Retake a 2250? (690R)

Test Preparation
1

My composite score is high, but reading is low:

2250 = 690R + 800M + 760W + 12E (Dec 2014)

I tried practicing on R to increase score, but even after studying, it slowly decreased and then flattened out at about a 650. My last practice test before I gave up was 640R + 800M + 790W = 2230, so I was not going to even think about retaking it.

Then I tried ACT, but my score was even worse on practice tests (29R, vs at least 34 other sections).

FYI:
SAT II = 2360 = 780 M2 + 780 USH + 800 Physics,
I only took SAT I once.

AP:
US History = 5, Calculus BC = 5, Statistics = 5, Physics C = 5

GPA = 4.0UW, 4.74W

I have good awards and can (hopefully) write decent essays.

Do you think a 690R would hurt me significantly if all other SAT related scores are >760?

I will apply to either UPenn, Brown, Schreyer (does not consider SAT), or JHU.

2

Nope. 2250 is good enough.

3

^^ I beg to differ, considering where are hoping to apply.
are you a Jr or Sr?
If you are a rising Jr then hopefully you will be taking more English classes this year. Take the SAT again at the end of the year- your reading score should go up after you have more English under your belt. If a Sr then get your head in some books and read , read for the next 2 months, then take the SAT again in Oct.
But regardless of your class- you should seek out and READ books AND [online ]newspapers as much as possible- such as the NYTimes, etc. etc. Your reading comprehension will increase the more you expose your brain to input that makes you think.

4

Some schools don’t recognize the writing section so take that into consideration when deciding to retake to increase reading score.

5

@menloparkmom I am a rising senior.

6

you cant be hurt by taking it again. And IF you make a commitment to prepping during the next 3 months, then your reading score will probably go up . Check out Khan academy to prepare your self to take it again

7

I would take it again if I thought I had a reasonable chance at 750 (or close) and could get there without interfering with other important activities. Your score is very good, but there is still a chance that the CR score could work against you.

8

I would definitely take it again. I retook a 2310 because of low CR, and ended with a 2370 superscore- it was well worth the extra studying.

Also, it will take forever to bring up the CR, but keep practicing, and cram in a ton of vocab- the vocab helps with the reading comprehension as well.

9

@puzzled123 I guess I could retake it, but R for me is a kind of lottery. One test, before my actual SAT I pulled off a 710R, but even after studying, the average practice score dropped to about 640-650. I do not want to risk my R score to go down.

BTW, I am a rising senior, so I do not think I could fit the Oct SAT before ED if I apply ED.

10

@agupte I think all schools with an ED option accept the October SAT as long as you send it to them right away.

11

@agupte I did retake the SAT in October of senior year (and scores were sent to ED and EA). You don’t have to worry about Math + Writing this time, because as long as you have a good CR, you will have a high super score. I took over 40 practice tests and memorized 2000+ words before I could get my CR score up enough- I was naturally very bad at it, and started CR in the 500s. It took forever to bring it up, but was well worth it.

If you are up for the challenge, and are very interested in top 10 schools, go for it- you seem to be very smart with a 4.74 and 5s on Physics C. You don’t want a CR score to hold you back.