<p>
</p>
<p>So?
SAT + ECs + GPA > Essays
SAT + GPA + Essays > ECs
SAT + Essays + ECS > GPA</p>
<p>You can’t really diminish the value of any of those four items. To the OP, 2190 is a good score, but it never hurts to bump it up near or above 2300 to make yourself even more competitive.</p>
<p>Does it make sense to retake the SATs if you got a decent score and run the risk of scoring lower?</p>
<p>No. It does not.
You could be spending your time volunteering or revising your essays.</p>
<p>Unless you feel that you performed horribly that day, and you are absolutely certain that you can make a 2300+, retaking a score like that is just dumb IMO. Waste of time and money.</p>
<p>I agree with hookem. Hmmm I think anything above 750 is (or should be) counted the same as a perfect just because there are too many variables. But, IMHO, a mid-low 700 score should be sufficient given that you are prepared EC and academics-wise.</p>
<p>Right. I got a 750 CR and a 760 Writing, but I only missed about 2 questions in CR and 1 in writing (with like an 11 on the essay). To get an 800, a lot of things have to fall into place. you never know when some crazy vocab word will throw you off.</p>
<p>Hookem, how did you get a 750 missing 2 questions? I got a 790 so i assume i missed one question, but there shouldn’t have been too much of a difference between missing 1 and missing 2.</p>
<p>Strike that, just checked the report again. I missed 2 on the whole writing section and got a 760. Missed 3 on the whole CR section, and got a 750. Meh, I figure 64/67 ain’t so bad, as far as fast-paced accuracy goes.</p>
<p>“Does it make sense to retake the SATs if you got a decent score and run the risk of scoring lower?”</p>
<p>First of all, most top schools “superscore,” which means not only do they look at your highest score, they look at your highest score on each part of the SAT. Thus, the risk that you will score lower is minimal. The question is what is a “decent” score. I tend to agree that anything above a 750 doesn’t call for a retake, unless maybe it’s math and you’re trying to get into MIT. But I guess I would say, in general, you ought to consider retaking if your score is not in the upper range for enrolled students at the schools you really want to attend.</p>
<p>See that doesn’t make any sense to me ^</p>
<p>Why does one HAVE to be in the 75% range of Yale undergrads to feel satisfied and/or secure? Obviously, if you’re “only” in the 50 percentile, that means you scored higher than half of the friggin people at Yale! </p>
<p>Obviously, tons of people get in without anything higher than a 2200-2250. So why should you waste time retaking it?</p>
<p>Because…he…wants…to…apply…Early…Action. Tons of people do not get in EARLY without top qualifications. In fact, tons of people WITH top qualifications do not get in at all. Even if he is in the top 90% in terms of scores, he shouldn’t feel secure, because he isn’t secure. It’s simply bad advice to tell this particular individual not to retake the SAT.</p>
<p>^
Agreed. The “SAT’s don’t matter” sentiment on CC is really dangerous, as is the “2100=2400” thing. Yes, it’s just a test, but high school, if you recall, is simply a series of tests and papers and grade-grubbing. There’s obviously a difference, but people really dismiss the SAT like it doesn’t matter around here.</p>
<p>They’re the second most important thing behind your transcript (rigor of classes taken), and they at the very least play a huge factor in whether or not your app gets looked at again. Although the 50th percentile combined score, whatever that is, might not seem very high, you have to remember that special interests like athletes, URMs, and legacies (that are given a bump of sorts; not everyone in these groups is undeserving) make up at least 20% of the school population. You have to reach high. If 2190 is the best you think you can do, then you’re alright. You will need to carried by GPA/EC’s/essays, but it’s not unheard of. But if you can increase your score by 50 points, you have to consider re-taking the SAT.</p>
<p>I also got a 2190 on my first try (710 CR, 730 M, 750 W) and retook the SAT in June without anymore prep and got a 2250 (760 CR, 770 M, 720 W). So taking it again might not be such a bad idea.</p>