Hi,
I have an 8th grader who scored 790 on math 2. He might one day want to apply to the likes of MIT. Should he consider retaking the test? And if we wait for couple of years, will it be really tough to study for its gain? (Since he will be further away from precalculus).
Thank you.
Theres an SAT august 24. If he’s interested he could do a little studying now and take it in a few weeks. 790 is certainly not a bad score. However, many students get 800s on the Math 2 because there is a large curve. He’s only a question or 2 away from an 800 so its definitely possible. I would recommend retaking the rest sooner rather than later because the information seems to be fresh in his mind.
We can’t get a seat at a testing site anywhere within 2 hour radius for August. I just didn’t plan on this well.
I’m not sure that MIT accepts SAT scores taken in the 8th grade. Check with MIT admissions.
MIT admissions is a holistic process and as such you can consider SAT scores more like a gate. Get a decent score and it is on to the the next gate. 790 is certainly going to get you thru that gate, so I wouldn’t stress about trying to get a higher score.
My recommendation for MIT or any other college would be to challenge him in his studies in the classroom and outside the classroom. Have fun and do what interests him.
Read the MIT admissions blog on “applying sideways” : https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/
If he’s going to take calculus, he’ll be using these skills and should be fine taking Math 2 later. My son took it two years after precalc and got 800.
The difference between 790 and 800 isn’t going to be very meaningful, IMHO.
If he could have taken it in August, it may have been worth a shot. But I suspect that once the school year and Calculus starts, some of the pre-calc topics will begin to fade from memory. I’m not sure studying for it later would be “tough”, but it would take some time and I suspect there are better uses of that time than 10 points on one subject test.
I doubt this is true for SAT Subject Tests. Certainly nothing on their admissions page says this.
In fact, they specifically say, regarding courses taken “before your senior year”:
“it’s very wise to take the appropriate SAT Subject Tests right afterwards (usually May or June), while the material is fresh in your mind.”
Fwiw, I’ve asked at various sessions about my D’s 8th grade actual SAT Test scores, and no one has said that taking them in 8th would be a problem (outside of goofy CMU, and I’ve had plenty of folks PM me that they did and had no issues).
The OP is asking about Subject Tests, not SAT. I can’t speak for MIT. but I applied to colleges at the similar tier, and none had an issue with Subject Tests taken in 8th grade.
That said, the OP needs to be aware that the CB wipes out any scores pre-9th grade unless you specifically tell them not to.
As for the original question, the difference between a 790 and an 800 won’t be the difference between acceptance and rejection, but if he want to retry in a couple of years without a lot of prep, I see no harm.
I don’t think it matters…but do keep in mind that MIT accepts a teeny percentage of students who apply. More than 90% of applicants do not get accepted, and in that 90% are a lot of very well qualified students with high standardized test scores.