<p>so I've taken the SAT twice now
2090 and then 2210
and even if i add my best sections together from each i still just have a 2210</p>
<p>the thing is i KNOW i can do better than 2210 if i just study a bit ( i didn't study for either of them before) because i did much better on the PSAT and ACT and i just didn't feel confident either time for the SAT</p>
<p>so should i take the SAT again just because i know i can do better or does it look worse to have taken it three times (like i just kept studying and paying for tutors to do better)?
thanks so much</p>
<p>Why retake the SAT if your ACT is so much better? </p>
<p>Just submit the ACT scores instead.</p>
<p>Colleges dont look down on the ACT, in fact most schools who know these tests prefer the ACT to the SAT. I remember some post stating that Dartmouth likes the ACT better, and UPenn will take only the ACT, or SAT I and SAT Subject Tests, so if the ACT is your test, then go with it and flick-off the SAT I; it sux anyway.</p>
<p>tmi- my ACT was a 32, which is about the same as a 2210 i think but i wasn't at all prepared for the ACT (i didn't even know there was a science section!) so i know i can do wayyy better on the ACT
just most the schools around me seem to focus more on the SAT and whatever</p>
<p>as it stands now 2210 is slightly better than a 32....</p>
<p>you mentioned that you didn't study for the act, so if you work on your timing and the science section you can definitely have a significantly higher act score.</p>
<p>I've never seen the point of paying for and getting up early to take the SAT I without preparing for it beforehand, but whatever. Take a look at your last two score reports. They include a score range prediction for what you might get on each section of the test next time (based on College Board's statistics of what previous test-takers have done on retakes). If you think you can beat the prediction by preparing better next time, go for it. I am writing to lots of college admission officers this week to get a definitive answer (which I really think I have already seen, from other college admission committee members) to this frequently asked question. No college makes it disadvantageous to take the SAT I a third time before the deadline for applying in your senior year.</p>
<p>I'd be delighted to take suggestions from anyone about how to phrase the inquiries I haven't sent out yet. (In some cases, I have linked to the publicly posted earlier CC thread that I linked to above.) What would you like to know about retaking the SAT I? How would you ask about the issue that is most in doubt to you?</p>
<p>Thank you for offering. How about asking whether they prefer the SAT or the ACT? I suspect they will say neither, but it comes up so often it would be good to hear from the horses mouth.</p>
<p>Retake the ACT, but do a little prep! You didn't know there was a science section and you did that well?? WOW! You can send schools whichever ACT score is your best and they won't know your ACT history (unlike SAT scores). Did you take writing? If so, how did you do? Have you called admissions of schools you're interested in to ask them specifically if they prefer SATs? Do you know people who got into the schools you are looking at? If so, what do they say re: what scores they submitted.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am writing to lots of college admission officers this week to get a definitive answer (which I really think I have already seen, from other college admission committee members) to this frequently asked question.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The answers you get are likely to depend significantly on the phrasing of the question. "Is retaking the SAT bad" will elicit one set of answers, whereas "can a score report ever be treated differently than just the equivalent one-shot superscore (in what sorts of circumstances? how?)" will tend to get another. You would need to not pre-emptively narrow the question in order for this exercise to be responsive to the stated and implied concerns posted in CC threads.</p>
<p>All suggestions about wording are welcome. I've sent a few emails already, and I will be meeting admission officers in person soon who travel to the Exploring</a> College Options program in my state, but I can send out more emails and even make some phone calls about this. Current high school students who are interested in this issue might as well see if there is an Exploring College Options meeting in their town soon. </p>
<p>What I found out from phase one of sending out inquiries is that some admission offices are much more welcoming of phone calls than of emails: their Web sites list lots of phone numbers, but no email address at all. Maybe how different colleges list their contact information on their Web sites tells me something about each college.</p>
<p>Harvard's online form for submitting questions allows a drop-down choice of subject titles, which evidently are keyed to autoresponder text files. Here is the automated response to my inquiry: </p>
<p>Greetings,</p>
<p>All applicants must take either the SAT I or ACT (with writing), and three SAT II Subject exams, in any topic. The TOEFL is not required.</p>
<p>We are unable to give advice in particular situations nor are we able to give recommendations on score or re-taking of tests. If you submit more than one set of scores for any of the required tests, the Admissions Committee considers only your best scores- even if your strongest SAT Subject Tests or portions of the SAT Reasoning Test were taken on different dates.</p>
<p>For the class of 2011 (entering Fall of 2007) the admissions committee will accept either version of the SAT I along with three SAT II subject tests. </p>
<p>For Early Action, applicants may take tests up to and including the following dates:
SAT - November 4th 2006 ACT - October 28th 2006</p>
<p>For Regular Action, applicants may take tests up to and including the following dates:
SAT - January 27th 2007 ACT - February 10th 2007 (note February test date not available in N.Y.)</p>
<p>Please send official scores via regular reporting, not rush.</p>
<p>No Access to SAT or ACT Test Centers
Students who do not have access to a testing center in their country are the ONLY exceptions to the policy outline above. If you do not have access to a testing center, we will consider other internationally recognized credentials, such as the results of the Graduate Record Examination. Applicants must send the results of the GRE to the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, code 3451.</p>
<p>My Composite score on the ACT is 26. I did the best in English with a 29 but bombed the science, never have done too well in science so no huge surprise there. I live in NC and will be applying to mostly NC schools so do you think a 26 is ok? I scored a 1700 on the SAT last month but will retake in May to see if I can bring it up a little. I plan on majoring in middle school education and being poor for the rest of my life....but hey someone's gotta do it. :)</p>