SAT subject tests -- should I retake?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I took the three SAT subject tests in May and recently received my scores and am wondering if I should retake them or not.
Literature: minimal preparation and got a 660, placing me in the 58 percentile
Mathematics 2: 680, also with minimal preparation, placing me in the 41 percentile
US History: 730 with lots of preparation, as I was also taking the APUSH exam the day before the subject tests.

The schools I will be submitting these scores to would be Northwestern, Tufts and Georgetown.

I think that I will stick with my US History score and not retake it as I felt decent about it and did a lot of studying and prep so I’m not sure I could improve. However, I’m considering retaking the Literature and especially Math, though the biggest issue for me on math was timing, so I’m not sure how much I could improve my scores.

How will my current scores look to the schools I’m applying to and do you think I should retake it?
If so, what should I do to prep and what scores do you think I should be aiming for?
Thanks so much!

2

You will need all scores > 700 to be competitive at Gtown Nwestern and Tufts. So yes, retake

3

@sgopal2 do you think having the 730 on the US history one is ok?

4

Any score starting with a 7 is not worth retaking. Don’t get too hung up on percentiles. The pools the subject test percentiles are based on are all much more competitive than the regular SAT, with math 2 being the most brutal pool of them all.

The high 600’s is a tough place to be: very respectable but oh-so-close to that golden 7. You might take some practice tests and just prep for and just retake the one that you think will be easier to get to the 700. If you’re a STEM major, the math 2 will be the more important one.

5

I agree with @aroundhere. No need to retake a 730. Focus on the other subject tests

For Math 2 try the Dr Chung’s prep book. It is much harder than the real test, and lots of students get 800s after completing the book