Retake the SAT?

Applying to College
1

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently been reading a lot of posts on here and was hoping to find some help. I’m a rising senior, class of 2017 and have been visiting the ivies this summer and am now motivated to apply. Here are my test scores as of now:
Old SAT: CR 670, M 680, W 620
ACT: 31
New PSAT: 690 on both sections, total 1380 out of 1520

I was planning on retaking the ACT since I did well on it without studying too much and taking the Math II and Bio-M SAT subject tests. However, I’m wondering if it would be worth it to try and take the new SAT as well. I’m aware that I’m putting a lot on myself for the fall of my senior year (application time) but I took AP Bio and got a 5, and have taken through Calc AB and am not worried about the subject tests that much. (I’ve seen a lot of talk on these forums about students who only submitted the ACT not getting into the ivies as much, especially if they’re from an area where the ACT isn’t that common. However, that was from quite a few years ago…)

My main question is if submitting only the ACT and SAT II tests would hurt me as opposed to submitting those plus the new SAT. Also, if I were to take both the SAT I and SAT II this fall, which should I take in October and which in November?
I’m hoping to apply SCEA to Yale, and they will take tests from both October and Nov. I’m thinking I should take the SAT II first since that would be submitted by the time the app is due on Nov. 1. However, I’m not certain I want to be blindly submitting the SAT I November date.

I’m open to suggestions, but if your reply is that I should’ve taken more of these tests last year, please don’t comment. I’d like helpful suggestions from experience/whatever you guys have heard.

Thank you!

2

I would say focus on your strengths, i.e., take the ACT again since you got a 31 without much effort. A little more studying and I’m sure you could get 33+. Also, the new SAT is honestly so similar to the ACT that I really don’t see much of a difference. Ofc I’m not an expert by any means, but that is what I would do if I were in your situation. Good luck!

3

I agree that you should spend your energy focusing on the ACT.

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The posters on this site are not representative of the entire applicant pool. Why would any school turn down someone who has great test scores solely because they took the ACT and not the SAT? At the end of the day, schools want their rankings to increase (partly via test scores) and they want money from tuition & fees. Don’t let people with sour grapes that they didn’t get into an Ivy influence you.