<p>I got a 2200 on the January SAT (740 CR 670 Math 790 writing) I am gonna do the math level 2 subj test (gotta prove I can do math haha) and the may us history subject test. I am thinking about doing the ACT in april…I am sort of conflicted because I dont think I would have that much time to study for it, and if I do badly it would “dilute” my test scores. But then again by SAT isnt amazing and I would like to get into one of the elite schools. </p>
<p>What schools are you looking to apply to? A 2200 is a decent grade, and if you’re set on Ivies remember that test scores aren’t nearly as important because many kids tend to be nationally-acclaimed people/have something else really beneficial for their application. </p>
<p>I would take the ACT if you are a science-based person and don’t want to take SAT subject tests. For many schools, ACT+Writing = SAT + 2 SAT subject tests. I know Harvard still requires the subject tests regardless. Anyways, I preferred the ACT because:
- you don’t get penalized for wrong answers
- the reading focuses on grammar (I’m the editor-in-chief at my high school so this was convenient).
- the science doesn’t require actual knowledge (it’s all about analysis and interpretation).
I took the SAT without studying and got a 2000, which was decent for me but definitely not what I was looking for. So I decided to try the ACT, and hearing about a friend who bombed it because they didn’t study for it, I decided to study. I took 6 practice tests out of my school library and did them. Then I took the test during the weekend and got a 33, which is equivalent to a 2200 on the SAT (good for me). </p>
<p>As for the worry about “diluting” your test score, that won’t happen. You can choose what scores to send to colleges, and only a few require you to send ALL your scores (only school I know that does it is Cornell, and I’m not sure if they require all your SAT AND ACT scores).</p>
<p>You only need SAT1(+SAT2 sometimes) or ACT, however, you never know which one you will do better without at least doing a few practice tests. SAT 2200 is a great score, but it may or may not be sufficient for certain schools, certain programs, or some merit scholarships particularly if the section scores distribution is not good. CR+M at 1410 is fine for most schools but suboptimal for top schools. If you know you can do better in ACT or retaking SAT based on your practice, there is nothing to stop you. You are right that it requires time to prepare for the test. If you are running out of time and your SAT1 score is pretty strong already, you may just want to focus on the SAT1 Math section and try to get a better score from it. The nice thing with SAT is that many schools will superscore SAT. As you are preparing for SAT2 Math2, you may also improve your SAT1 Math score a little bit.</p>
<p>Why not just retake SAT I to improve your score? Easier than learning the format of a whole new test</p>
<p>Yeah! You should retake the SAT! Learning a new format could be catastrophic as you might mix up things. Some rules which are mentioned in the Writing Section of the SAT are not used in the ACT and vice versa. </p>
<p>The thing is, the schools I am looking at are mostly UCs (and Stanford haha) and they want to see ALL scores so I thats why Im scared to take anything else because if I did terribly it could ruin my chances. I feel like right now my test scores are relatively unblemished (I also have a 760 chem subject test) and I wouldnt want to disturb that balance… Would it be better if I just focused on the math 2 subject test? Obviously I need to do well on that because of the 670 </p>
<p>Also, if I took the SAT 1 again I dont think i would improve my composite because on the practice tests I never did nearly that well in the writing section…so even if I got a 710 on the math the writing might go down enough to lower the overall composite…</p>
<p>Check if the schools superscore. If so, they take the highest section scores from different tests.</p>