Is there a negative stigma against sat score choice at MIT?

wcgh13 · 06-23-2012, 02:04 AM

I have taken the sat twice and my second time I did better in every single section than on my first time. Do you think it would be smart just to eliminate my first exam altogether? I didn't do terribly but I got a relatively low score in math which I know wouldn't look good for MIT

lidusha · 06-23-2012, 02:28 AM

It doesn't matter. MIT will consider your highest scores anyway. Hiding your first score will make it seem like you're a bit better at answering simple multiple choice questions under pressure; not hiding it will show that you're honest and willing to do something twice until it works. I would go for the latter, but neither is a bad choice. Your SAT score will definitely not be the determining factor in your application; neither will whether you took the SAT once or if you took it twice.

wcgh13 · 06-23-2012, 02:35 AM

MIT seems to like honesty so it would probably reflect better on me if I just reported it. Its a somewhat embarrassing math score though (680) :/
I'm going to be thinking a lot about this one

wellthatsokay · 06-23-2012, 03:40 PM

MIT will just look at your highest anyways, I would just send those. They don't say that they require all your scores anyway, so score choice should be just fine. Either way, it's nothing to worry about though. Don't sweat it.

hevydevy · 06-24-2012, 11:13 PM

Out of curiosity, what did you improve your score to and how?

wcgh13 · 06-24-2012, 11:21 PM

I actually did nothing substantial. I bought the blue sat book and did a few practice tests but that was it. I feel like my first test wasn't an accurate representation of my skills.. Or maybe I just got luckier the second time :P
I hear taking a class helps a lot though. And definitely do practice tests, thats probably what helped me the most

hevydevy · 06-25-2012, 05:33 PM

What was your score after the original 680?

wcgh13 · 06-25-2012, 05:37 PM

710... my math score didnt improve a lot but my writing improved a little (780-790) and my reading improved substantially (710-770)... But I'm not sweating it anymore, I think I just wasnt very good a SAT Math. Got the ACT back today with a composite 35 and a 36 on math. That should be fine to prove I can do math beyond grades in classes
btw @hevydevy you may want to take the ACT if you didnt do as well on the SAT math... I liked it a lot more even though its technically more complex, because its what I learned more recently