Need Advice

<p>Remember the daughter who didn't want to study for the SAT2 and watched "The Magnificent Seven" instead? She got her score (she didn't bother to take the Spanish test), and got a 730 on Math II. Meh. She looks at it, and is thinking in terms of the SAT1, and is happy. I look at the SAT2 percentile charts from last year and see that it's 69th percentile. </p>

<p>She previously scored 780 on US History and Math II is her only other subject test. She's not looking at Ivies, but is interested in some top 10 LACs. Should she retake? Or take a different test since she is NOT interested in science/math? </p>

<p>In the meantime, I'm trying to go a month without mentioning anything about college to her.</p>

<p>hmm...I am in a kind of similar situation. </p>

<p>I studied for the IIC and got a 750 (I wasted valuable time on the test because I kept overanalyzing and checking my work excessively). I am not sure whether or not to retake. My main problem was time - I excel in math classes, especially pre-calc - but I couldn't solve the problems fast enough. With more practice, I'm sure I could speed up and get a higher score.</p>

<p>I have one another SAT subject test that I am quite happy with - my 800 Bio M.</p>

<p>fireflyscout, remember this is 69 %ile of the TOP kids taking the hardest SAT II in Math. So it is actually quite good! If her grades are good, her SAT I scores in Math are good, and she's not wanting to be a HYPster, this should be fine. Give her some credit!</p>

<p>I just posted a reply to you that is now lost in cyberspace. Here goes again....</p>

<p>In my opinion, your daughter's Math2C score is very good. It is good enough for most selective colleges and I do not see a need to retake it. If your D wants, since she is not that interested in math or science, she could take another subject test such as Literature. Another option is to take the MathIC. </p>

<p>My daughter got a lower score than yours did on the Math2C and still got into selective colleges and attends an Ivy. She did very well on the regular Math SAT (780) and excels at math. Not sure why her Math2C score was just fair as she has even had two years of AP Calculus and has very good AP scores in those. However, she took the MathIC and did better. </p>

<p>So, I shared that to let you know that I think your D is fine just as it is now. The options she could consider are another subject or the MathIC. I don't know her regular Math SAT score or any AP math scores but even without knowing those (I prefer seeing the whole picture), her score is quite respectable in my opinion. </p>

<p>To the student who posted a reply, YOUR Math2C score is great. I cannot see a reason to retake that either. </p>

<p>Maybe it is just me but it seems that there is a great many folks on CC who think you must have over 750 or something on every standardized test to even have a shot and I don't agree. It is the total picture. And any score over 720 is good for most selective colleges. Even just under that could be fine if balanced out with other strong things.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

<p>I did not see quiltguru's post but now I have and I am glad she also brought that point up. Put that percentile in perspective...only top students tend to even take this test. A score of 730 is very good. Retaking tests with scores like this has no point, in my view.</p>

<p>This was my S's situation: math always came easy to him, straight A's no problem, 760 on SAT 1 Math. took the 2C, got a 640 (!). That's fortieth percentile. Why? Well, not the greatest hs program, so hadn't had all the content, and he's not a test prep type. Took the 1C, got a 720. Well, at that point, it was what it was. He proceeded to apply to a very selective school ED, calling himself an astronomy major, and was accepted. Which is why I don't think that SAT 2's are the be all and end all. They test more of what you have already learned, not what you're capable of learning. And apparently the comparatively low math scores didn't hurt him, despite the intended science major.</p>

<p>Okay, thanks! :)</p>

<p>I didn't see anything wrong with my score initially......
......then I came here (bad decision), and saw the IIC thread flooded with 800s and 790s and 'oh that test was so easy' remarks.</p>

<p>Wow - fast respones! Thank you everyone; I knew it would help to get a different perspective. </p>

<p>Soozie - D scored 710 on the math section of the SAT, has made As in pre-AP math, and will be taking AP Calculus next year (in the hopes that she can place out of taking math in college). She can do it; she would rather do something else.</p>

<p>So I'll start chillin' in the 98 degree heat here.</p>

<p>Firefly - DD is headed to Dartmouth with a similar IIC score (720), in fact all her SAT IIs were relatively low by CC standards, but very few students around here take SAT IIs, and the course content is not at all oriented toward these tests. She had one 770 in Amer His, and the rest are lower, even writing. If you can believe it, 6 students were in the testing room when she took most of the IIs, and they were all the students in the area taking SATIIs in that round, which was the May test at the end of our school year.</p>

<p>I will make this caveat - DD's SAT and ACT scores were good, and she made a 35 on ACT math, which shocked everyone, mostly her - there is definitely an element of any given student on any given day.</p>

<p>cangel: That was the case for me too. There were maybe ~200-300 kids taking the SAT when I was taking SAT IIs in May and June. However, of those 200 or 300, only 5-10 were there for the SAT IIs. Which is pretty lame, because those 5-10 students represented 6-7 area schools.</p>