I took the SAT this past March, and I got a 1540 (790 math and 750 reading) and 17 essay.
My dream school is Columbia, so I want to shoot for the highest scire I can get on the SAT and essay, so I was wondering if it is worth it to retake it?
I do know that I can score higher, as I had been consistent scoring above 1560 on practice tests, but I had a fight with my parents the night before and didn’t get much sleep so that’s why I got a lower score than I expected.
So yeah, should I retake it or is it not worth the trouble?
If you are confident you can get above the 1540 without much more preparing, then by all means go ahead. However, if this would take you a lot more time, you’re probably better off working on other parts of your application.
1540 is already above the 99th percentile. Spend your time on the other parts of your application.
The one thing that you need to consider is that you don’t know what the curve will look like for any future test. I looks like you got 8-9 incorrect (1m, 7-8 EBWR). My DS took the Dec test and got 4 wrong (3M, 1EBRW). His score was a 1520 (750M, 770EBRW).
What about the essay? My counselor advised me to shoot for at least a 20 if I’m looking to go to Columbia, so does that make a difference?
Columbia no longer requires the essay.
@momofsenior1 would you recommend retaking it anyway? Even if it’s optional, there’s probably still a section to report it?
No I would not retake. You have a great score. Move on.
Thanks for all your advice, everyone!