<p>Here’s a twist: If your kid scores 800 on one of the three components of the SAT, chances are that part will go down on retesting (can’t go up, eh?) So should he retest if he’s got, say, 800 in one area and and in the 600s in the others? Or take the ACT instead? Or say to heck with it and go with what he’s got? I do think that students naturally tend to improve their scores from junior to senior year, for some reason. But if 1/3 of the test can only go down, is it really a good idea? Or a waste of a perfectly good Saturday?</p>
<p>You should check the SAT policies of the colleges that your kid is looking into. This info is readily available on most of their websites by clicking on the admissions link. Many schools (not UCs, but several elite private schools) will accept the highest combined score of all of your SAT scores. For example, if your kid took it once and received a CR 800, W 670, and M 630 the first time and a CR 710, W 700, and M 680 the second time, some colleges will take this as a combined score of 2180 (CR 800 + W 700 + M 680). If this is the case, I would definitely retake.</p>
<p>Kluge-
Remember, schools will look at your best scores from any testing. So, if your s has an 800 math and 600s in the other 2 sections, even if the math score goes down, in their book, he’s got an 800 math. My question would be, what does your son want to do? What schools is he looking at, and what scores do you think he’ll need to boost his application? Also, a number of people are saying the first administration of the new SAT had some “kinks” yet to be worked out. Might this be a good thing for future administrations??</p>
<p>As for a waste of a Saturday, if your s is anything like mine, he wouldn’t see daylight until the afternoon hours anyway… So, think of it as getting “full use” out of a Saturday rather than sleeping til noon…</p>
<p>kluge-</p>
<p>My son also had a lopsided score (not quite as lopsided as yours). He had a lower math score and then prepped both portions (math and verbal). He wound up improving on math, but improving MORE on verbal (his stong area). Since yours only needs to improve one area, I would retake after prep work on the weak area. It doesn’t matter if the 800 slips…as it’s locked in now.</p>
<p>ahh I had this problem–I had an 800 on verbal, but only a 640 in math. I decided to retake it without worrying about the verbal. I ended up with a 680 in math (I swear, I actually can add and subtract!) and a 750 in verbal. The combined score of 1480 made me a lot happier but I honestly don’t know if it changed how colleges saw me. I ended up getting into Tufts, Bowdoin, and BC and on a bunch of waitlists. If the college says that they will look at your highest scores, I would say to retake it–it couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation… 800 w, 800 v, 600 m. Should I retake, or to hell with it?</p>
<p>I think it would depend on which section the 800 were in and what the kid plans on doing - and what the other scores are. If your kid wants to be an engineer, got an 800 math, and 600+ on the other two, then skip it. If the 800 is in the new, untested writing, re-take. Between those two extremes, it’s a judgment call. I would recommend taking practice tests BEFORE signing up for another round. If the 800 section is still good (consistently above 750), and the other section(s) are improving, then try it again. Otherwise, be happy with what he has.</p>
<p>My S is a typical teenager - he has absolutely no idea what he wants to be. He obviously “gets” math - 800 on the math IIC subject test, too - but his verbal skills aren’t as strong. I’m inclined to think that his scores accurately reflect his academic talents. On the other hand, my goal has been to make sure that he doesn’t miss out on any options he might have just because we overlooked some simple thing which might open a door which would otherwise be closed to him. He does look to me for guidance in this area, and I’m trying not to screw up. This parent thing isn’t as easy as it looked back in the 80’s…</p>
<p>kluge,
its always hard to tell what to focus on. I think giving the ACT a shot might be useful - especially if he is strong in the sciences, and a quick worker. Taking a practice test first is always advisable - even if he does a section at a time.</p>
<p>ladylazarus,
if the 600 math puts you in the botton 25% at the colleges you are interested in, you might try some prep. If you can consistantly pull a practice score that puts you within the middle 50% range at your colleges, you can retake with confidence. Don’t get so focused on it that neglect the other parts of your apps, though - SAT II’s, essays, etc. And congratuations on your dual 800’s!!!</p>
<p>kluge, I agree with ohio_mom: do the ACT, and then make a decision. The risk of going down on the SAT math is actually small, that is moving down A LOT. But with some prep if your kid can get significant impovement elsewhere, it could be worth it. You say “in the 600s,” but where?</p>
<p>This also all depends on what kind of schools your son is thinking about. My DD didn’t repeat her “reasonable” SAT I and II writing, because she was aiming at art school and having higher math (710) than verbal (640) was probably an unusual “plus” for her admission – which depended in any case more on her portfolio than any test.</p>
<p>Most (all?) colleges form their SAT score by adding the highests from different sittings. Last year (when SAT had only two sections) D got 800V,700M on first time and 760V,790M second time.</p>
<p>ne dad,
the UC’s and some other colleges accept best single sitting. Some of us get twitchy about whether multiple retakes ‘look’ bad or not … </p>
<p>Good job to your d on her scores, btw!</p>
<p>ohio_mom, Didn’t know some colleges do this. We specifically asked several colleges and they said only the highest will matter. I can remember Stanford adcom went to great lengths to convince us that is the case.</p>
<p>I’ve seen what ohio_mom is addressing; some schools will not take composite scores, but require “single sitting scores.” Most, however, seen to take composite scores: the higher of each. </p>
<p>Two caveats to this. I have heard that at some schools 3 retests is the reasonable max; after that, they become a little critical of the scores. Also, many schools will not allow composite scores using the old SAT and the new SAT (the justification is that both the verbal and math sections have changes sufficiently to make this unreasonable and uninformative as to the student’s performance).</p>
<p>When my d hit 800 on one section, however, she did retake to raise the other half, and it went up (of course, the 800 went down:)).</p>
<p>Ladylazarus - You and I have private messaged about how similar yours and my D’s talents and academics are, and the decisions you have to make about what to study. Would you believe it? She went 800 CR, 800 W and low-600s M just as you did! The Math is below 25th percentile on each of her top choices, so she’ll take it again in October. Bear in mind, it could make the difference in significant merit scholarships, depending upon the schools you’re considering.</p>
<p>Penn State is another of the strange ones and will take the one highest sitting, not best combination.</p>
<p>I got an 770 W, 800 V, but 720 M. I’m interested in Rice, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Harvard for Bio/Premed. Should I retake because of the 720?</p>
<p>Ladylazarus, if you are willing to put some effort into it, math is the one part where studying and practicing can pay off big time.</p>
<p>If the 800 results from a particular talent and long-developed ability, it may well not move. If it results from lots of test-prep, it is likelier to go down. Either way, though, the retake is probably worth it. The 800 isn’t likely to go down much, and in any case, colleges will still see it. </p>
<p>I had 80s on the PSAT verbal both sophomore and junior years, and 800s on the SAT verbal both times I took it. My math scores were 59 and 66 on the PSAT, and 630 and 650 on the SAT. I applied as a music major (mostly to music schools within universities) with a rather lopsided 1450, and was accepted at Vanderbilt, Bard, honors at Indiana, and BU (where I am going), but deferred and then rejected at Yale, and rejected at Harvard. I didn’t really study enough for the math tests, but in any case, there’s my experience with this issue.</p>