Should I retake a 790 on Math Level 2 for T20s?

[GlobalFencingMom]

@RichInPitt

Some folks seem to think that a raw score is the most important thing. It’s not. An applicant is compared to other applicants. 790 is 79th percentile. While a different animal, 79th percentile on the Math SAT is 620. Is 620 and 800 close enough, that someone should be mocked for wanting to retake a 620?

OP, what majors and schools are you looking at? If STEM at MIT, Caltech, Harvey Mudd, and maybe one or two others, I’d say it may be worth another shot if you think an 800 is realistic. When there are thousands of Math2 800s, a 790 is different. At most other schools it’s fine.

@richinpitt I am not sure you can really make that comparison to the regular Math SAT. Math 2 is one of the self selecting subject tests, in that the majority of people who take it are very good at Math - everyone gets to take the Math section of the SAT regardless of math prowess. It is similar to when people assume that Calc BC is “easy” because a large percentage of test takers get a “5”. Again, Calc BC is by definition self selecting of those who are on the upper end of the math spectrum - the creative and artsy non math person is unlikely to be opting in for a hard core calc AP. To me, if the narrative is good with strong math and stem focused grades and APs with 5s in the classes that matter, a 790 will just be another validation that this is a strong math student who is not caught up in the process of grade grubbing and is providing the ST because they are required / recommended by the school. I don’t believe that any single grade or result should be extrapolated to infer the whole story. Just my 2 cents.