<p>The first time I took the SAT I got an 800 on the math section but i'm taking the test again due to a subpar critical reading score. Let's say that on the second time i take the exam i don't do quite as well as the first time on the math section. Will it even matter?</p>
<p>It depends on the college you apply to. Many colleges do superscore, but there are many that don’t.</p>
<p>Having said that, if you drop from 800 to, say, 780, even the colleges that don’t superscore aren’t going to care.</p>
<p>Unless you got lucky guessing the first time, there’s no reason your mark should drop.
Yeah, it depends on the university your applying to, MIT doesn’t want anything under 800 math. (With some rare cases)</p>
<p>pm89 - shut up…</p>
<p>I was the exact same, I got an 800 on my March SAT but it went down on the June SAT (albeit a 780)
I don’t think it matters too much. I don’t really plan on sending my March SAT anywhere. (Well besides BC which I put down for as one of the four free score reports)</p>
<p>pm89, what the heck are you talking about? MIT admits under 800 math scores ALL THE TIME. They don’t want a class who can only ace a SAT Math test. They want a flexible, unique, and smart class. Being smart is NOT the same as getting a 800 in math and colleges know that.</p>
<p>Like everyone else (except pm89) said, it won’t matter. If the college superscores, then it really doesn’t matter. If they don’t a drop from like 800 to 770 will not matter even to HYPSM. Besides, most colleges superscore.</p>
<p>lol, pm89. Either that was sarcasm or you are lost.</p>
<p>I agree that a ~20 point drop in your math score won’t make much difference, but it will be very bad if you study like mad for CR and let your other scores drop significantly - this shows inconsistency, which colleges don’t like. My advice is to not go into the test center relying on the superscoring system, especially if you’re aiming for top schools, some of which don’t allow score-choice or superscore and will look at all your scores from all sittings.</p>
<p>Work on your weaker areas the most, but don’t forget to add in the occasional practice section for areas you’re confident with, just so you stay familiar with the format and the types of questions.</p>