Hello,
Is it bad to take the SAT again if I wasn’t satisfied with my first score? I got a 1540 (750 R, 790 M) in December with a 20/24 on the essay, and while I know it’s a decent score, I do feel that I could potentially do better. Should I retake it? Even if I do better, since I don’t have a lot of room to improve to start with, would it seem like I’m overtesting and focusing too much on test scores? (And if I do worse, would it look bad that my score dropped?) On the other hand, I’m concerned that my current score is not nearly as high as would be beneficial when applying to extremely selective schools. I am aware that colleges look at much more than just SAT scores, but I’m just a bit concerned and unsure what to do. Any help would be appreciated!
Do your other accomplishments (GPA, EC’s) exceed the scores?
My current GPA is 4.0 (all A’s, but our school doesn’t do weighted so I don’t know what it would be weighted) and as for ECs, I have two significant leadership positions and I also have volunteered continuously at a local elementary school as well as library.
What are some of the schools you are considering and what major? Also, what type of classes have you been taking?-the most rigorous?
Do not retake. If you are not admitted somewhere it will not be because of this score.
I’m aiming for the UC’s, especially UCLA or UCB, and major-wise I hope to pursue EECS or a related engineering major. I’ve taken all honors/AP classes available during freshman and sophomore years, and this year as a junior I’m taking AP Computer Science, AP Physics 1, and AP Calc BC.
For those saying to not retake, I do see where you are coming from, but would a 1540 be frowned upon as compared to someone else who may have a score closer to 1600?
You need to do a little research re: what the score ranges are for any college targets. And what they look for, beyond stats. Plus, the UC a-g gpa, if you’re instate. All that is on the websites for UCLAand UCB.
None of this is about stats alone. And it seems you’re only just getting started. Look at their application, as well. Put the energy in the right directions.