Yet another "Should I retake" question

lerkin
Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:36:52 +0000

I am asking this question on behalf of my son. He just finished 9th grade and took SAT II math test this year. He already completed Calculus I at local flagship, so he should know all the concepts.

He got 750. Should he retake, given that next year he will be taking SAT II Chemistry and maybe US History, and therefore will need to simultaneously prepare for at least 1 more test?

One more caveat. He has ADHD and is prone to self destruction. As result he is not very good student. He will be lucky to have 3.5 unweighted gpa, which will be that high only because he got credit for 4 years of HS math he took in middle school for which he received all As. He also will be getting extra credit for at least 3 Calculus courses which will probably be all As too. If he did not have all these extra As, he probably would graduate with 3.3 gpa maximum.

My son really wants to go to a top ranked school and having high test scores is his only hope to make it there.

He was quite overwhelmed at the end of this year with AP test and final tests at school and the U and literally only spent 2 days preparing for this test, so I am confident with the right preparation he can do much better than 750. The question is, is it worth the effort?