D22 took the March SAT and scored 1490 (730 EBRW, 760 math). It was her first test, her goal was 1450 minimum, with the hope to test at least twice and make it past 1500. She is pleased with 1490 on her first try (although those extra 10 points are killing her!) and trying to decide if she should retake it or quit now while she is ahead, and move on to focusing on other things. She has the option to retake in school late April, but she would not have any time to prep as she will need to focus April on studying for AP Chem. I believe 1490 is her high range; January PSAT was 1390, which I predicted was low range for her (math score was lower than expected, and her practice SATs were 1450-1490 range). She is first in her class and has above average ECs, but we are not focusing on elite and top tier schools because 1. we won’t be able to afford them and 2. I know the odds are not in her favor for admission. Major is undecided, but she is considering health care and most interested in anatomy. We are focusing on large state universities and universities known for merit money. Should she retake the SAT or be done? Will it hurt her if she scores lower and colleges see that? I’m torn because I feel like it can’t hurt to try to raise her score, especially by superstore, but there is a good chance that she may actually score lower. The deadline to sign up for the in-school test in April is this week.
The standard advice here is to look at middle 50 score ranges at all the colleges she’s interested in, and if 1490 is at the upper end, to skip a retake and use the prep time on other elements of the application instead. 1490 will be a very competitive score if she is not applying to schools in the highest tiers of selectivity. Good luck.