<p>My SAT scores (first try) were M 780, CR 730, W 670 E 9, 2180. I'm aiming for the Ivies, Northwestern, John Hopkins etc, as an international. My SAT II scores were Bio M 750, WH 730, Chem 780, MathII, 800. Strong EC's and perfect. So, should I retake?</p>
<p>If this is your first time, then yes, i think you should. What do you have to lose? Your math score is near perfect, you have, according to your 730, a strong foundation for CR, and your only weakness is writing section which is the easiest section to improve once you’ve had a good grip of CR.
According to some articles and some of the Ivy students’ papers that I read, Ivies are extremely particular about the increase in standardized test score, even if that increase is minimal (20-30 points). Also according to those articles, the cliche that “those 20-30 points do not matter” only applies to non-Ivies as “those 20-30 points” may significantly boost your chances of getting in Ivy league
You’ve already had strong EC and pretty good SAT II scores, why not perfect your SAT I?</p>
<p>@Sparkkid1234 - What are these articles that you’ve read? I find it hard to believe that going from a 2180 to a 2200 would make a big difference to an adcom. </p>
<p>@logirub - If you work through some of the study guides and resources in the pinned threads and do much better on practice tests, then definitely retake it. Your scores are good but middle of the pack for the Ivies. </p>
<p>It does not really matter. This is not a math equation where bigger always equals better. Once you cross into the realm of qualified applicant, the scores take a back seat to the rest of your application information. </p>
<p>Many other schools only use the writing for placement, but my understanding is that the Ivies care about it equally with the other 2 sections. If you can boost your writing into the 700s+ then it MAY be worth doing. Ultimately, acceptance into the Ivies is a crap shoot for anyone. It not only comes down to your resume, but also how that is different from the resumes of the other applicants that year.</p>
<p>I read those long ago; i think there was one from ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
You’ve already got good scores in math and especially CR. I am certain that with 2 months or less, you will be prepared enough to perfect your Math and Wr score since those are the easiest to improve once you got to this level.
I think you definitely should retake</p>
<p>Yes, retake. Though you have a good score but anything above 2250 would help, specially with CR above 750. All things are important, SAT scores, subject tests, GPA, EC’s and essays. One thing alone is not going to make or break your application unless it is really low but you would want to be ahead in everything. So do it only if you can do it without making another area suffer.</p>
<p>@An0maly i only remember one of the sources. If I remember correctly, the college panda has an article comparing Ivies scores and mentioning about the importance of score improvement</p>