I earned an 790 on Math Level 2 Subject Test and I’m going for top 20 schools. Should I retake? Will I be at a disadvantage?
No
this is a kind of a crazy question. what is this world coming to?
No
Lol, Joe. If OP really knew the T20 schools, he or she would be working on the rest of what matters. That’s what can keep you out, not 10 more points on a test, when you’re well past that bar.
Are you serious?
You are at a disadvantage that you think this matters and don’t really know what’s important to T20 schools.
Yes. You need to retake. A 790 is only about the 74th percentile. That’s horrible!! Additionally, it means you had to have gotten about 6 answers incorrect. That’s unacceptable for T20. Indeed, an 800 is not much better as it’s only about 79th percentile.
Fortunately, the College Board has recently added a new score for Math 2 - 800*, which indicates that the applicant had a perfect score with all questions answered correctly. This is the new gold standard, and is really the only acceptable score if applying to T20.
And if you believe all that, I have a bridge to sell you. 
Lazarchseter’s concern is legitimate, as he (I assume) is aware of the 790 being the 78th percentile, or 22 percent of the test takers had scored higher, which appears to some applicants as “inadequate”, for not being in the top 5%.
Some folks seem to think that a raw score is the most important thing. It’s not. An applicant is compared to other applicants. 790 is 79th percentile. While a different animal, 79th percentile on the Math SAT is 620. Is 620 and 800 close enough, that someone should be mocked for wanting to retake a 620?
OP, what majors and schools are you looking at? If STEM at MIT, Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and maybe one or two others, I’d say it may be worth another shot if you think an 800 is realistic. When there are thousands of Math2 800s, a 790 is different. At most other schools it’s fine.
If you’re applying to MIT or CalTech, definitely retake.
If you’re applying to a math focused STEM major, I’d retake.
Everything else, definitely move on.
I would think there are better things to do with your time. Like nail the application and essays.
Hello, could you pls advise prep book for Math level 2? I already finishing up tests from Princiton Review and I heard Barrons is unnecessary lot harder than actual exam? Pls advise. Thanks,
MIT not only dropped its subject test requirement, but won’t even look at them if submitted. The % difference is so small between a 790 and 800. If it were my child, I would not suggest he retest.
@havenoidea is correct. MIT won’t consider subject test scores anymore. Neither will Caltech. Better check the new test guidance provided by the schools you are interested in. Note that some no longer “require” subject tests but will accept and consider them. MIT won’t consider if provided.
If you want to take the test, after considering the advice above, I think Barron’s is the best choice. I’d rather be fully/over-prepared than under-prepared.
@richinpitt I am not sure you can really make that comparison to the regular Math SAT. Math 2 is one of the self selecting subject tests, in that the majority of people who take it are very good at Math - everyone gets to take the Math section of the SAT regardless of math prowess. It is similar to when people assume that Calc BC is “easy” because a large percentage of test takers get a “5”. Again, Calc BC is by definition self selecting of those who are on the upper end of the math spectrum - the creative and artsy non math person is unlikely to be opting in for a hard core calc AP. To me, if the narrative is good with strong math and stem focused grades and APs with 5s in the classes that matter, a 790 will just be another validation that this is a strong math student who is not caught up in the process of grade grubbing and is providing the ST because they are required / recommended by the school. I don’t believe that any single grade or result should be extrapolated to infer the whole story. Just my 2 cents.
lol if you got the time???
I don’t believe anyone said it should.
But every data point is an opportunity for differentiation. At very top schools, when everyone has 10 AP courses and 99th percentile on all tests, they are combing the fine granular data for differentiation.
When your 25th percentile score is an 800, a 790 diffentiates from the bulk of accepted students.
MIT and Caltech have changed their admissions criteria since this question was asked nearly a year ago, as have CMU, so the choice for OP (which likely made this decision long ago) depends on the “top twenty” schools being targeted. Ivy’s likely have different score profiles.
The OP asked the question a year ago. I think any decision would have been made by now. Closing thread.