SAT 2260 - how to improve?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hey guys,

So the January 2016 SAT results just came out, and I’m honestly quite disappointed with my scores; here’s the breakdown:
Math - 780
CR - 740
Writing - 740
Total - 2260

The schools that I’m aiming for are UPenn, Uchicago and UCBerkeley, and I know 2260 is barely an average for these schools. Plus since I’m an international student, it would be more difficult to apply into these schools.

Do you guys have any advice on how to get the score to 2300 or above? This was actually my initial target. And since it’s going to be the new syllabus, would it be harder? Thanks :slight_smile:

2

Those are great scores :smiley:

3

@bsdsj22 for those schools not really lol

4

@rossbusiness yeah unfortunately. what would be a good score?

5

I think those aree great scores!!

6

Your SAT score is the least important part of your application as long as you don’t have a 1800 or something.

7

Honestly a 40 point difference won’t really move the needle one way or the other for you. I’d say keep the score as is and focus on the other parts of your application. Best of luck to you.

8

You got >2200 and got >700 on each section. That makes you a competitive applicant for any school. Retaking would be counter-productive.

9

Seriously dude, don’t waste your time. A 40 point difference will neither drastically boost your chances nor will the lack of those make them toss your application. You’re competitive for all elite colleges. Take a chill pill and work on something that will make you truly stand out from the crowd. SATs will only get your foot in the door. What matters is your additional credentials that make or break your application.

10

Wait a second. How will you even take this old SAT when they’ve completely redesigned the format for the next date?

11

Retaking a 2260 might actually make you look test obsessed (if the school requires all scores or the scores are on your transcript) if you look at results threads you will see lots of people with a higher SAT getting rejected or wait listed and many with a lower SAT that are accepted. Once they see you have a high scores me a high gpa, ecs, recs, and essays become the most important factors.

12

@josh3318 Apart from the fact that this will be physically impossible, I wouldn’t worry about your SAT scores. Selective schools will look beyond grades and test scores to determine who to admit.

13

Thing is this is my first time taking the SATs, and many of my friends who have retaken it saw their scores improve. Problem is I stupidly took the last of the old SAT papers, and I’m not sure if my score would improve on the new one.

I’m in a dilemma as to whether I should try the new SATs out (which is upon 1600) and try to hit 1550 (since currently my score is equivalent to abt 1520), or if I should just focus on trying to ace my subject tests.

14

You should focus on the rest of what they need to see. And, learning what that is.

15

You honestly shouldn’t bother retaking it. If you don’t get into Ivies and such, it won’t be because of a 2260.

16

You’ll need to show your “worth” to the school in other ways, through your personal essay, etc. My daughter had a score of 2300 and applied to those same three schools last year and didn’t get in to any of them, so hope for the best but be sure you apply to some other good schools for which you are a match. (However, she was applying for engineering which is harder to get into, and her SAT 2 scores were ok but not great.)