In the October 1 new SATs I got 1560 (got 2 reading problems and 2 writing problems wrong and that’s 40 points off, really)
But my essay score was bad compare to others with similar total scores. I got 6/6/6 but those I know who got 1550+ all scored 7/7/7 or 8/8/7 or even 8/8/8 in their essays.
I’m a junior so I still got plenty of time. Should I do a retake just to improve my essay score? Don’t know if it matter much to college admission ppl… And a retake is risky because my verbal may actually go down (verbal 760 is better than my practice results, sadly).
Also, someone told me that sending both SAT and ACT scores can help a little bit. Is that worth the work? I’m a rather slow reader and ACT will probably take more prep for me than SAT did (2 weeks)…
You prepped for two weeks and got a 1560? It scares me to think of how well you would do on Subject Tests and AP tests a few months from now, especially for Math Level 2, which has a large curve.
It might be worth considering shifting your efforts to prepping for Subject Tests and getting 800’s on them in June. If you got an 800 in SAT Math, you can study and easily score 800 on Math Level 2. SAT Physics has an even bigger curve than Math Level 2, so if you’re taking Physics a year early, get a prep book and score 800 on that Subject Test as well.
If you do decide to take the SAT again, Erica Meltzer’s book The Critical Reader will be excellent preparation for SAT Reading.
Don’t be scared… I did full time prep, so I still put in a lot of time.
I am actually registered for this Saturday’s SAT Math 2 and Physics! Guess we think alike.
After this year’s AP US History course I’ll take SAT US history in June just so that I’ll have three SAT subject test scores in total (someone told me three are more than sufficient).
Thanks for the book rec! Critical reading is a good skill to have in general.
