<p>Hey everyone! I'm new to the whole CollegeConfidential thing, but I took my SATs twice already. </p>
<p>Once in January of 2011. I got a 1950 - 580 in Critical Reading, 680 in Math, and 690 in Writing. </p>
<p>I retook it in March of 2011 and got a 2200 - 800 in Writing, 740 in Math and a 660 in Critical Reading. </p>
<p>For some reason, I don't know if I reached my threshold for Critical Reading but I know I can get a perfect score in Math. </p>
<p>I don't think I should take the SAT more than 2 times though because I heard it doesn't look good for college admissions. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? </p>
<p>Is a 2200 good enough with a 1400 base score if I'm applying to only Ivy League Universities? The SAT is a very grueling test and I don't want to have to endure another 4 hours of it. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I would say that it doesn’t look bad to take it 3 times, but any more than that might seem bad. I would go for it, because most often people get a higher grade the more times they take the test. Who knows, you might get a 2300 next time.</p>
<p>these scores sound just like mine…i got a 2210 (800W, 650CR, 760M)
looks like we have the same strengths!
i am also not sure if i should take it again but i am worried about the reading. i would definitely say, though, that taking it 3 times does not look bad.</p>
<p>hey just wondering what did you do to increase your reading score like that? My other scores are fine I have a 1900 but with a pathetic CR of 550. I know the vocabulary so how did you improve on the critical reading what book did you use?</p>
<p>What I basically did was read through the ENTIRE Kaplan Critical Reading book, and took the 3 practice exams at the back during the 1 month refractory period between January and March. </p>
<p>People seem to always say that to do well on the Critical Reading, you must READ religiously…meaning A LOT over the course of several months.</p>
<p>While this may be true, it isn’t always. Just the progression of time alone seems to have a positive CORRELATION with an increase in Critical Reading score. So, there is no causation–just because you wait 5 months before taking the SAT again doesn’t mean your critical reading score will increase by 100 points. </p>
<p>There has been only about 1 case out of maybe a 100 of my friends in which they did worse on the Critical Reading when retaking it several months later. It’s ALMOST guaranteed that your Critical Reading score will increase. HOW MUCH it increases depends on your Critical Reading threshold, time elapsed, and proper preparation.</p>
<p>It seems to be like a 95% correlation. </p>
<p>So basically, if you really want to do well, read through the entire Kaplan book devoted to solely Critical Reading, read a bit more (articles, books, etc.), and wait a few months before retaking it. </p>
<p>I retook mine 1 month later and only improved by 80 points. If you’re looking to improve by at least 100 points, wait until June or even next year if you’re only a sophomore. </p>
<p>Hope this helps. :)</p>
<p>Ivy League schools look for a lot more than just SAT scores; you can look on the specific sites of the colleges that interest you. That being said, if you don’t have a hook, than 2200 is at the low end of HYPSM means. You can certainly take them a third time, but you are raking a chance to decrease your 800 in Writing. Concentrate on your ECs and pursue an interest that really moves you. They want to know how you will enhance their pool of students and bring that passion to their schools, IMO.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Dont worry about dropping in one part of the SAT. Its “superscored” according to my guidance counselor. ie. they they the highest you did for each section.</p>
<p>If you are ready to spend time preparing for and taking the test, I don’t see any reason not to ratake. In particular, I think that the idea of “not taking SAT more than x times because it may look bad in you app” is extremely ill-advised: firts of all, most Ivies and other top colleges do not require you to send all test scores, and, even for those that do, I see no problem in taking the exam multiple times provided your scores keep increasing. What does it actually show? In my opinion, it only shows that you are commited enough to keep studying and, most importantly, that you are intelligente enough to study efficiently and improve each time more - both perfect reasons to get admitted. So, if you think you can improve and you are willing to spend time studying in order to get the desired results, go for it!</p>
<p>Yeah…so i got a 740 CR my first time and got a 680 the second time…just saying
But in all seriousness I think you should retake it. I got a 2200 super score after taking it twice and now I’m focusing on AP’s/Subject Tests. I’m probably going to retake the SAT in october or november as you get more time to “study” and it definitely doesn’t seem as bad when you have a 6 month break in between tests. But then again, if you’re willing to not take the test a third time just because its a “grueling” test, then really, I don’t think you have to take it again. 2200 is just a tad above average for most Ivies so it’s “good enough” if you’ve got pretty good grades and EC’s.
One more thing…listen to College99999</p>
<p>I don’t think that 1400/2200 is good enough. It might be the average scores for the Ivies. but that doesn’t mean you just shoot for the average score. In order to boost your chances, you want as high as possible. </p>
<p>Take it again. Twice isn’t much; I took it four times before getting the score I wanted. You might even surprise yourself. There are natural factors that you can’t control, and these factors will most definitely affect your test-taking abilities.</p>
<p>I suggest you take it again and follow my suggestion as I have been teaching this test for the last many years and it may be helful to you. EZ Solutions has actual hard copy physical books for the SAT as well as the ACT prep. They have a total of nine books for the math and five for the verbal. I have been using these books for a long time now and I recommend them to all my students. They are definitely going to be a bit pricier when you compare with other books. But these books are even more effective than an actual classroom course. All of my students have shown remarkable improvements in their test scores after using these books. You can find these books on amazon or any other major bookstore. I charge $100 per hour for private tutoring and these books make my life a lot easier. Please let me know if you have any further questions.</p>
<p>
you see, this is what concerns me- a 2200 seems like a fine score, even applying to ivies since after they see a decent test score it seems like they focus more on extracurriculars, but are you seriously only going to apply to only ivy league schools? that’s what causes the threads on here saying ‘help, i got rejected everywhere’ because even if you’re a good candidate, you can easily be rejected by all of the ivy league schools. it’s time for you to focus on finding some match and safety schools that you could see yourself going to.</p>