Hi all,
I got a 1530 on the December SAT (740R/790M), but I did bad on the essay portion (7/5/6). I don’t know what happened as I thought the essay was extremely easy. I am planning on applying for the more selective colleges (top UCs, Ivys, 7 year med programs, etc.), and don’t know if I should retake for a better composite and essay score.
Please let me know soon.
Are you a junior or a senior? The UCs only take test scores up to the December sitting.
I’m a junior.
Top schools barely look at the essay score, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
Ok, Thanks!
If you think you can improve upon your Reading/Writing score then retake it, otherwise there is not a huge difference between a 1530 and a 1600. Congratulations on such a great score so early into the process.
@IN4655 I would beg to differ with the statement “there is not a huge difference between a 1530 and a 1600”. 1530 is around a 2230 in “old sat terms”, which was certainly not treated the same as 2400 (thus there is a huge difference between the two). I could see 2330+ or maybe 2300+ being treated the same as 2400, but to say 2230 is pretty much 2400 is simply incorrect.
@VenomBuds I said the difference was not “huge”. There clearly is a difference, but it is not a significant one. A 1530 will not exclude you from any schools, while a 1600 will not guarantee you access to any schools. While I’d agree that a person with a 1600 has a better chance of entry, if you do not think that you can improve your SAT scores by that much it won’t matter as long as you are focusing on the other part of your application.
The question is what qualifies you for a 7 year bs/md program?
Does your SAT score greatly impact your application??
Clarinetdad16: I actually don’t know that much about how admission officers review 7 year med programs. I just know that these programs are very competitive and hard to get into, so I assume a high SAT score is needed.
Thank you IN4655 for the advice. I am planning on maybe taking the ACT instead of the SAT later next year and am aiming for 33+.