Retake Threshold for HYPS

[ctyankee]

<p>

Ok, a lot of people seem to think that retaking the SAT with a score above, say, 2250 or 2300 or some other arbitrary threshold is pointless, obsessive and sad. This may be true, but I don’t think it is, especially if you’re thinking of applying to a very selective school. Literally every word on your application is of crucial importance if you’re competing with 11 other people for a place. And yes, a 10-point difference on the SAT is still a difference (though I agree that using the SAT to choose between two candidates whose SAT scores are within 10 points of each other probably never happens).</p>

<p>There may be other considerations as well. For example: If my GPA was above 3.8, I wouldn’t bother to retake (my score is 2370). But it’s not. So I’ll retake the SAT in October because my GPA is incredibly low and, while I have no illusions about my chances of getting into a top school, I still want to strengthen my application as much as possible.

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<p>It’s not a matter of it being “sad” it’s strictly a matter of limited time and focusing on maximizing that time remaining. It’s not just a matter of showing up for the test but the prep time involved. Someone could use that time to enter two writing competitions (for example) and have a FAR better chance of impressing a college admissions officer than some 30 point gain on the SAT. Time should be spent improving the weak areas on your overall application not beating to death your strong areas. It’s really that basic.</p>