I took the SAT in December, and I scored a 1320, which isn’t too bad, I have about a 3.6 UW GPA. I was just wondering whether or not it is worth it to take the SAT again, but this time with the essay. My counselors have kind of been giving me mixed messages, and I am kind of confused on what to do. I am currently a junior. One of my dream reach schools is NYU, so I just also wanted to get your guys opinions on what is a good goal for the SAT and or ACT, which I am taking next month
I’m answering using my personal experience with applying for college and taking both the SAT and ACT, as a current high school senior
You should definitely take the SAT with essay. Although it is optional, many schools require that you submit an essay score with your SAT or ACT, and some even take scores in just one sitting, so you can’t superscore. To give yourself a good range for your target SAT/ACT scores, you should look up the average scores for the schools for which you will apply, and then make that number your goal. Don’t listen to people telling you what the “right” score is. In addition, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the score you want, because scores aren’t everything. Solely my opinion: you should take the SAT again, and maybe try the ACT, to see if you will score higher there. Sometimes people do really well with one test over the other. Most schools accept both scores, with no preference over each. Best of luck to you!