<p>Ok, now that apps are out, time for those really bone-headed questions that everyone hates. I got a 730 on the SAT Subject Test for Physics. This is low for MIT, but mainly not up to par with my own standards. I was taking a Honors Physics I course, and we only got up to E&M, no optics, waves, or thermodynamics, so I tried to self-study as much as I could for the SAT Subject Test, albeit I didn't try hard enough.</p>
<p>I am extremely interested in pursuing physics, but this test doesn't really show it, or does it?</p>
<p>I will be taking AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, I am doing physics research this summer with Master's degree students, and I will probably take Particle Physics or Astrophysics from the Columbia Science Honors Program this fall. I co-founded the physics club/team at my school, (a Newsweek Public Elite) and was school winner of the AAPT PhysicsBowl as a sophomore.</p>
<p>BOTTOMLINE: Is it really worth it to retake it? (800 would be the goal.)</p>
<p>I would say no - 730 is perfectly respectable and it seems like you are showing your interest in Physics through other means. MIT will see that you took the SAT II before taking AP Physics and will take this into account - though the admissions office has said that anything 700+ is basically the same.</p>
<p>I kind of disagree with the above posters, I think maybe if you can achieve that 800 for sure, why not go for it, plus applying at MIT, tons and tons of people will have 800's and therefore the upperhand on you.</p>
<p>Why not ? because it is
1: waste of money
2: waste of time (better spend that time on application)
3: anything above 700 is seen in pretty much the same line as 800 by the admissions eyes... scores REALLY don't matter THAT much. a 730 isn't going to keep you out... 800 won't get you in either...</p>
<p>I hope the fact that 3 student from class of 2012 who just went through the process saying no need to retake it is sufficient to convince OP. Do something better with your time.</p>
<p>I got a 730 on the Physics SAT 2 also. I'm glad to hear it's good enough, I figured it was based on the ranges for good scores they have on their site. </p>
<p>I also managed to get a 5 on the Physics B AP test, which I think might help. </p>
<p>My biggest chink in the armor is that I got a 670 on the math SAT 2, but I'm not gonna take it again. I've done alot of extra-curricular stuff in my field of interest, have written papers, and my standardized test score was good I think (33 ACT).</p>
<p>"3: anything above 700 is seen in pretty much the same line as 800 by the admissions eyes... scores REALLY don't matter THAT much. a 730 isn't going to keep you out... 800 won't get you in either..."</p>
<p>Well, maybe for MIT, but not for other schools. In this particular case, I would think it wouldn't be held against you anywhere for the simple reason you took it without AP preparation. However, if you think preparing for this exam is a good use of your time (i.e., it will help to motivate you to learn things you'd like to master anyway,) then go ahead and take it again. It won't look that weird, because it looks like you took it again to show what you learned in the AP class.</p>
<p>I highly suggest you take it again and shoot for an 800. This time study hard. If you really want to go into physics, you're going to be spending a lot of time getting good at solving textbook problems to build a strong foundation anyway.</p>
<p>Besides, if it only takes a little bit of effort to take it again, it's worth it. It's always easier to say you got a 800 with no questions asked then to say you got a 730 BUT you did XYZ and MNOP, etc. </p>
<p>This is just my knee-jerk post to the fact that I feel like CC is getting a bit too passion/scores-don't-matter -ish. It's not rocket science, it's the SAT Physics exam. Study for it. Take it. Ace it. Be done wit hit.</p>
<p>It's not just CC that says scores don't matter as much. The MIT admission officers say it too. Though, I do recommend studying physics for fun (yes I said that) and maybe trying to get a better score if it could help at other schools.</p>
<p>Yes, test scores clearly don't matter that much. I'm sure it's merely coincidence that students at all of the top schools have high test scores. Now that I think about it, I'll bet there's some other trait besides test scores that people with high test scores just tend to have, and that's what's getting them in...</p>
<p>Seriously, you all believe that??? Don't kid yourself! The physics subject test isn't that hard, and it's curved by something like 8 or 9 questions. If you cant get an 800 or something close then I think it would be safe to say that MIT will eat you alive, and the admissions officers probably can put that one together too. "I didn't have AP physics" isn't an excuse. A student of the caliber MIT is looking for would be more than able to learn a few basic physics concepts out of a prep book. And besides, you don't think they want people who can learn some things on their own anyways? </p>
<p>Especially since you clearly have the ability to get 66 out of 75 questions right on a fairly easy physics test, I think it should be obvious that you should absolutely take it again. It's only 30 bucks and an hour of your time. Don't end up hating yourself and having regrets come spring because you didn't put in a tiny bit of effort now.</p>
<p>*P.S. I'm in the same situation you are - took honors course last year, got a 700. I also have a 33 ACT. I have a prep book at the moment, and the stuff really isn't that difficult that we didn't cover in class. It won't take much of your time to skyrocket your score - so do it.</p>
<p>The rest of your stuff shows your interest in and skill at physics. Don't worry about it. For all they know, you had a raging migraine during the test. 730 and 800 are not all that different.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yes, test scores clearly don't matter that much. I'm sure it's merely coincidence that students at all of the top schools have high test scores. Now that I think about it, I'll bet there's some other trait besides test scores that people with high test scores just tend to have, and that's what's getting them in...
[/quote]
Well, exactly.</p>
<p>You also have to consider that we're not talking about great test scores vs. terrible test scores, we're talking about different grades of great. The difference between a perfect score and a really good score on a single standardized test will not keep anybody out of MIT.</p>
<p>I just got a 770 on my physics sat, is it worth 30 bucks for 30 points? I will be applying to MIT too, but 770 should be close enough to 800 to not matter, or at least it seems that way...</p>
[quote]
I was doing a regional reception in a city a few years back, and afterwards a student -- we'll call her Artemis -- comes up to me and tells me that she has a 760 on the Math SAT. As I was about to tell her that her score was just fine, she keeps talking, to inform me that she was going to take the test again, since "clearly" her score was "too low." I was like, "What?!?!" I "ordered" Artemis to not take the Math SAT again, and instead to have a picnic on that Saturday. Because to us, a 760 math is the same as any higher score she could receive on the retest.