Hello, in December 2016 I scored a 1540 on my SAT( 790 math, 750 english). I was planning on retaking the SAT in June, but I realized that Stanford require all scores to be sent in and I am concerned that I will do worse on the June SAT than I did in December. Should I still retake the SAT in June for the possible chance that I might score higher?
Are you taking SAT preparation classes and tutoring, and if so are they giving you and scoring practice tests? If so then you should have a pretty good sense regarding how you are likely to do on a retake.
Regardless, I suspect that you did this well for a reason. I doubt that you are likely to do much worse. However, you also are not likely to do all that much better if only because there isn’t much better to be had.
Finally Stanford is a long shot for everyone, even students with a 1540 on the SAT (which is of course excellent). You shouldn’t decide whether to retake it based just on Stanford (and for almost anywhere else these scores are already very strong).
So if I were able to reach a 1580 or so, it still would not significantly enhance my chances of admission?
“So if I were able to reach a 1580 or so, it still would not significantly enhance my chances of admission?”
First a warning: I do not work for Stanford, and am not and never was on their admissions committee.
I guess there are two questions: Are you likely to get a 1580? Also, if you do, will it significantly enhance your chances?
If you are taking practice tests with a tutor, and it looks like you might get 1580, then personally I would go for it and try. Not for Stanford, but rather just to see what I could do. Similarly, if you just feel that you can do better, then if it were me I would be tempted to try just to see what I can do. The worst that is likely to happen is that you do very similarly to how you have already done. As I said, I suspect that you did this well for a reason.
Note, if you do end up with a 1580 or 1600 you will probably find out rather quickly that you don’t actually want to tell anyone other than telling your parents and putting this on your college applications (but you will know that you could do it). Of course, this is true of scoring 1540 also.
A couple of years ago (approximately) Stanford sent out an article to alumni that talked about how they decide who gets admitted for undergrad. The basic message that I got from the article is that from all the applications that they get, they feel that about 80% of the students are academically strong enough to do well there. The other 20% are immediately rejected. Among the top 80%, acceptance is almost entirely a matter of diversity. Your SAT is already easily enough to put you in the top 80%.
To me this all comes down to: Take the SAT again if you want to do it. Otherwise, don’t. You will do very well either way (regardless of whether you get to do well at Stanford or at some other university).
Here’s a second voice to reiterate the excellent advice above. You must stop stressing about your test scores from now on. Yes, they matter in an application in a preliminary sort of way, and you have checked off the test score box to the satisfaction of any school in the world. They’ll look at your application for realzies. Now, focus on your story and on telling it cohesively and clearly to the committees. Don’t forget to be happy your senior year, too. As a side note, since you’re applying to America’s most selective school, I urge that you don’t get lost in the trophy hunt for admission to all the top ‘prestigious’ schools - that way lies madness and stupidity. Certainly don’t hesitate to apply to any of them, but make sure it’s for the right reason and not just because you like brand name shopping.
Congratulations on your exemplary scores. Now off you go and do something else productive and fulfilling 
Taking it again would be a complete waste of your time. Follow Senior2016 advice
I would use time and energy to write great essays instead.
I wouldn’t retake it. My Son did score 1540 on his 1st attempt and his 2nd attempt was 1590. He didn’t get into Stanford. He is now going to Princeton after being accepted from the waitlist. Make sure to also apply to great high ranked public and private universities in the 20 to 50 range. The college application process is all subjective to filling the Universities needs. It is a bizarrely rough experience. Stay positive and enjoy wherever you decide to attend.
This is a very interesting thread and I’d like to expand on it. My son scored 1590 on his first SAT attempt his sophomore year in high school, but we are wondering about the essay scores and how they affect admissions to a top tier school. He scored a 5 on reading, 6 on analysis and 8 on writing. Should he retake to improve the essay portion? I know people will say, “Chill out! You’re splitting hairs.” Yes, but isn’t the admissions to top tier schools a hair-splitting process? He’s not applying to all of the prestigious schools. He really only has a couple that he likes, but wants to make sure he covers all of the bases.
@403e11q As a parent of a kid who got into Stanford REA (only top private my kid applied to) with ACT 33 and SAT 2150+ (but still a NMF), I really don’t think your test scores will determine. Specifically, your kid’s test scores are awesome but other factors can make or break. If my kid wanted to apply to other top schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton, I would say “go ahead; your scores are good enough.” In fact, that’s what I told my kid when he asked me whether I thought his test scores were good enough to apply to Sanford REA. I told him almost exactly “Your test scores will not be the determining factor, so go ahead confidently.”
@403e11q: Yes, I agree with websensation. My son got into Harvard REA with a 36 ACT and a writing score of 23 (8 out of 12 on each of 3 sections). We were told by his college counselor in no uncertain terms that colleges view the writing scores as completely unreliable and they basically ignore them, so he shouldn’t retake the test for a low writing score. Turns out to be true in my son’s case and for many other kids we know. And I also agree with the general points above-- once you have a score well into the range of the school’s median scores, scores are not what determine acceptance.
@websensation @Daykidmom Thanks for the feedback. We’ve decided to roll with the SAT as-is with the essay score. I appreciate the advice!