<pre><code> Just for a brief background on the issue, I've always been more of a reading and writing kind of person and no so much math.This, inevitably, proved true once again after taking the SAT. I've taken the test twice and my highest scores from the two sittings are a 730 in Writing (great), a 630 in Reading (good), but a 570 in math (mmm..). I'm not sure what to do with that. After taking the SAT for a second time and focusing a lot more on math, I ended up scoring a 540. Now I'm not sure whether or not I should bother taking the SAT for a third time, or simply taking the ACT.The way I see it, since the ACT has four sections I can probably do well enough in the reading, writing and science sections to bring up a possibly low math score.What do you guys think?
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<p>By the way, suppose the 570 was my only low SAT score and I did very well on the SAT Subject Tests, would this somewhat outweigh the math score? And has anyone heard of someone in a similar situation as me and ended up going to a top college despite the dramatically different scores? I would really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions :). Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>My SAT math scores were not the best when I took the SAT, so I switched and took the ACT. You can definitely outweigh your math scores on the ACT, and you may even do better on the ACT math section than the SAT math section, I did. Also, I found when I stopped telling myself that I was bad at math when taking practice tests, I performed better. I don’t know about you, but for me it was most likely a mental thing. Maybe you can try repeating to yourself that you can do it when you get to math section… it may help. I think SAT IIs could definitely make your application look better if you score well on them, so go for it; most top colleges require them anyway, if if you are better at english and other humanities I would suggest taking an SAT II in one of those.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions, 2015girl! You’re right, my sister tells me that I’m too pessimistic and it’s silly to be because it can negatively affect me, which it has. I think that if I focused hard enough on math and was more optimistic about it, I can probably do well:). I will more than likely give the ACT a shot first though.</p>
<p>Beware of the science section on the ACT. It killed my score… well maybe not killed cuz I got a 32, but it was a bad/my lowest section.</p>
<p>Doing really well on the SAT II always help. One section off the SAT that is sub-par isn’t going to be your doom. If you look through the results threads of top schools, you will see that ppl do get in with “okay” test scores, especially if everything else about their app is on point.</p>
<p>Kali22, listen to me, I was in a similar position that you are. My advice:</p>
<p>Unless you have a summer to study for the ACT-- Do not take it. The ACT has many difficult sections, the SAT science is a killer and the SAT math is easier but not by much.</p>
<p>I had a 590 math score and here’s how I brought it up to a 690.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Over come your fear. Imagine the SAT math is a fun reading section you enjoy. Realize that all the concepts on SAT math are basic geometry/operations/thinking problems.</p></li>
<li><p>Realize that 5 minutes is enough to finish at least three questions. I used to panic when I had only 5 minutes left on the test, thinking I would never finish it. Calm down and realize that 5 minutes on the SAT is like 12 minutes.</p></li>
<li><p>For the first 5 or 6 problems do not use a calculator. It will just slow you down. You can answer those questions without a calculator.</p></li>
<li><p>Search for tricks. Whenever you take a practice test and you find yourself spending more than 3 minutes on a problem, research into that problem and figure out how you could have completed that problem faster with a formula. Check xiggi’s book 4 this too.</p></li>
<li><p>Know your geometry. Geometry is perhaps the most difficult part of the SAT because you don’t remember it. Make geometry flashcards to remember the triangle relationships which are big on the SAT.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, my ACT score was a 29. </p>
<p>MY Super score was CR:800, M:690, Writing: 760
If you need any more tips, PM me. i would love to help the next generation of black kids.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips, nil. My problem isn’t so much that I don’t have time to finish, I just can’t seem to figure out many of the problems. I can learn a specific math concept and do very well if I was tested on that concept alone, but I have difficulty retaining these cocepts for future reference. It’s really annoying because I can remember the meaning of words and how sentences should look (I don’t really know grammar rules, I just did the writing section by ear) but numbers are a completely different story and it’s so frustrating. </p>
<p>I really need to put things into perspective and decide what to do next. I’ve been preparing for the SAT for a while and If I move on before I’m satisfied I’ll feel like all that prep was a waste. I’d really like to have a decent math score, even if that means taking it a third time. But I’d really like to take the ACT at least once. What to do what to do…</p>
<p>Take a practice ACT and see what happens before you take it for real. I did slightly better on the ACT math. I got a 31 on the ACT math but a 680 on the SAT.</p>
<p>That’s a good idea, banana. I just found a free official ACT test so if I score atleast a 29, because according to wikipedia that’s about a 1980 on the SAT, then I think I’ll take it.</p>