<p>My D has taken the new SAT's twice and done well with the verbal and writing but not great in math.
610M 720V 720W and 560M 710V 780W. Her GC suggested she take the Math SATII rather than retake the SAT's but I'm wondering if colleges give more weight to the combined SAT scores rather than SATII.</p>
<p>I also fear that even if she does a lot of preparation she might not score well on a math SATII.<br>
She has already taken two SATII's and gotten 720 US History and 640 Biology.</p>
<p>We'd appreciate any thoughts anyone can offer.</p>
<p>I think they will take the highest score in each section</p>
<p>610M, 720 V and 780 w (2110)</p>
<p>Has your daughter considered taking the ACT? Some students do better on it than the SAT because it is supose to be more correlated to what is taught in school.</p>
<p>The SAT I and SAT II tests are meant to demonstrate different things, with the SAT II subject tests intending to show mastery of a subject at the high school level. (See this</a> thread about AP and SAT tests for some explanation.) I don't know of any schools that will "substitute" SAT II results in place of a section of the SAT I, but they will surely look at the SAT II scores. There is no longer the option to withhold any SAT II scores (or SAT I scores!) from schools to which you apply, so if she does take the SAT II in math, her score will be reported with all her other SAT scores.</p>
<p>Two other things to note: </p>
<p>(1) Some schools have specific requirements for SAT II subject tests. Given that your D has taken a science and history, she's probably got those distribution requirements covered. Check that the schools she'll apply to only require 2, some require 3.</p>
<p>(2) Colleges differ as to whether they take the highest score in each section of the SAT I, or the best total at a single sitting. Some of the schools my S applied to last fall did it each way; you'll need to check their websites and applications, once available later this summer. Your D's combined totals are the same for both test dates (2050) so she could probably self-report either set on an application (although both will be shown on her score reports to colleges).</p>
<p>If it were my daughter, I would only allow a third sitting if there was some solid reason to believe that her third results would be significantly better.</p>
<p>It really depends on what schools she's aiming for. I do agree with Adad, unless there's been significant practice or tutoring, and you really think there's a good chance of improvement, I would think hard about a 3rd try.</p>
<p>Thank you all for replying.
My D wants to try really concentrating on prepping for math this summer and then decide if she feels she can improve her SAT score.</p>
<p>Mootmom, I thanks for your thoughts on the SATII's. My D was already planning to take the Lit and Spanish SATII, the Math only came up at her GC's suggestion. I was surprised thaat he did suggest Math since it is not her strength.</p>
<p>Sarha, I had the same thought myself with my daughter, but it was contingent on her first doing well in a math course she is taking at the community college over the summer. It's not working out that way - she is having a hard time with the college course - so I figure another math exam is not the way to go. I'm suggesting that my daughter retake the ACT - in part because that's a no-lose situation. With score choice she can always send her earlier ACT scores if she doesn't improve her scores; also with the ACT even a 1 or 2 point gain on any section can make a significant difference. </p>
<p>It really depends on where your daughter plans to apply. I'm going to sit down with my daughter and revise the college list rather than focus on more testing. Among the more competititve schools, look at colleges where the typical verbal scores are significantly higher than that math -- that will give you a clue as to which schools place higher value on the verbal and writing. </p>
<p>Sybbie is only partly right - SOME schools will take the highest score from each section; some may only take the best from a single sitting. You will have to double check as to what the policy is at each school.</p>
<p>If math is not your D's strong suit, I would not recommend taking the math SAT II. Almost every college website I've seen recommends that students take the SAT IIs in areas where they'd expect the best scores. (Where specific tests, such as math, are required, the sites say so.) Therefore, if your D is applying to any schools that require 3 SAT IIs, and if she thinks she'd score higher on Lit or Spanish, I'd go with either of those ahead of math. Just one word of warning: check some of the threads on CC regarding the language SAT IIs. They're reportedly very difficult and many posters claim to have aced language in h.s., gotten 5's on language AP's, but scored poorly on the language SAT II. One way to test this out is to buy REAL SAT IIs (I think that's the name of the book) and take the Spanish test.</p>
<p>Sarha: I should add one qualifying p.s. - My D applied this past year when the old SAT governed and the schools to which she applied required 3 SAT IIs; the SAT II writing was required at most of the schools she considered. I haven't reviewed any college websites regarding SAT IIs since then, so I was just assuming that if, during the last application season, schools wanted to see the highest SAT II scores a student could submit, the same would hold true for the upcming application season. Obviously, you/she would need to check the websites to make sure this is still the case.</p>
<p>You've given me good advice and a lot to think about. I think my D's GC may have been misguided when he suggested she take the Math SATII and so D will probably skip it.
