I have already took the sat 3 times already but I didn’t get a chance to study so I made below a 1100,I’m planing on retaking the sat for the 4th time in August do you think it’s okay to take it for the 4th time? I have faith I could make at least 1500 this time, Would taking the sat so many times affect my acceptance to a college? I’m planing on applying to Harvard, currently I have a 4.1gpa and I speak 5 languages and have spend my recent years traveling to different countries. Do you think I have a chance?
Are you doing SAT preparation this time? Getting an 1100 three times does not bode well for the fourth time getting a 1500 (at least in my limited experience).
With an 1100, my guess is that your chances at Harvard will require that you be a president’s child, win a Nobel prize, have a parent donate enough money to have a building named after you, or forget it. There are a lot of test-optional schools which you might want to consider. You definitely need to be thinking about schools other than Ivy League and equivalent.
Thanks for commenting I am considering to apply to other colleges too such as Emory ,uga etc… Due to family issues I wasn’t able to study for the sat but this time I do currently I have registered in prep classes and have been studying and taking official sat Practice Test and have raised my score to the 1400s I think with two month left I can make it to 1500
How are your grades?
4.1 weighted or unweighted? Also, Emory is a difficult school to get into; I don’t know people take these kinds of schools for a grain of salt.
Definitely take the SAT again. Because you have score choice, colleges don’t necessarily know how many times you took it (unless they really really want to find out but what are the chances?).
We barely know your ECs so we can’t really make the right judgement call on your chances of getting into the “Ivies”. You know that there are many other great schools like Duke, WashU, Vandy, etc that match or come really close to the ivy league schools?
Basically the college process is a crapshoot (you probs heard that word like a hundred times lol); you never know the result unless you apply. Miracles always happen. Try your best to fill out your resume to the max and definitely improve your gpa if it is weighted (unless you are getting some A+s with all As then I guess it’s feasible you have a 4.1 unweighted gpa).
I can’t believe you took the test 3 times and didn’t prepare for it once. Basically you have been using the real test for practice but without the benefit of a real practice test that you can learn from the answers of the missed question. If you did not have time to prepare for the test, you do not have time to waste either. Speaking multiple languages and traveling around the world would not give you much edge in college application. Former one is not that unusual and the latter just reflect the wealth of your family. If you need to take the SAT 4th time to get a better score, go for it. It may have a minor negative effect for those schools that want all scores, but you will have no chance otherwise. As of now, you have no chance for any of the schools you mentioned. To get a 400+ boost in the new SAT (1600 max) is very very difficult. Having 3 SAT scores below 1100 suggests you have some required knowledge missing, much more than a test technique issue. The difference between <1100 and 1500+ in SAT basically means from an average student to a top 1%. You are still competitive in around half of the schools in the country, but you should not focus on the top 50 schools.
I can’t believe you took the SAT three times and couldn’t get a score higher than barely above average…
A 1400 is still pretty bad for Harvard, and even a 1500 might not cut it. What is your unweighted GPA? What extracurriculars do you have besides just ‘traveling’? Harvard wants more from you than just being smart…
Like others have said, what you need to work on most are your expectations, then your SAT score. No SAT score will get you into Harvard, and no amount of high grades, extracurriculars, awards, etc. will guarantee your acceptance either.
Once you understand that, then you must begin studying. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like you are going to score a 1500. An 1100 is far lower, and studying is very unlikely going to get you that high – no matter how much. Going into an SAT blind, you would have had to score at least a 1300 to have a good chance of achieving your goal… and you didn’t take it blind, you’ve taken it three times.
That said, you should still actually prepare this time, and you should absolutely sign up for the September ACT as well. Download free online tests, and do as many practice sections and full exams as you can – I’d recommend not spending a dime on anything other than the official ACT and SAT books. First, determine which test you are better at, then highlight your weakness and your strengths after doing multiple tests/sections. Find out exactly which math problems mess you up, which grammar problems mess you up, etc. Then, go online to find videos and advice for those specific aspects of the test. This is not something you are going to be able to do overnight, as you seem to think. If you put in the effort, there won’t be any surprises, and you should do well. Good luck!
Hopefully you are typing from your phone. Otherwise, your grammar is very poor in your posts and could be one reason for the low scores.
lol ^
You need to have great EC’s, even if you somehow make a 1500 after 3 times failing.