<p>Hi guys! So the first time I took the SAT was June of sophomore year, and I ended up getting a score I was really satisfied with (2320). However, I just took the March SAT as a junior (second and final time) and ended up getting a 2400 this sitting. And people are telling me that I shouldn’t have retaken it and that the fact I took it a second time after doing perfectly fine the first time is actually going to HURT me on college applications and such! But honestly, I wasn’t retaking it because I was super anal-retentive about getting a 2400 or anything, I just figured, hey, it’s my junior year, the apex of my high school intelligence, I might as well take it again and see how it reflects in my scores. So yeah, I was just wondering: Is there truth to what these people are telling me? Should I just have stuck with my 2320 from sophomore year and not have risked the sketchiness of taking the SAT multiple times?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Perfectly fine, and nice job!</p>
<p>Ignore what people are telling you. There’s a year between your scores anyway, so it’s definitely not “sketchy”. Even if it were sketchy, it’s not like you can untake a test…so now just be happy with your 2400 and work hard on other parts of your application! A 2400 can’t make up for mediocre essays and extracurriculars after all. (Not implying that yours are mediocre, but I’ve seen too many people that believe a high test score is all they need to get in!) Good luck!</p>
<p>That isn’t sketchy at all ! Great job, I just have one question, how did you do so well?!</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s sketchy at all. I mean, unless of course you failed every test you’ve ever taken before this ;)</p>
<p>haha just kidding.</p>
<p>You did amazing! Congrats!</p>
<p>Thank you so much guys! (@hville7 Thanks for the additional advice; I’d say my extracurriculars are quite solid, actually, but I’ll make sure not to overvalue my test scores :D). I feel a lot better now.</p>
<p>@Chriscross15: Sorry if this is a bit stalkerish but I just saw your profile and I take it you’re a sophomore? If you want to know my process with regard to the SAT: So the first time I took the SAT was in June of sophomore year, like I said, and I think it was really nice taking it once before junior year to kind of familiarize myself with the test. That time, I didn’t study or take any classes or anything like that - again, just to set kind of a baseline for myself. In addition, I told myself that if I got a 2300+ I wouldn’t retake it (uh-huh). And then when I got my scores back I realized I really struggled with the CR section; M and W were perfectly fine. And then after having taken English this year, I felt a lot more confident about my abilities, so I decided I should go take it again - this time I actually did study a little. I did one full-length practice test and some extra CR questions the week before the test (I know, still pitiful compared to the students who take classes and practice tests every single week). And it ended up working out for me! 
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<p>So that’s how I got to a 2400, Chriscross15, and I do have some additional tips and such. The books I used to prepare the second time around were The Princeton Review (2011) and the McGrawHill SAT Prep book (its Critical Reading tips were a godsend). The best way to conquer the test would be to get familiar with it and just practice, based on my personal experience. Also, I was reading an article a couple days ago about the SAT, and I saw a quote I really liked - that the SAT doesn’t really test your academic ability, it’s a test of your patience and maturity. That was the mindset I had when I took it this month, and it worked out! (If you need more tips, PM me; I swear I’ll get my post count up to 15 soon so that I’d be able to respond…)</p>
<p>Again, thanks a lot for your input everyone!</p>
<p>Fantastic. Nothing should stop you from achieving the best.</p>