I have also been thinking of adding more match and safety schools to the List based on these current scores.</p>
<p>D fell in love with Haverford when we visited this spring, that is her prime motivation in trying to bring up her math score. Her GPA is 3.98 taking AP and honors courses. </p>
<p>I think that the smartest thing is to try to find a safety or match school that she can like as much as Haverford so she doesn't get her heart set on one school. That way if she can bring her math up it will give her more options but if she can't there will still be a schoolthat she loves.</p>
<p>Can anyone give suggestions of match schools for a student with D's stats?
She is looking for a small LOC w/in about a 4 hour radius of New Jersey?</p>
<p>Since math is the easiest score to bring up I would suggest a math tutor for a few sessions focusing on what subsections she did not do well in. That score should go up. I would have her retake it and try an ACT as well. Even 40 points on the math would make a huge difference and is very doable.What about Trinity in Conn.,or Tufts a little larger but still similar to LAC 8/1 staff to student ratio. Sorry I don't know if that is 4 hrs driving or not being from Arizona. I am just thinking New England. Good luck!</p>
<p>Sarha,
The highest my son acheived in the SAT I math in a testing situation was a 670. However, his Math IIC score was 750, and he just got his 5/5 in Calc BC. I believe that some schools are willing to look at the IIC as proof of ability, and others not so much so. If you daughter is mad at the test and wants to nail it, I think she should go for it. You can help her by looking at the pattern of errors. Is it trig she is missing (review the material) or is she getting fooled on the easy ones (practice, practice, practice)?
Has your D looked at Conn College?</p>
<p>Would her scores be somewhat more competitive for Bryn Mawr? Would she feel o.k. if she didn't quite make it into Haverford, but could be enrolled in an affiliated college? At least she could take some courses at Haverford.</p>
<p>People are so generous with advice on this site!</p>
<p>Arizonamom, I think I will get a math tutor to help D pinpoint and work on her problem areas. She is determined to get her math up. I'm encouraged by those who seem to feel that math is easier to improve than other areas.</p>
<p>Ohio_mom, I'm hoping that by working with a tutor D can focus her efforts.</p>
<p>calmom, D loves Bryn Mawr but isn't sure about going to an all-girls school. </p>
<p>We are also looking at Dickinson, Gettysburg and Bucknell. I think D needs more safeties though.
We looked at Goucher but D said it felt too much like an extention of H.S.</p>
<p>A couple of suggestions based on my D's experience last year: If your D got A's in Algebra, she can get a 700+ on the SAT Math section. Just practice, practice. (My D started out with a 550 and ended up with a 720.) The SATII math 1C is like the regular SAT math, and a lot of schools require you to take either the 1C or 2C SATII math test. The SATII math 2C is MUCH harder and only necessary if you're applying to someplace that expects/requires it, like MIT or the Huntsman program at Penn. As far as colleges: look at Colgate. Or Georgetown. Because it's bigger than Haverford, you have an equal or better chance of getting in. Or for a real safety, Clark University outside Worcester MA. Tufts is nice if your daughter doesn't care too much about sports or rah-rah stuff.</p>
<p>Why not check on theAcademic Index used by colleges ( available on the CC site) how much difference it would make. Plug in a SAT score say 70 points higher than what she has now and the same SAT 2 scores and class ranking. If the index goes up by a point, say from 7 to 8 it may be worth it. If it doesn't, forget it and work on the parts of the application you can still influence.</p>
<p>So while I am sure that Bryn Mawr is female-dominant, apparently it is located on a planet that includes a few males.</p>
<p>I am encouraging my daughter to look very seriously at the women's colleges, because they do offer some very strong programs. I figure there is no harm in applying -- she can decide on what her ultimate choice is after she knows which colleges have accepted her. I mean, right now there are a lot of colleges on her list of possibilities -- next April the landscape may look very different.</p>