Should I Retake These?

Test Preparation SAT Subject Test Preparation
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<p>I took two subject tests, US and World History on June, and ended up getting</p>

<p>World History: 710</p>

<h2>US History: 730 </h2>

<p>I'm planning on taking SAT Literature on Nov 3. and hopefully will hit the 700 range. </p>

<p>I asked admissions officers, and my councilor, along with many other people, and all of them generally told me to not retake these. They said that these are fine scores.</p>

<p>However, I see that for the most part, people who get into Ivies get at least 750+, and many have perfect 800's.</p>

<p>The reality is, I am a lifelong lover of history, and got these scores generally based on my talent and interest in the subject, not what my school taught me. This is because the world and US history classes were pre-IB and IB, and focused a lot on Canada and Mexico instead of just the US, and the world history class pretty much just skimmed over important events in world history, and didn't go particularly in depth with the things that the subject test tested. </p>

<p>For someone who didn't take AP US History (which I heard best prepares you for these SAT II's), I think I did pretty decent. Plus my "History of the Americas" class didn't go past the 1930's, and my innate interest in things that occurred beyond that date was what helped me get at least a 730.</p>

<p>So considering that fact, I think I did well. I did some preparation before, and scored 680's on my world history practice tests, and ended up with 710 on the real test. I honestly thought I would have scored a bit higher, but at least got a score higher than what I got on my practice tests.</p>

<p>The only issue is, I would be diverting my attention to studying for three different tests at the same time in a limited time frame, and plus I think it may be detrimental to my focus during testing if I took three tests in one sitting.</p>

<p>So if I did retake, I think I would only retake the World History one, since it's a 710, the lowest one.</p>

<p>My councilor told me to just focus all my effort on the literature subject test, and keep my scores, but I want to exert all my effort to do what's best for me in the end. I might end up following her advice though, if it's the wisest choice.</p>

<p>So should I retake these subject tests if I want to go to some of the most selective schools?</p>

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<p>I think these are respectable scores. Looking at a score sheet from 07-08 (<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools) it seems you are in the 81st percentile in world history and 88th percentile in US history. Not too shabby, I would say. Focusing on your Lit test might be a good idea.</p>

<p>However, if you’re considering Ivy league schools, are you sure that the school you are going to apply to doesn’t have math or science subject test required or strongly recommended? It might be good to try to take one of those subject tests if you haven’t already, at least to make yourself seem well-rounded. Not mandatory, just a suggestion.</p>

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<p>Thanks for your response.</p>

<p>I don’t think I’ll score that well in any of the math or science subject tests. I’ll probably hit the mid 600’s unless I study a LOT, but with full IB courses and many other time constraints, I think taking the Literature test would be a better bet. Plus I’m not planning on majoring in any of the sciences, or engineering or any major that demands heavy math and science skills. </p>

<p>So you say it’s respectable? That’s what I’ve been hearing too… But then again, maybe focusing a lot on Literature is a good idea. I might take a shot at World History again too…</p>