<p>This thread might seem to fit more with the SAT/ACT forum, but I'm hoping parents--who've had their kids change majors in college, have gone through the job search process themselves, etc.--will offer me more perspective.</p>
<p>I'm a senior right now. I actually just finished applying to colleges...about an hour ago. :P</p>
<p>Although it wouldn't affect admissions, I've been thinking about taking more SAT IIs in April and May. The reason is because my older sister, who's a current college senior (history and IR double major), told me that she would have transferred into engineering if only she had had high enough math and science SAT scores. She also said that she wished she could re-take her SAT I, since many job recruiters are requesting her scores. Many consultant firms are also looking for students who have demonstrated proficiency in a wide breadth of subjects. </p>
<p>IMHO, my scores are pretty decent over all:
SAT I superscore: 2370 (two testings)
World History: 770
Chinese: 800
Math II: 800
Literature: 800
Physics: 720 -- which is 65th percentile, and doesn't make me very happy.</p>
<p>After talking to my sister, though, I've been wondering: should I re-take physics, just in case I happen to want to transfer into engineering later on? What about Spanish? Should I retake the SAT just to get a higher one-time score (my highest single testing is 2300)?</p>
<p>I want to keep my options open in the future, but I also don't want to waste money. Just applying to college was expensive enough.</p>
<p>No. YOu should not retake the SAT to get a higher single-sitting score.</p>
<p>720 is a good physics score, although not as stellar as your others. IDK what schools you are considering and what your original intended major is. Personally, I’ve never heard of schools looking at SAT scores to determine whether a current student can change majors… but maybe some schools do that.</p>
<p>I’ve also never heard of potential employers looking at SAT scores. Transcripts to verify degree, yes. But SAT scores?</p>
<p>“Demonstrate proficiency in a wide range of subjects” - a score of 720 is beyond proficient.</p>
<p>I’m confused about how schools would use the SAT II scores to allow or disallow people to change majors? What about the people who did not take the SAT II exams in hs? Are they required to take them as college students in order to determine if they “qualify” for a different major? Is that even allowed?</p>
<p>Some colleges use Subject Test scores for foreign language placement. So, it may be worth taking the Spanish test for that purpose. AP scores can also be used, so if you are taking AP Spanish, it wouldn’t necessarily be needed.</p>
<p>As to retaking physics, I don’t know if any colleges would consider Subject Test scores for transferring between schools. Are you taking physics again this year, e.g. AP Physics this year after regular Physics last year? That is the only circumstance where I can imagine taking Physics again.</p>
<p>For the SAT, I don’t think it makes sense to retake.</p>
<p>If you are planning to continue to study Spanish, you might want to take the SAT Subject Test for placement purposes. But many colleges offer or require their own language placement tests instead. It might make sense to wait until after you have your acceptances in hand before deciding whether to take the SAT Subject Test in Spanish in June.</p>
<p>Some employers do indeed request SAT scores; my daughter, who is a college senior, had to provide them to several of the companies she applied to during on-campus recruiting. Your scores are plenty high enough for this purpose; you don’t have to worry about them.</p>
<p>You have outstanding scores already. Rather than spending time prepping and taking more SATs, why don’t you do something that would really be of benefit - volunteer somewhere to get experience and serve your community, work to make some money, exercise to maintain your fitness level, do chores to help your family - all of these uses of your time make much more sense!
Your physics score is fine - you are being compared with all other students who choose this subject test -already a selective group - and you are well prepared to excel in physics in college if you choose to do this.</p>
<p>The only thing I can imagine taking is Spanish for placement. I know that some firms supposedly do ask for SAT scores - I think that’s just nuts, but whatever, in any event your scores are certainly high enough. I’d be surprised if even your physics score would keep you out of engineering, but you could always check with the places you’ve applied. Shouldn’t be too many phone calls.</p>
<p>Do not retake the Physics SAT. Or any SAT. I think your sister is making excuses and second guessing what she did and didn’t do. Tell her not to get discouraged, it is just a tough job market. She probably did nothing wrong.</p>
<p>My S just graduated in EE. He says only IB (investment banking) recruiters have any interest in his standardized test score (which were similar to yours). He doesn’t plan to work in IB & the engineering internships & jobs he applied for were happy with his transcript & references. I think it would be useful for you to try shadowing or volunteering or get a part-time job to help you figure out what you’d be interested in.</p>
<p>S also took AP Physics AB & BC and the AP tests for those, which got him college credit.</p>
<p>IR & history might not be the most marketable combination of fields with the current economy, but maybe your sister could volunteer for an organization she’s interested in to “get her foot in the door,” and see if it might turn into a job.</p>
<p>For those of you who were asked for standardized test scores during job interviews - were those SAT subject tests or just SAT reasoning or ACT? Or, was it left open?
My son works for an IB firm and I never thought to ask him whether the selection process included consideration of his test scores! I do know that he had to complete a grammar test - paragraph correction - as part of the process.</p>
<p>I can’t believe that employers are actually asking for SAT scores! As a person who always did really well on such tests, I used to devoutly wish that I could use my GREs and SATs to get a job. </p>