Please help if you are good at making decisions

Test Preparation SAT Subject Test Preparation
1

<p>Hey,
So here's this dilemma, paragraphed effectively for your reading convienience ;) No but really, thank you so much for taking your time to help out a fellow CCer. </p>

<p>I took math and literature subject tests today.
Totally failed the math one (seriously, not exaggerating--10+ blank)
I feel like I did quite well on the literature test</p>

<p>Obviously, I don't want to send in my math test. Math is something I'm pretty strong in. (I'm looking at engineering as a possible career choice.) But as a lot of colleges that I am thinking about do not honor score choice, if I were to not cancel this one, they would see my math score that makes me want to cringe and hide in a corner in disgrace, a math score that is in no way representative of my abilities. At the same time, I don't want to have wasted a good test for lit. </p>

<p>Should I cancel my scores? </p>

<p>I'm hesitant because there's only 2-3 more times I can take the SAT--1 if I'm applying early. If I cancel today's score, what if I don't have enough time to finish all my testing? I know I can do all 3 tests in one sitting, but I would prefer not to, due to situations like this one where you do well on one, but not so good on another. </p>

<p>Any and all input is sincerely appreciated. Thank you all so much!</p>

2

<p>WaterTastesGood, </p>

<p>I am probably not the best person to help with this dilemma (and I’m sure that other CC members will chime in with other opinions), but I thought that I would reply to you anyway. </p>

<p>I am not planning on applying to a lot of elite colleges (I am more attracted to the down-to-earth liberal arts atmosphere), and though I am a straight-A student with overachieving tendencies, I have really distanced myself from the college rat race in the past year. For that reason, I cannot speak to the intricacies of score reporting and whether colleges actually DO just consider your best scores (as they’re supposed to), or whether they will hold a lower score against you, even when you surpass it in a later test. </p>

<p>What I can speak to is this: deciding to keep that score and retest, instead of canceling, should not make you any less of an exceptional student. Your strength in math is evidenced by your passion for it and by other achievements in your high school career. You put a lot of effort into the Lit. test, and you should receive credit for that effort. When you retake the math test, you will get a higher score, one that you are proud of, and that should be what counts. </p>

<p>Like I said before, this is the way that it should be. I cannot say whether this is the way that it is at every college (some certainly place the emphasis in the wrong places). But if exceptional students have to obsess over showing even the slightest imperfection, afraid that it will count against them, then our college admissions process is in a sad state.</p>

<p>You need to do what feels right to you. If it that means canceling the scores, then I support you. You will be able to take all three of your subject tests in the fall, and it will all work out. But if you decide to keep the scores instead and approach the admissions process unabashedly, with everything laid out before you–the strong math performance, the one-time low score, the high Lit. score, the merit of who you are not only as a student but also as a human being–then I support you 100% in that, too. </p>

<p>I hope that others will give you more practical clarity. I’ll just close with saying that, whatever you do, DON’T BEAT UP ON YOURSELF. Whichever route you take, everything will work out. Life has a way of giving us the exact experiences that we need to end up in the beautiful places where we are supposed to be. I believe that.</p>

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<p>-10 is about a 770 on math2. Go by the curve and if you get below say 730, cancel. Above all focus on sat1s this summer cuz u can study math2 in two weeks</p>

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<p>Thank you YoungDerivative! I didn’t know the curve was that high. Thanks! </p>

<p>And thetallertwin, I LOVED your post! Reading it actually made me feel calmer. I really like your philosophy :slight_smile: </p>

<p>As for Maladroitkid…wow… so snide, assumptious, and rude. I actually have nothing to say to you.</p>

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<p>Does anyone know why they even have that rule? Why cancelling 1 test automatically cancels all on the same day?</p>

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<p>thetallertwin, that was really lovely, thank you. I felt pretty crap about the chem test today and I really needed that. :3</p>