<p>BIO M: 750
Chem: 750
Math 2: 800
US: 690
Spanish: 680</p>
<p>I was planning to send in my bio, chem, and math but I heard that many of the top colleges prefer you to show knowledge in a broad range of subjects rather than just science and math. Should I retake US history and aim for 800 and replace chem/biology with it? Or just send in the top 3 as is. I'm still planning to retake the SAT in october and possibly november</p>
<p>Retake US History, it’ll show more variety in your test scores
and nice job with Math 2! haha</p>
<p>Umm i recommend you retake US history, BIO and Chem. Just for more 800’s. If you’re applying to top colleges, that is.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to @UMTYMP2015. You’re fine. You don’t need 800’s for every test. </p>
<p>@Hawkace is right. You don’t need to re-take. Send in your top three scores, and consider sending the sub-700s.</p>
<p>If you’re applying to the Ivies/MIT/Stanford/Cal, then send the 750s and 800s. Don’t send the sub-700s though; instead, if you plan on sending, retake for at least a 750+.</p>
<p>you want to get in? Then sending an 800 is better than sending a 750. Simple</p>
<p>Ignore @UMTYMP2015. Colleges aren’t unreasonable. They aren’t going to expect everyone to be perfect and they aren’t going to reject someone because they have a 750 instead of 800.</p>
<p>@AnnieBeats
You obviously did not read my words. Don’t retake is because the 750 might get you rejected, because it won’t get you rejected. You should retake the tests because an 800 might get you accepted, among a sea of imperfection.</p>
<p>It is not difficult to get perfect scores on SAT 2 Science and History tests, the curves are very generous, and the subjects are generally what one would learn in school. The amount of work is takes to get that 800 is dwarfed by the immediate benefit the 800 with bring.</p>
<p>Its like arguing that a 2250 (750x3) is just as good as a 2400 (800x3) on the SAT. Both take a lot of hard work, and both are achievable only through hard work… However the 2400 will be chosen any day over the 2250…</p>
<p>@UMTYMP2015 You are incorrect. 2400 and 2250 are looked at exactly the same and that extra 150 isn’t gonna be what gets you into Harvard. It is hard to get perfect scores on every subject test. You just said yourself that it takes hard work. You are giving bad advice.</p>
<p>OP, try to bring up your test scores for history and foreign language. Some schools will only look at two, and you want to submit your strongest. It won’t hurt you if you submit STEM only. It will just show your passions. Perhaps it will help you have a broader range of skills, but not getting 780 in US History will not be what keeps you out of a top school. They will look at more than just test scores. </p>
<p>@ UMTYMP2015 Yes, you are correct that a 2400 will be chosen over a 2250, but this only results from misconceptions about the Common Data Set from HYPSM. Getting a 2400 is associated with a higher admittance rate, but that’s not because of the score itself but rather the other strengths that the applicant has. Students who score 2400s on the SAT also tend to be exceptionally gifted and academically strong. Thus, while it is certain that we humans tend to reward perfection, even if it is by a slight margin of 150 points, it’s not because of the perfection itself that students with 2400s are admitted at a higher rate than those with 2250s.</p>
<p>Also, @AnnieBeats, yes, they look at more than just test scores in the so-called “holistic review” process. However, it’s indisputable that GPA and test scores matter the most. And this is why test scores are often stressed over, and should generally be near perfect if possible: GPA is a long-term devotion that has to be maintained over the years, whereas test scores are simply a single sitting and so easily pivoted to the student’s advantage. Test scores are so critical in that the often second most major component in a college admissions council’s decision of acceptance can be perfected and controlled through just pure preparation. There’s no bad teachers or unfair grading schemes; the student himself or herself can control what scores they obtain.</p>
<p>So yes, while a 750 and 800 have “apparently no difference” in college decisions, think about how easily they can be perfected over GPA, in which you DON’T have second chances if you screw up, and their nearly equal weight. Taking a test takes only one hour, and preparation should be accumulated already; this is much more simple than entering Intel STS or playing at Carnegie Hall, albeit less impressive, but still similarly crucial. In that sense, for applying to an exceptionally elite top university such as HYPSM, it might just be worth this student’s time to retake if he or she have extra time, or if he or she feels that his or her “other components” of the college application, or rather, as @AnnieBeats says, his or her “more than just test scores” are lacking in quality and weak, in which case getting near perfect or perfect scores would be crucial to be considered on par with others who do hold such accomplishments.</p>