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"Brilliance", by the way, is not the only quality worth having, and there is no field in which it is sufficient for success, standing alone.)
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<p>True. But a prof seeing a student reatking the SAT because s/he only scored 760 the first time may worry that same student will sit in his or her office arguing why an A- should really have been an A.</p>
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[quote]
I have heard admission officers from Harvard and from other colleges say at public information meetings that it is FINE to take the SAT I more than once, because any applicant can have a bad day, and there is more than one SAT I test date per year just so that applicants can apply with the best score they can obtain. Taking the SAT I up to three times after eighth grade should not be a worry to anyone.
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<p>I would not consider scoring 760 on the SAT "having a bad day." If a student feels that s/he did less well than expected, then by all means that student should retake. But 760 is still within the scoring range. Adcoms usually go by tranches of 50 anyway, so that a 750 is not treated differently than an 800.</p>