I’m a junior at a very competitive public high school. I scored a 1540 (rip) on my SAT with a full score on my essay. Should I retake it?? I’m afraid I’ll do worse the second time, but everyone’s saying that I need to get at least a 1550.
That’s ridiculous. You have a fantastic score. No need to retake. But what do you mean by a full score on the essay?
@Lindagaf OP Probably means perfect 8/8/8 essay.
@Lindagaf Ah, thank you. A 1540 isn’t anything noteworthy from my school/nearby schools. I have been advised to try a second time, but I’ve also heard a 1540 isn’t really different from, say, a 1560 or above. Thoughts on that?
It’s top 1% you are fine.
My thoughts haven’t changed. And stop listening to other kids who don’t have a clue.
lol okay, thanks for the advice everyone!
It depends on what schools you are aiming at and if you want to get merit scholarships. For my D’s school 1540 is above admission average but below the 75th percentile. It may get admitted with around 50% chance but will not get merit aid. Note that the new SAT score is slightly inflated proportionally when compared to the old SAT score.
@billcsho Oh, I see. I assumed most people got need-based financial aid. I’ll think about it, but at least I have a baseline score. Thanks.
@billcsho , surely a college where 1540 is below the75th percentile wouldn’t have merit aid?
You think they will offer merit aid to over 25% of students?
No, but I am trying to think of any college with test scores that high that would offer merit aid. Not trying to figure out where your child goes or anything. Maybe WUSTL.
Note that the new SAT score is relatively inflated. New SAT score at 1540 is only around 2250-2260 of the old SAT. For significant merit scholarships, you need to be within the top few percentile. The 75th percentile is just as a reference and is far from the requirement. There are quite a few schools that offer merit scholarships with 75th percentile scores higher than that. It is not difficult to find out the admission stat from those schools.
@billcsho , only 1540-2250 is still an excellent score. My kid scored that and was offered all kinds of great merit.
Stick with the 1540. You’re in the 99th % on a single try. A second try might produce a worse result and for many of the top schools you have to provide all scores.
Your admission to top schools is not going to hinge on whether you got a 1540 or a 1580 on the SAT.
As for the concordance tables for old/new SAT, there is mounting evidence that they are flawed, especially for the upper end of scorers (1400+) There is a huge thread on this very topic here on CC. While the jury is still out, a number of very competitive schools that have reported SAT ranges for this year’s applicants have seen little difference, if any, when comparing to the applicant pool from the previous year (old SAT).
Congrats on your fine result. You should feel proud!
Of course that score would get you merit aids at many schools, but not any school. Everything is relative. If it is at or below the 75th percentile of that school, it is not likely to get any. There are quite a few popular public flagships with stat like that. As OP has that stat, he/she is likely looking at those schools too. Again, my original response to OP is “It depends on what schools you are aiming at AND if you want to get merit scholarships”. It does not matter what your kids or my D got from whichever school. Retaking at this score level is only advisable for merit aid purpose.
it’s tough to evaluate some of these SAT questions without some context - what schools are you interested in, what’s you major, family context, URM etc.? A 1540, or any score, is not interpreted in only way.
@theloniusmonk I’m planning on majoring in chemistry with a minor in English/creative writing. Stanford’s been my dream school since I was 6, but I know that’s pretty much unobtainable lol.
Frankly, I’m interested in highly ranked colleges where I will receive a thorough education along with the prestige. But I have put some thought into it (I plan on researching more over the summer and drawing up a list of colleges and how I would fit in): a college counselor from Yale came to my school a couple of months ago and really sold me (he was so articulate and idk bright, very passionate); I love UChicago’s quirky emails/letters (and they’re academically strong with gorgeous, gothic-style architecture); I spent 2 weeks at JHU last summer and had a fantastic time, plus I have a friend who goes there and she loves the school; Vandy and WashU are both great for science majors; etc.
They’re all a crapshoot though, and I’m well aware that there are students with perfect scores who apply annually. So I guess my questions is whether a 1540 will slot me significantly lower than them right off the bat.
Look, your score is very high. At that level, an extra ten or even thirty points is NOT going to be the difference between admit and deny. You are in the top 1% and that’s what matters. Take it again or not, because you surely realize that with your score as it is, it will be other factors that get you in.
Bear in mind that some colleges want all test scores even if they only consider the highest ones. Something like forty percent of students do worse on a retake, if they already have a high score. So that might be worth considering.
@lindagaf Yeah, that is my primary concern about retaking the test. I think I’ll focus on other standardized tests first. Thanks for the advice, everyone!