I’m an 11th grader who has taken the SAT twice already, one in March of 10th grade and one in the June after 10th grade. My higher one was in June, where I received a 1520, 790 math and 730 reading. I had been planning on taking that one to get higher than a 730 reading score, but I haven’t got around to it yet. I feel like I could get a better score now, because my score improved 40 points in those few months, and now it’s been a year.
However, I recently got my ACT score back and it was a lot higher than I anticipated. I got a 34, with a 31 math, 27 science, 35 english, and 36 reading. I was wondering if it might be better to retake the ACT and focus on improving my math. I didn’t study at all for that ACT, so I also think I could get higher on this one if I learned some more of the math concepts. I probably wouldn’t submit my science score.
But I’m also wondering that since my score for the reading and math on the SAT and ACT are kind of opposite, I could submit both scores and maybe that would be okay instead of retaking either one? I’m not really sure if that would be good though, because it might look like I got worse in math over time, from a 790 to a 31.
One of my extracurriculars has also been SAT math tutoring, so it might look bad if I don’t submit my SAT score. I would probably apply to schools as a math major, so I feel like I should show them my 790 math score. But it might be easier to improve my ACT math score.
I don’t really know what I’m doing here, so do any of you have thoughts on this?
The obvious question is what are you trying to accomplish with a higher test score? That 1520 will be plenty high for many purposes, but there are a few possible purposes where you could think about trying to do a little better, as long as it wasn’t taking anything important away from the rest of your process.
Assuming you have a good purpose in mind, if it were me I would probably try to take one more ACT with a reasonable amount of preparation and see how it goes. I would also try doing some prep for the Science section, you might be surprised where you can get it. If it didn’t end up being the score you wanted you could still have time to take the SAT once more.
But again, this all assumes you have a clear purpose in mind for why you are doing any of this.
I’m going to probably be applying to several selective schools. I would also like merit scholarships at some places if that’s possible. I don’t know if that’s a good reason for retaking those tests. But I also kind of enjoyed studying for and taking the SAT, so I wouldn’t hate doing it again.
I thought a 730 in the reading section is a bit low those goals. Isn’t it better to get a 1550 or above when it comes to SAT scores? And a 31 math ACT is also quite low for selective schools, right? This might be wrong, so that’s why I was asking.
This depends where you are planning to apply. While most colleges seem to give you the option of submitting it, some colleges (at least in this cycle) still require a science score, and some recommend it (and common wisdom on CC is that if a college says something is “recommended, you should do it). At the other end of the spectrum, some won’t consider the science score even if you submit it.
Yes, those are potentially good enough reasons. It depends on total context, but there are some types of applicants for some types of undergrad programs who might benefit from a single test (meaning ACT or SAT) that combined your best levels of Math and English/Reading scores. Similarly, such a test might be useful in getting merit, or more merit, at certain undergrads.
Again if we were talking about this effort taking away a lot from other things, then it becomes a more difficult question. But as you are describing it, what it would reasonably take to at least try to get either an ACT or an SAT score like that doesn’t seem like a huge burden for you, so I would personally go for it.
I also really think it is a learnable section, particularly for someone with the OP’s demonstrated abilities. So might as well try to have it as an asset if possible.
You may want to check each college’s SAT and ACT score ranges to see how your SAT and ACT scores (and section scores if ranges are available for those) compare to the ranges of each college.
For competitive merit scholarships, this information about score ranges is often harder to get than for admission. However, some merit scholarships are based on pre-set listed SAT or ACT scores (and other stats like GPA), so you can know whether there is a higher scholarship you can get with a higher score, and how much higher your score needs to be.
My rule is a 1500 together (obviously 700+s) if you are applying to the most competitive.
If students worried about the rest of the process including grades and extras and essays once they reach that, we would see stronger results here on CC.
As the parent of a current junior, I would recommend not retaking either test. I would recommend submitting the (excellent) SAT score. I would focus your energy on your classes, EC’s and making the most out of the upcoming summer.