<p>So, my SAT superscore (took it 2 times) is R- 760 W- 770 (12) M-740 (first time my Math score was a 700)</p>
<p>Now, my question is that if i want to apply to SEAS, and my math score is my lowest, should I retake my SAT? I'm okay with the overall score (2270), but just don't feel that this score represents the fact that Math is actually one of my best subjects. Or could I just easily compensate this score by scoring high on the Math II subject test? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>get a 770 - 800 on sat II math level 2 and don't ever retake the SAT even if you don't manage a 770, 2270, is competitive for any college in the country, as is 740 in math, congratulations you're done with the sat reasoning test for the rest of your life :)</p>
<p>I think a 740 is a perfectly respectable score. If you feel really worried still, see how you do on the Math II subject test. If it's too low for you, take the SAT again, but don't worry too much about it. I had a 750 Math II and a 780 SAT Math (an opposite situation), and I received a likely letter. So just kick Math II's arse.</p>
<p>Skramata is dead wrong</p>
<p>if you take the SAT for a THIRD time after getting a 2270 it would raise quite a big red flag. Noone gets rejected for a few points of SAT score at the margins...your 740 is no worse than a 770 for instance....it really makes little to no difference. </p>
<p>As for what "makes up" for this "low" score....your grades are the primary indication of your abilities, not the SAT or the SAT II....there is no point at which your SAT II score would require you in any way to retake the SAT I....if you get below 700 on the SAT II math you should probably retake the SAT II math...simple as that.</p>
<p>ok, thanks everyone! I'm so relieved now that I will never have to look at those SAT books again. LOL</p>
<p>wait do Columbia only look at superscore?</p>
<p>ColumbiaLover, they'll technically see all of your scores on the official College Board report; however, they do superscore it for your official evaluation.</p>
<p>so i talked to my guidance counselor today and she said that I should retake it in October as apparently its really important to break a 2300. Any comments?</p>
<p>nygirl786: Not to say that you shouldn't take it again(you should take it if you honestly feel you can do a lot better), but those scores are more than enough to get you into Columbia(though SAT scores are only a small component of the admissions process). Columbia takes into account the differences in standardized tests(i.e. just a few questions wrong = a 700), so while they may be impressed with a 2400, it will not be much different to them than a 2270, a difference of a mere 130 points; just a few questions.</p>
<p>In short, if you want to take the tests again, do it. But, I think your time is better spent doing other things.</p>
<p>well i didn't really study for December and January was hell month. What the heck. I'll do several practice tests before the october one and see how it goes. I hate standardized tests!</p>
<p>If you feel like you can do better, take it again. However, understand that there's nothing magic about 2300.</p>
<p>"as apparently its really important to break a 2300. Any comments?"</p>
<p>yes, this is a really dumb suggestion, please don't waste your time, no religiosity surrounds the 2300 figure, i realize the SAT's importance but it's exclusive and not inclusive, that means it could exclude you from consideration if you have like a 1800-1900 and nothing stellar, but it will not get you in if you have a high score. A 2270 is practically as good as a 2350, no real advantage here, plus you do run the risk of messing up and getting a 2200 or so, which would make your effort a complete and unforgivable waste of time, what if you fall sick come test day, or just mess up. a 2270 is above the 75th percentile of accepted applicants at columbia and i'm guessing, above the average accepted applicant everywhere. so a 2350 vs a 2270 is meaningless, perhaps there is a miniscule benefit, but time can be much better spent, it sounds absolutely absurd to me that the columbia ad com would say 'hmm this person is a strong applicant, but the 2270 makes the difference - sorry."</p>
<p>nygirl, listen to me very carefully: your score is just fine. You have a very good SAT score. The difference between a 740 in math and an 800 is 2 missed questions, clearly within the realm of "careless errors" rather than lack of understanding or insight. Who knows, you may have transposed two answers on the scantron sheet. But Columbia understands this, they know that anyone who can get a 2270 is "smarter than the test" and there's no real difference between that person and a 2400.</p>
<p>Trust me when I say that the time you would spend studying for and taking the exam again would be better spent elsewhere. In this single case, there IS such a thing as "good enough" for college admissions. In most other areas, there is not. Working harder in your classes, putting more time into your science fair project or whatever else is a passion for you, that will be time much better spent.</p>
<p>Your guidance counselor has fallen into the trap of thinking that what is quantifiable is all that is important. Because nothing else in the application follows something as neat and easy as a numerical system, they assume that it carries more weight, or that simple effort will result in an improvement. They are missing the fact that improvement here is largely meaningless. Many, many people that I knew in college had lesser SAT scores and got into Columbia. The difference between their application and the next 4 or 5 people who had similar scores was in the other sides to their application. Focus on those.</p>
<p>You've done it enough. IIRC, at your score levels, the chances are better that you will go down rather than go up. It is very unlikely that your math score will improve enough to compensate for the time you will have to invest and for the sense of obsession you will convey. If you feel you absolutely must do this, take the test one last time after all your other testing has been completed and your scores have already been sent to colleges. Then you can choose whether or not to send the final results.</p>
<p>I am a former Ivy admission officer and was a college counselor in a high-powered private school for many years.</p>
<p>A 2300 would be nice, but even if colleges superscore your three tests I can't believe that there isn't some intangible attachment with the fact that you took it three times. It's not worth the aggravation I don't think. Worry more about your subject tests, I think colleges evaluate those a lot more than people think they do.</p>
<p>wow, i didn't expect all these replies. But, I definitely appreciate everyone's input, and I agree. I know that there are a billion other things I would much rather be doing than spending my summer studying for a standardized test. Once again, thanks for all your help.</p>