I am currently a rising junior who has recently taken 2 SAT Subject Tests. I scored an 800 in chemistry, but only a 760 on math 2 (90th and 64th percentiles, respectively). As for my math aptitude, I am considered to be ok. I took the test armed with only an algebra II class and a Princeton Review 2007 math level 2 review book. I am taking Calc BC next year btw (I am taking a precalc course at a local community college over the summer right now). Will this low score prove to be a detriment on my college application if I am aiming for acceptance at top engineering schools like MIT and Caltech? As of right now, I am interested in either majoring in electrical engineering, civil engineering, or actuarial science. Should I retake the test? Please excuse my naiveness!!
Calling a 760 “low” is just disingenuous, but no, it will not hurt you for almost all colleges. Although for MIT, 75% + of the accepted students will have 780+.
Well, then the 760 was fantastic, since it includes precalc questions. Ideally, you should have waited un till you finished precalc, but that’s water under the bridge. So now with precalc, you probably could score higher with minimal prep. In this case, it’s probably worth your while to try.
Thanks for the reply @skieurope !!I only took the test before taking precalc because I figured why not kill two birds with one stone, since I was more than sufficiently prepared for chem (I had just finished AP Chem). But, after reading your comment above and some careful consideration, I think that I will retake it in late August (by which time my precalc class will be over).
800 on math 2 is always on 81st percentile give or take.
Definitely retake it, but after you have mastered Precalculus and have gotten used to calculus bc. If you are applying to competetive colleges, a lot of students will have 800’s on their math 2 subject tests. Since you are a rising junior, you have a lot of time. I suggest you take it in the fall from October-January or even later if you want.
If you think you will be confident by August, that will work too.
good luck!
For Cal Tech and MIT, you would need to retake it, but they will wonder why you took it early. Did you just take it because you were taking another test?
Yes @theIoniusmonk
There are very few schools that want you to send all SAT Subject Tests, and they aren’t Caltech or MIT. So, if you retake it after Precalc and get a higher score, you can just send that one instead.
I recommend re-taking it in the Spring of your junior year.
You’ll have more direct knowledge onboard and have plenty of time to study for any test-taking strategies.
I disagree. One should, IMO, take a Subject Test in May or June if they are completing the appropriate subject that academic year, regardless of which year it is. In the OP’s case, he’s taking precalc over the summer and will finish in advance of the August test date, so August would be the best time to take the test for him. Any later, he will be so bogged down in calculus topics the it will risk forgetting some earlier topics.
They will wonder no such thing, or at the most, it will be a fleeting thought. AO’s will only spend 10-15 minutes reading an application; there is no time to sit and wonder why an applicant did one thing versus another.
I cocur with @skierope , and will be retaking it in August. Taking it spring of my junior year would not leave me much time to study, as throughout the duration of the school year I am involved heavily in e.c.s in addition to the IB Diploma Program. For some strange reason, my school offers AP Calc but not IB Math HL, and so I am taking AP Calc next year.