<p>i checked my sat scores this morning and i've been in utter shock. my score last november was a 2180 (M 770, W 730, CR 680) and my June score is now a 2080 (M 780, W 680, CR 650). i dont know what happened...i think i might have been a little tired and having a bad day, but a 100 point drop is ridiculous! do i take it again? i'll be honest, i'm afraid to retake it...first, because i dont want another score drop and also because i dont want to take the SAT's 3 times....this sucks...</p>
<p>ugh! I'm in same situation as you, honestly I thought I did much better than in my first sitting but I got a score 110 points lower. Does this have any negative effect on college admissions? sigh, I am so mad and disappointed in myself right now..</p>
<p>Many schools look at your combined score, your best sections from all of the sittings combined. So Columbia, depending on what colleges you apply to they may consider 2190 as your score.</p>
<p>It may be not be what you call "frequent" but think this way.</p>
<p>Say you missed 3 problems on each section more (it happens; some tests are harder than others). Then you get about 90-100 points off than what you normally will get.</p>
<p>Don't get upset with SAT score much. 2180 is a great score.</p>
<p>In your full score report, there are percentages for how many people's scores improve or drop on a second testing after your score. For your first numbers, I think a good amount drop.</p>
<p>If you are not sure if you should take October or not...and you are reasonably happy with your previous scores from two sittings...you could send those scores over the summer to the schools to which you will apply...and then sign up for the October test. If your scores go up in October...resend. If they don't....no one knows you even took it the third time. Plus, you will take it in October with no pressure.</p>
<p>My son dropped 110 points from the 2200's to the 2100's with the second taking. Not uncommon according to the stats College Board puts on the score reports. He is not taking it again because he would rather have the second test look like the anomaly rather than confirming it with a poorer third score that matches the second rather than the first, and highest, score. Ouch. If your score is good for the schools you are interested in you may not want to retake again.</p>
<p>man, i feel bad for you. scores tend to fluctuate though.
you're not in as much trouble as you think, though. Colleges look at your top section scores.
listen to ramakong. i won't repeat what he said, but it is a good strategy
If you are aspiring for columbia (as your name suggests) a 2190 is only slightly below average, so if you've got good stats otherwise, it's not imperative for you to retake.
hey, just don't freak out. if you retake, the more you freak out, the more you will jeopardize your score</p>
<p>LOL you only dropped 70 points. It's mistakes like that that keep you away from the elusive 800 in Math. Even if you guys don't know what I mean, I'm sure the OP does. :) :) :)</p>
<p>I think the drop is normal, you may want to consider taking the ACTs if you want a higher score. GL.</p>
<p>i'm in the same situation..
i had 2260 but dropped 120pts overall.
now im at 2140.
Im not gonna take it again cuz i might just get 2000 that time around
Hope the colleges dont hate me for my second score : /</p>
<p>don't worry that much. i took the SAT three times...my score dropped from the first to the second...that's why i took it the third time. my third time was the last testing before regular admissions.</p>
<p>don't sweat it. at almost every school, the highest section scores are what count. they don't care what order you made the scores in. in fact, at the schools whose admissions processes i know about, the decision-makers won't even see the order of the scores, or how many times you took the test. they'll get a pre-digested report with the GPA the school is using and the test score the school is using, and they won't know what your other scores were.</p>
<p>what a lot of people forget is that the average decision is made very quickly. (crunch the numbers on your own.) the admissions people go through a lot of applications in a day, and they don't have time to psycho-analyze the scoring trends of every applicant, particularly when there are more direct indicators of your personality right in front of them (personal statement, lor, resume, attachments, et cetera).</p>