Sat

I recently scored a 1530 on my SAT (I live in New York). How do you guys think this grade will affect me getting into college? Should I retake it?


I'm planning on getting my CPA and follow it up with a MBA.

 

It's a non-competitive, average grade. I don't think it should affect you unless it comes to high end schools. I would retake it though. Not in a bad way. There's always another 870 possible points though!

 

I've heard that it can't really increase that much. Maybe a hundred points or so, but I'm planning on going to St. Joseph's - it only requires a 980 on the SAT.

 

This is not true.

http://collegeapps.about.com/od/collegeprofiles/p/saint-josephs-university.htm

 

Are you talking about 1530 on Critical reading/math or all three sections combined? To be honest, you should consult your guidance counselor, rather than the sythe community.

 

Wrong college. I'm talking about St. Joseph's College - not University.

1530 on all three sections combined. I can't, either, my counselor's unavailable for the rest of the schoolyear (like 7 days of school left) without an appointment.

590: Reading || 470: Math || 470: Writing

1060 on the two combined.
1530 in total.

 

I retook my SAT and my scores increased by 120 (1710 to an 1830). Also, what you can do is take the highest part of each test and combine it. For example, on your first test, you got 590/470/470. Lets say next time you got 530/550/550. You could then take the 590 from test 1 and the 550s from test two to send to the college.

 

Philo,

I do think that there is no harm in retaking the test for a higher score if you believe that you can do better but if that's the score you need for the college of your choice, then just keep it. If you do choose to retake, please do not just "wing it". Many colleges look on all of your prior SAT scores and thus, will not be delighted to see you do worse on a test.

Best of luck man!

 

I feel bad for all yall who have to take dem SAT's

On a serious note though, if you think you can study harder and improve your score, then there is no harm in retaking the tests. Just make sure you actually put in the effort, or you could end up doing worse and decreasing your chances at getting into your school of choice.

 

Whoever told you that you can't increase your score was definitely wrong. I've never been a fan of standardized tests because they're a 3 hour test of "intelligence". The concept is horribly stupid. You may even be having a bad day when you take it!

Between my two tests, though, I went from a 1870 to 2030. I would always take a second shot if I were you

 

Yeah. I signed up for the test late and never studied. I want to get a tutor and really knuckle down, maybe pick up a few books to read too, to help improve scoring.


That really is an insane SAT score though. My grades are really good though, I don't understand why I did so poorly on the SAT.

 

It's great that you're determined!
And again, it is not a test of your intelligence. It's about how well you can randomly pick out words and solve stupid math problems.

Don't think you're not smart if yo get a mediocre score.

 

It kind of depends on how good your transcript is. If you got crappy grades, then having a great SAT score might help you, although I know a lot of people who scored horribly (less than 1200) and still got into more than one university. My first score was 1640 and my second score was 1720. Don't expect much of a difference. You'd be surprised at how low most people score on the SAT. A 1530 really isn't bad. I personally hate the SAT and I don't think it does an accurate job of determining a person's intelligence. Neither does the SAT II.
On the other hand, like someone else said, having taken it twice could make you seem more academically determined and whatnot. It's a pain in the ass, but you'll have a better idea of what's on the test. You'll probably score at least 50-100 points higher.
You could also take the ACT, which is WAY easier than the SAT. I mean ridiculously easier.

 

I know a lot of colleges actually look at SAT's higher than the ACT - or from what I heard at least. What about SAT Subject Tests? Are they even worth taking?

 

I only took the subject tests (SAT II) because some colleges require it in order to be admitted. You can usually do an online search to find out if the colleges you are applying to prefer you to take them. If you do, then you should take three subject tests. If you don't have to, then I wouldn't recommend taking them because most are pretty challenging.
Yeah the SAT is probably held at a higher standard, but having an amazing ACT score sure can't hurt anything lol.