<p>I'm applying to Columbia, and I'm not sure whether to take SAT II Lit or SAT I in Jan. I already have 770 on US hist and 790 on IIC, but I got a 600 on Nov SAT II lit, and in Dec I got 2040 on my SAT I down from 2110 on June (My combined is 2130 though). Is the 600 on the SAT II lit going to hurt me for Columbia admission, or will they just disreagrd that since they say they only accept two? Also, I know that Columbia only takes the highest score for each section on the SAT I, and I want to know if my recent 2040 is going to hurt me, even though my combined is 2130. Should I retake SAT I (I know I can get higher than 2130 this time, but it will be my 4th time taking the New SAT I, and my 6th time total; 2 old.) Will they have time to consider Jan SAT I?</p>
<p>Your recent lower SAT I score WILL NOT hurt you. But since they only take 2 SAT IIs, the Lit one won't hurt either. To me it's a no-brainer: take the SAT I.</p>
<p>Typically if you take the SAT I more than three times, a college will average the scores instead of taking the best verbal and the best math. As in everything else, it isn't a hard and fast rule everywhere.</p>
<p>dufus: Uh, where have you heard this? I don't know of a single college that does that.</p>
<p>Are you sure my recent lower SAT I won't hurt me, I have heard that lower scores can hurt admission. Also, will it hurt me for the Adcoms to know that this is my 4th time taking the SATs I?</p>
<p>syn: If it is true that some colleges will average scores instead of picking the best V and M if you take the test more than three times, then I agree that it is a little known fact. However, it does sound likely for those people who take the SAT seven or eight times. There are people who start taking it in frosh/soph year and take it a couple of times each year.</p>
<p>At any rate, my reference is "Making It Into A Top College" by Greene. It is a ridiculously long guide at 490 pages. Working against it is the fact that it was published in 2000, but that probably doesn't hurt its accuracy on something like this. It says "We urge you to take no more than three SAT I tests for the following reasons: ... Taking the test too many times looks as though you are obsessing .... For students with five or six SAT I tests, colleges may elect to average all of those scores, depriving you of your best scores. Additionally, for new scores to be higher in a statistically significant way, they need to be thirty or forty points above the previous scores."</p>
<p>In rereading my previous comment, I think I probably stated it too strongly this time.</p>
<p>Oooooooo I totally missed that you had already taken it 3 times. I thought you'd only taken it two. The way I've heard it stated, most colleges average after 3 times, so DON'T DO IT. Take the SATIIs, but only pay for the 2 best scoring tests you had last time and try to improve them. Your recent low SAT I score WILL NOT hurt you.</p>
<p>Ooooooo that is unless one of your times taking the SAT I was like 2 years ago, in which case that score won't typically be counted towards your 3 by the college.</p>