I got a 1540 on my last SAT, and am not sure whether or not I should retake it. I don’t know if colleges care about a couple points difference. I know the SAT is only one part of the application, however, many prestigious colleges have a higher average. Moreover, my essay score wasn’t as well as my first one. What are your suggestions?
Don’t retake a 1540. That is a fantastic score and will not stop you from getting into top schools. Great job!
I would say retake it if you are very sure you can get an even higher score AND a new highest score for your essays (and by that I mean like going from a 5/5/5 to a 7/7/7, just giving examples). If you are not at least 95% sure that you can accomplish that, I would say just stick with your current score. After all, colleges don’t care that much (have been caring less each year) about the SAT essay score. They know that a good essay cannot be produced in 40 minutes and that writing styles might affect the grading.
A 1540 will not keep you out of any college. Don’t retake.