<p>I'll be applying to schools coming November/December.</p>
<p>I have attempted the Math Level II subject test twice now... First time I got a 770... Second time, a 790.</p>
<p>Math has always been my strong point, and I can get all the questions right... The main issue for me on the SAT II has been time constraints... I run out of time and don't get all the math problems done. I only get through, say 43, which is why my scores are on the verge of an 800, but not quite.</p>
<p>My question is: will top colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. look down on such a score? I have 800's on US History and Bio-M, so should I send the math score as well along in that score report? Or should I refrain due to the fact that a 790 isn't actually great (relative to many top applicants who've taken Math II)?</p>
<p>The top schools don’t just admit testing freaks who get 800’s on every SAT section.</p>
<p>That said, I’d still submit the 790. The best schools will look beyond your grades and test scores and focus more on your activities, interests, EC’s, essays, interview, and rec letters. Grades and test scores are still important, but they usually don’t determine accept/reject (unless they’re super low, e.g. 500 on Math II or a 2.0 GPA).</p>
<p>I also consider myself a math person (I’ve been two years ahead in school my whole life, got 5s on both calcs, am about to start college as a math major), but I’ve never been able to get an 800 on any math test. I got a 780 SAT, 780 math I, and 770 math II (yes, I’m that weird kid who got a higher score on math I, which isn’t supposed to happen). All the other scores i submitted were even lower (720 literature, 710 US history, 710 physics). And you know what? It didn’t matter! Even with imperfect (though still good!) test scores and a crappy GPA, I got into JHU, CMU, and UMD honors. Don’t sweat the small stuff!</p>
<p>Yeah, I got an 800 on Math II and 740 on Physics, apparently they were enough for MIT (although I had a bunch of math/science competitions). The reason I got 740 on Physics was because I had only taken AP Physics C - Mechanics and barely studied E/M.</p>
<p>Congratulations on MIT, rspence! If a 740 physics was considered the bad part of your application, you definitely deserved it (though that doesn’t keep me from being extremely jealous!). Hopefully I’ll be there for grad school.</p>