Should I retake the March SAT?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>I just received an email from Harvard saying that they accept the MArch 13 SAT scores. I did horribly in my January SAT (1860, took one week to prep, omitted 20 questions because I thought it was the best strategy…lol). </p>

<p>I don’t know if I should retake because</p>

<ol>
<li>It’s very, very expensive for me. I received the email today and the late registration deadline has passed. I will have to try registering for Standby Testing (+38USD)</li>
<li>I’m an international transfer student. Does SAT really matter THAT much?</li>
<li>It’s Harvard. Even students with perfect 2400 are not gauranteed admission.</li>
<li>There’s only 2 weeks left to the testing date. I have 2 mid terms in between today and March 13th.</li>
<li>There’s no guarantee that my scores will go up.</li>
</ol>

<p>Why I am still considering it despite the big disadvantages above</p>

<ol>
<li>It’s like a second chance. My scores might go up and it will look better on my transcript. :/</li>
</ol>

<p>I’d really appreciate your comments!!!</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

2

<p>If March will be your 2nd time ever taking them, I would go for it. If, however, March would be the third or fourth time, I would say don’t even bother. The reason is that if you hadn’t had much exposure to the real test before January, that puts you at a disadvantage. If this isn’t the case, then don’t bother. I’m sure it would be very expensive (collegeboard=small country) and it would be a lot of stress on you to study for it in between midterms. College grades are what really matter, anyway.</p>

3

<p>Consider this:</p>

<p>For fr admissions, the 25:75 SAT range for H is 2070:2350 and the acceptance rate is about 7%. The transfer admissions rate will likely be about 1-2%. Even with a 200 pt gain you will be below the 25% range. How much do you realistically think you can improve in 2 weeks with your other commitments?</p>

4

<p>entomom and her poignant reality checks</p>

5

<p>It sounds like you’re giving up on retaking the tests, which means you’re giving up on getting in. If you honestly want to give getting in a shot go for it because it’s really the only option you have. If, however, you are not completely serious about your application then don’t bother.</p>

6

<p>Given what is at stake, I would not retake it. Like entomom said, you could use that precious time for your other commitments.</p>