<p>800 reading
700 math---I usually do better on this section!
770 writing---8 essay score</p>
<p>NO.
regardless of the college you’ll be applying to, retaking will look like overkill AND will indicate you don’t have your priorities straight. Focus on your school grades, on learning, on finding what subjects you love, on Subject Tests, on your extra curriculars, don’t forget to have fun, and, sometimes, to do nothing.</p>
<p>NO.
Focus on the other aspects of your life. Grades, your hobbies, outside interests,ECs. If need be, take the subject tests . This is a good thing. You’re done with the SAT!! Celebrate and move on to the next challenge.</p>
<p>As we frequently said during my 20+ years as a naval officer, “not only no, but hell no!”. </p>
<p>Not unless you are applying to a very selective school and program where the M score is very important, and you are confident you can raise it. </p>
<p>2250 is a cut-off. This is the 75 percentile of the most selective college in the US. If you retake the SAT with this score in hand it looks to an admissions officer like you are obsessive compulsive or a perfectionist. People who are perfectionists explode when they get to MIT or Caltech and go down in flames. Take the Math Ii Subject test if you really feel it’s necessary to offset a 700 which, by the way, most kids will be thrilled about</p>
So if I’m trying to go in as a Bio major in Cornell, though? Ah, I also have a 800 on the SAT 2 Math level 2…
Definitely no. I have had to resist retaking my SAT because I missed all of the points I lost on my essay (still kinda sad I was close to getting a 2400!), but it works out for me in the long run because the score is still commendable and I’ve been able to focus on other stuff for college to build me up.
A 2270 is something to be proud of! And the 800 Math II score backs up your proficiency in math and then some, so you have no need to worry about your SAT scores at all.
Would any of the top-tier schools cringe at a 700 math though?
@clarinino, have you not been listening to what everyone else is telling you? It really sounds like you’re fishing for someone, anyone to validate a retake of the SAT, but it really should be telling you something that the immediate reaction from several different people is to let it be, and be happy with what you got.
Stop wasting your time and effort worrying about this. Your math score is fine. It is time to move on.
Is Cornell the only school you apply? I don’t think there is an absolute answer but the obvious question is whether you can do a lot better particular in the Math score. If the score is lower than your expectation or practice score and you have time to retake, I don’t see why not. It has been many months since you posted this question originally, so it may be too late to change your plan anyway. Note that a further higher score not only slightly increase your chance for admission at many schools, it may also make you eligible to merit scholarships at some schools. It is a waste of time only if you are not expecting a significant improvement in your Math score. In general, section scores above 700 is good for any school, but engineering schools may want to see higher score in Math section score. Don’t just focus on admission, think about merit scholarships too if you are applying to other schools that offer that.
@Wje9164be 2250 is certainly NOT the cutoff for the 75th percentile of the most selective schools like Mit or Stanford. A 2350 is more like it. Back to answer the actual question asked, no need to retake a 700 Math because the 800 Math 2 overshadows it. Good luck!
You posted the original question in 2014.
My son’s college counselor suggested retaking the SAT if there was room for improvement (in your case, it seems like there is room for improvement on math since you got an 800 on the Math II test). If you have only taken the SAT once or twice, I would have suggested (when you made your original post) retaking the test in the late winter or spring to see if you could get that math score up.
If it is the fall of your senior year, you still have time, but you might have other things to work on - college applications, essays, your senior year course load.
If you are looking at schools like Cornell, I would go ahead and take it one more time.
I agree with Jennings99. Admissions is likely to compare your SAT1 scores with other applicants’s SAT1 scores. Retake it. You’re applying to very selective colleges and while it may not matter much it may make a difference.
With a 700 M score you are below the 50th percentile for most of Cornell’s colleges…retake it.
or take the ACT