the writing section. I’ve always had problems with the vocab portion and i only got 4 wrong on the vocab this time which was pretty lucky (4 on the reading). So if my score say drops to a 600-650 for Reading or if even my overall score decreases to about say about 2050, will that look bad?</p>
<p>you didn’t mention what your gpa is or if you have some ap’s. My 2 cents advice if
you want Cal engineering from your demographics, get that SAT over 2200 and make sure you are taking AP Calc. The math II subject test is a little harder than the sat, so make sure
you practice for it.</p>
<p>I probably should have mentioned my grades. These are my Sophomore and Junior grades/schedule:</p>
<p>Sophomore:sem 1 2
Ap Calculus BC B A
Ap World B A
Honors Chem B A (UC weighted)
Spanish 3 A A
Physics A A
Honors English B B</p>
<p>First semester GPA of about 3.6 (only weighing APs, not honor classes) and second semester, 4.17. This year, my schedule is this</p>
<p>AP Computer Science
AP U.S history
AP Spanish 4
AP Statistic
AP Chemistry
Honors English (UC weighted)</p>
<p>And i currently have an A in Stat, Comp Sci, and U.S history and i’m trying to have 3 As and 3 Bs (4.3 GPA not weighing honors) so hopefully that happens. or else it’ll most likely be 2 As and 4 Bs. (4.1 GPA not weighing honors)</p>
<p>I think the SAT should be considered something that can truly help your application a lot. If you get a high SAT score, which you can prob achieve by just practicing a bit more, it’d help you out a lot. </p>
<p>I’d say you should aim for at least 2200+ for competitive schools, despite how good your other stats are. You’ve got nothing to lose but EVERYTHING to gain :)</p>
<p>It’s good to have some perspective on this stuff, since Berkeley is competitive, particularly for engineering, but it’s not as restrictive as an Ivy league school. A 730 is a terrific score, regardless. If you can get an 800 with confidence, go for it but don’t put yourself down for getting a score that is definitely solid enough for your field and 230 points above the national average. If you were going for physics, they may be slightly pickier considering your economic position but even then, you would be in a decent range.</p>
<p>Considering it’s your first SAT, I think a 2110 is a good score. Yes, you could bring it up, but at least you still have time to study and work on it. If you want to get into a school like Berkley, I do think the score would have to increase a bit, especially in the math section, but remember your admission isn’t solely based on your SAT scores. It also takes into account academic GPA, AP tests, SAT Subject tests, extracurriculars, your application essay, etc. Finally, it can never hurt to take the SAT again, unless it is a financial problem you are dealing with. My teachers say if you can afford to take it again, do it. It can’t hurt to try. Plus, most Ivy Leagues superscore SAT scores, so even if your total score is worse, but you did bring up your math score, or your CR/Wr score, you still have a better superscore. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>You may also want to consider taking the ACT. I had a similar SAT score (2150 680CR, 740M, 730W) and was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to get the CR and W much higher. I decided to try the ACT and got a 35 (35E, 33M, 36R, 36S, 10/33W) which is the equivalent of a 2300-2340.
Some people just respond differently to different tests so you may want to consider the ACT.
Also if you get an 780-800 on the Math 2 and a 5 on the AP Calculus the admin officers will know that you are a strong math student. They won’t discount the 730 on the math section, but it shouldn’t hurt you as much as you might think.</p>