<p>Hi I'm kind of freaking out! So any advice would be greatly appreciated! I took the SAT last May and don't know if I should take it again this October. I need to decide really soon because its already late registration and I don't want to miss my window! I started freaking out because I realized that although my overall score was good, my math is below the 25th percentile mark of accepted students for most of the colleges I'm looking at right now. So please please look at my scores and tell me if its worth the time to retake it to get a better math score.
Overall: 2130
Critical Reading: 800
Math: 640
Writing: 690
The schools I'm looking at are U Michigan Ann-Arbor, University of Rochester, and Clarkson, if that helps. Also, I want to be a biochemistry major, so I feel like looking weak in math will not be good for my chances! Am I just stressing out or should I take it again??</p>
<p>First off, I love your username!
But anyways, your composite score seems well within the ranges of the schools you mentioned but obviously a higher score won’t hurt. That being said, raising your math score would definitely be a good idea because it does seem a bit low.</p>
<p>same thing happened to me (lowest score was in math). It seems like that’s pretty common though. I think it’s b/c if you struggle with one concept, that might not seem like a big deal, but depending on which one that could account for big time point loss. Take geometry for example. if you struggle with geometry but think “it’s just one concept, who cares” you would be in serious trouble b/c it accounts for 25-30% of the math section. If you decide to take it a 2nd time (I did, score went up almost 200pts), you need to change your study plan somehow. otherwise, don’t expect your score to change either. I used a few guides the first time, and used “secrets to conquering the sat” for the 2nd time ([Accepted</a> Inc. - Premium Study Guides](<a href=“http://www.acceptedinc.com%5DAccepted”>http://www.acceptedinc.com)). Basically, it shows you how to find exactly where you are losing points so it’s pretty ideal for 2nd timers. My thought is that if you haven’t made a 2400, you can improve. Especially if it’s the math portion you want to improve on. You have a great head start with an already good score, but why not see if you can bump it up if that will take some of the pressure and worry off???</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I just registered to take the test and there were still seats open. This will definitely make me less nervous about the low math score. Sandy72, thanks for the guide suggestion, but my mom said it was too much money because I already have the official SAT study guide, even though it’s the least helpful book ever. So I’m going to keep looking for a good study guide.</p>
<p>what a paradox that you have a superb CR result for which many people struggle very hard but still get an unsatisfactory result…</p>
<p>no worries, I liked it, but it’s not the only resource you have. Be sure to check out purplemath.com and khan academy b/c that was much easier to learn from than reading it for me. I agree, the guide by the college board suuuuuucks. I had that one too and it’s good for practice exams and that’s about it. Just try to figure out what specific concepts (algebra, geom, etc) you are worst at and hammer that subject until you are better at it.</p>
<p>Ok great I will definitely look at those. I already use purple math for homework stuff all the time, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!</p>
<p>How did you get an 800 in reading. I’m like you but inverted with math being the highest.</p>
<p>People always ask me that, so I just stopped telling them my SAT scores. I don’t know. I’m just really good at reading I guess.</p>