<p>I took the SAT a few months ago and was somewhat happy with what I got, after a considerable amount of prep. But since then I haven't taken another practice test or studied any vocab for the CR section...so I'm afraid I'm out of practice and won't do as well as I did previously. I honestly would study more and pick up the books again, but now that I've shifted my attention towards prepping for the ACT I don't have that kind of time.
This is what I got:
690 (math)
730 (CR)
790 (writing)
This adds up to a composite score of 2210. I'm aiming for the Ivies and the other top universities, and I want to know if this makes the cut. Has anyone gotten a similar score and gotten accepted to a top school? Of course by a "top school" I mean Harvard and Yale, but my definition of a "top school" also encompasses Duke and Vanderbilt. Please offer your honest opinions :)
The only reason I'm considering retaking the SAT is because of my mathematics score, which I think could be better. Also, I'm probably going to major in biology, biochemistry, pre-med or something in the general area of science so I figured having a good math score would be significant...</p>
<p>If you are an unhooked applicant, your chances of acceptance into an Ivy/Ivy-equivalent school increases with a high 2200 (or higher) versus a low 2200 score. Your lowish Math SAT I score will also hurt your chances at the most selective schools. There will be a certain number of applicants who say they got accepted with that score, but it obviously depends on the other components of your application as well-- GPA/rank, ECs, and awards in particular.</p>
<p>Thanks!
Is the composite score given prime importance?
Based solely on my math score do you think my chances would be affected?</p>
<p>I feel that your math score might bring you down a bit. You could try a math subject test and study solely for that so you don’t have to retake CR/W. If you do well (like 750+) on say math II, it’ll cover your 690 in math. It just depends if you have the time and drive to study towards that.</p>
<p>Also, are you usually good at math? Did you expect a higher score than what you got? If so, then I would definitely consider retaking either the entire SAT or a subject test.</p>
<p>Yes I did expect I higher score that what I got. Math has always been one of my strongest subjects in school. I didn’t get that many wrong and the curve seemed fairly harsh. Depending on the curve, it could be better or worse but I think with a little more prep I can increase my score.</p>
<p>Where do you think your math should be? If you’ve been getting consistently 750+ on the past couple test or even perfects, then go for it if it’s what you want.</p>
<p>I think I would be able to score in the 720-740 range with ease. Anything above that would take a substantial amount of prep but I don’t think it’s impossible.</p>
<p>How many times have you taken the SAT? Are you a junior or senior? If this was your first time, then strongly consider retaking. You many want to memorize a few vocab words beforehand though. Nothing intense, maybe just the sparknotes 250 hard words. Even that will be beneficial. If you can improve CR just a bit along with math, it’ll put you over 2300, which will be enough for almost any school.</p>
<p>This was my first time taking the SAT and I’m a junior.
I think I will retake it even though I feel I got lucky on CR last time.
Thanks for the help! :)</p>
<p>hey,</p>
<p>so i see you want to retake it, but I really like the idea of the math II subject test. I think I read this recent interview with the Harvard dean of admissions, and he said that they place a lot more weight on the SAT subject tests. if they could, they would eliminate the SAT entirely and just use the subject tests, since they actually test content.</p>
<p>the math on the SAT is just baby math that’s encrypted with vague wording so that people don’t do as well as they do in school.</p>
<p>IF you are hooked (many EC’s and high GPA to boot ethnicity etc.) your fine, if not, def retake for a higher score.</p>
<p>I got a 2260 (720 CR 800 M 740 W) and got into Cornell College of Engineering, which I guess is close to a 2210. If you’re going into the sciences, you definitely want a very high math score, 800 would be ideal. If you’re a junior, you have plenty of time and I’m confident you will get up to 2300+. Plus your writing is basically perfect, so you don’t need to worry about that in future retakes, as long as the colleges you are applying to superscore.</p>