<p>In reference to all the people retaking their 750 + SAT scores - First, I wish I could get higher than a 720 on any part of the SAT ;D. Second, speaking purely from stories about my high schools Ivy-League-destined students, an overwhelming majority that retook their SATs to get that extra 20 points came back to tell their teachers they were struggling at their schools. They said that their first few tests at school were extremely demoralizing and that they were having a difficult time keeping up. I definately believe that having perfect grades could put students at a disadvantage, and students that have had to work for their grades and have struggled and dealt with "failure" are just as, if not more, capable of excelling in a competitive school.</p>
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I do wonder about it, especially when you see kids saying they are retaking a 790 or something crazy like that, are they really shooting themselves in the foot? Do they then become too much of a perfectionist that might have trouble adjusting, or are they considered hard workers and desirable for that reason?
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I don't think kids who retake tests are penalized per se, but I think that kind of relentless perfectionism will show through in other parts of the application and would definitely be seen as a bad thing.</p>
<p>It's important to care about what you're doing and try to do your best at MIT, but it's also important to be able to pick yourself up from a bad day/test/class and go on. Kids who can't put failure in perspective tend not to do well at MIT, as JagsSoccer44 alludes to above.</p>