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<p>I usually shy away from threads of this type, but this is completely incorrect. The difference between a 790 and an 800 on the subject test is enormous, unlike the difference on the reasoning test. This is due to the fact that you can miss upwards of a dozen questions and still get an 800. If you obtain an 800 on the test, I can’t distinguish if you missed zero questions or 12, but at least there’s a possibility you missed zero.</p>
<p>In terms of percentiles, an 800 means you scored in the top 10% of test-takers. A 790 means you did not score in the top 10%. This is a huge difference, especially when you’re aiming for scores in the top 1%.</p>
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<p>Apples to apples. Hours of volunteering is not a fair comparison; what would be a fair comparison is a pass line. Suppose you needed 60% in a class (that is graded on a P/F basis) to pass and you scored a 59. A 60 is surely “far better” than a 59. The same concept applies to the 800 because of the structure of the subject tests. As I said before, the subject tests uniquely suffer from this because so many people get 800s; this is not true on the reasoning tests.</p>