<p>HI:
My daughter got 690V, 750M and 780W. She is planning on applying to some selective colleges (Stanford, Upenn, UVA). She felt that her verbal is low and could improve if she takes it again in Oct. My question is: even if she improves by, say, 50 points, will this make a difference everyhting else being equal? If she takes it again, she needs to spend time preparing. Is this worth retaking?
Thanks.</p>
<p>My daughter also had a 690 CR, with scores of 750+ on the other two sections. She took the SAT again, and got an 800 CR. She prepared very little for the second test, and her scores on the math and writing changed very little.</p>
<p>There is a luck factor in the vocabulary-related sections of the CR. The second time around, my daughter happened to know all of the vocabulary on the test. The first time, she didn't. That's what accounted for the 110-point score difference. </p>
<p>Your daughter might want to look at the detailed score report for her previous SAT. Did she miss CR questions mostly because she had difficulty interpreting the passages, or was it because she didn't know vocabulary words? If it's the latter, she might luck out if she tries again.</p>
<p>I don't think its worth retaking. Her SAT score is above 2200 which is pretty good for any college. She should concentrate on other parts of her college application (essays etc).</p>
<p>Remember that many colleges don't factor in writing. The 690 + 750 gives a 1440. If she feels she can improve her critical reading to the mid 700s, that's much better than a 690 score. The composite total matters little because most colleges only see the individual scores on each section and don't bother adding them all up. 700+ in everything would be very good.</p>
<p>I suspect from this and his other posts that Murasaki places a higher emphasis on the SAT than is warranted. Still, there's zero downside to taking the test again since virtually every college takes the highest score obtained in each section of it. But I wouldn't waste any time worrying about this.</p>
<p>I have posted this before but think the info should not be taken for granted. The College Board on my test return noted that based upon my scores of 720 CR, 740 M 740 W I would statistically do worse if I took the test again in both math and verbal. I would tell you to read your test results document you received from the College Board for your statistical chances of improvemnt if you take the test again.</p>