I understand that similar threads already exist, but I’d like to ask about my personal situation.
I took the SAT January sophomore year and scored 1520, 790 M, 730 R/W, 20/24 essay. I wasn’t completely satisfied with my R/W score, so I retook in November of junior year (this month). I got near perfect scores on practice exams, but probably went into the exam too confidently. I scored 1530, 790 M, 740 R/W, no essay.
I’m aiming for top schools, like MIT and Harvard. I’m also East Asian, so my score isn’t particularly impressive compared to students of my ethnicity. However, I go to a non-competitive Title I public school; in that case, my score and academics put me at the top of my class.
I obviously still have time to re-take, but I’m generally against pouring too much time and resources into something like standardized testing. (Like, re-taking a third time to only get another 10 point improvement? Sounds a little pointless to me.) I probably am capable of raising my score. But is it necessary? I fall into at least the middle 50% of applicants for most selective schools, so that means I probably wouldn’t be looked unfavorably upon on the basis of my SAT score, right? At that point, it’s mostly about what else I offer on my application, I’m thinking.