Agreed. And drives home the point that the SAT at least at the right limit is measuring something useful for academic and other success. Not surprising in the least.
I think this should really be up to the OPâs daughter. As an anecdote, my D21 is highly gifted in math. She got an 800 on the SAT2 Math2 her freshman year, has done math competitions, is enrolled in multivariable this year, yada yada. This October, she took the SAT for the first time and got less than 800 on the math section because of some very uncharacteristic silly errors. It happens, I told her. But she would not listen to me and was adamant she wanted to sign up for the next SAT because she was so mad at herself. She of course got an 800 on the math and is now satisfied. It sounds like OPâs D may be somewhat similar (although less stubborn than mine, lol). In a case like that, I think it might be best to leave the decision to the test-taker. She knows herself best.
@amsunshine - the exact same experience we had with our high school junior. 790 SATM in 7th grade, 790 SATM in 11th grade. 800 math level 2 subject test in 8th grade. Ours is satisfied with the score though. Testing is over.
My D scored 790 in 8th grade, then 800 Math2 in 9th, AIME/MPfG qualifier, PUMAC, ARML Nationals, etc. Sheâs a perfectionist and will take it again. It wonât consume a lot of prep time, just some time away from video gamesâŠ
I think Dadâs 800 (back when that was hard ;)) has something to do with it.
@RockyPA I would highly recommend against retaking as any score above 1550 is still the same. No need to retake. FYI my D got 1560 in a single sitting only and didnât even bother retaking,. Instead she focused on her 6 APs junior year and extra curricular activities and SAT subject tests which were all done only once. She is currently a freshman at Stanford and trust me she didnât have perfect gpa either it was 3.95 uw but 4.53 w gpa. I would advise your D to focus on other parts of her application. Good luck !
So your daughter is retaking? My dd has not yet decided. Personally I donât think it will really make a difference admissions wise, but I will let her decide. She may take it again in August. She has 6 AP tests in May and will take the Chem SAT Subject test in June, so it will have to wait until after all that is over! She really wants that 800 in math too! Perfectionist tendenciesâŠ
Yes, she is focusing on her APs too (also taking 6) and her extracurriculars (she is a ballerina in preprofessional company). She will take the Chemistry SAT test in June. If she retakes it will be in August. Thanks for the reply, and congrats to your daughter on being admitted to Stanford.
In the worst case scenario (and there is no worst case scenario here), the score breakdown could be 800/770, or vice versa. The score can can down too. If your child is prepared to risk that, go for it. IMO though, retaking is a waste of time.
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I do think there is marginal additional value to a single sitting 1600 versus a 1570-1590. But not enough to warrant any significant prep time or worry.
Our kid did one subject test in 8th grade, one at the end of 10th, and one SAT early in 11th (October). Even with 4 AP classes and two post-AP classes, 11th grade is turning out to be entirely stress free with all testing behind them, with surprisingly little homework (if our kid averages even a solid hour a day on homework total, I would be surprised).
We had anticipated being done this early (right around PSAT time), and it has worked out for sure. No way we want to upset the dynamic now by retaking to try for the elusive 1600.
Also, I have heard from people that if students try to retake for just 20, 30 points, the admission committee might think that students are so obsessed with numbers. Another friend in Dâs highschool got 1550 and ended at MIT. In fact, no one that I know at my Dâs school who ended at the top 20 colleges had perfect SAT. They all had other ECs that talked mostly about them. Like recommendations, GPAs, researches, and ECs. 1570 is a brilliant score! Just my 2 centsâŠ
Itâs a bad idea to retake the test, even if she scores higher in the retake. A score of 1570 in a single take is better than a slightly better score with multiple tries.
I know a student who got a single sitting 1600 SAT and a 36 ACT with all 4 sections 36. She chose not to submit the 1600 because she did not want to appear like a âtest drone.â (She only took the SAT to confirm her perfect PSAT score for NMSF purposes - this was before the recent confirming ACT option.) She is now at one of the HYPS schools (and was admitted to all of them she applied to).
Will colleges know it was a single take? I thought students can choose what scores to send? Meaning another student could have take the test 4 times before they get the same score, but could choose to only send the last one.
^ Colleges do see the date of the test, and the dates of each section if a kid superscores. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I would not be surprised if a slight bit more weight is accorded scores received in 10th grade or early 11th. Not too many chances for retakes.
Of course, a few schools ask for all scores, but it is only a very few (Yale among them).
yes thatâs right, she did take it in October so less likely to be a retake (but still possible, as in theory she could have taken it in 10th grade).
Some high schools also put all attempts and scores on the transcripts.
Also with no way of knowing, my personal guess is that AOs donât even look at the date(s) the test was taken, let alone weigh them differently.
^^^How colleges look at your test scores obviously varies, but some of them not only look at your test scores but also try to infer how you achieved those scores. If an applicant comes across as a test drone, itâd certainly be a negative. The inverse sometimes is also true: itâs a plus if an applicant appears to test well effortlessly.
This was our hope in crafting a strategy for testing.
Getting back to the subject of this thread. In our kidâs high school, the kids take the PSAT in 9th and 10th grades as well as 11th. The top 15 or so scorers from the 10th grade PSAT were offered a free commercial prep class that met on campus twice a week in the mornings in May and then from September through the October test date. The course included proctored Saturday mock tests, I think two of them. The goal was to develop more NMSF and NM Commended students and supposedly the course was worth $1200.
Our kid went maybe three times before pronouncing it all a waste of time, and using that time either to sleep or play video games in the dining hall with two friends who similarly left the course the following week.
If the cutoffs for our state do not go down this year (although they likely will), guess which are the only three students who will make NMSF for 2021?
I really think the value of expensive commercial prep is overrated. Again, not saying there are not exceptional tutors out there who can help certain kids greatly, but on average and in aggregate the value of expensive prep I am sure is fairly minimal.
I agree, test prep is overrated, at least for kids that are natural test takers. My dd basically prepped on her own at home by taking a couple of online Khan Academy tests, and also taking a handful of tests from the Official SAT Study Guide, during the month of September leading up to the test. She had taken the SAT as a 12 year old 7th grader (the old version) as part of a talent search, and had done quite well, so we knew she wouldnât need to spend too much time/effort on prep.