Anonymous wrote:If she prepped and occasionally got higher scores on practice tests, I’d retake now to give it a shot while still fresh. Amazing score but a 1560 would be a notch higher and seems to be correlated to higher admissions chances at our school. Because it’s her idea, I’d go for it.

Good point about still being fresh now. Recent Blue Book practice tests were 1520, 1540, 1560, and 1580 x 2 - so all ballpark with actual November score. She doesn’t want to go to MIT or the like (tho got 780 on math). I would like the test madness to be over (and there are EC things she should turn attention to/focus on ….) but I guess December is only a couple weeks away / so not much extra mental energy/stress.

If you chase silly prizes, you'll spend your life on a treadmill.

Anonymous wrote:Take it again and can Super Score.

Exactly my thought

it's all about the number of mistakes your dd will make. it has nothing to do with how much she knows (she probably knows all). she will make mistakes. all kids do. maybe more than the first time.

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Anonymous wrote:So I genuinely don’t understand the responses here. Assuming retaking doesn’t add much stress/take time away for the kid, given that most schools superscore, why not take another stab? I ask because DC had a similar score but retested and now has a significantly higher superscore. Sure, it might not matter in the end, but maybe it could, given superscoring.

This is not 1490. Most kids retake and retake but can get better superscore. At this level, it’s increasingly difficult.

DC’s didn’t do better the second time but with superscoring, composite went up by 40 points. I guess I’m saying that with superscore, there is nothing to lose, so take the test and see what happens.

I would agree that "no prep" retake is fine. There is little to lose.
Another point is that your DC's result is an exception. It just doesn't happen often when you break 1540.

my 14 yo got that score. he's very competitive and wants to retake. i won't stop him. some kids are just competitive perfectionists.

Anonymous wrote:So I genuinely don’t understand the responses here. Assuming retaking doesn’t add much stress/take time away for the kid, given that most schools superscore, why not take another stab? I ask because DC had a similar score but retested and now has a significantly higher superscore. Sure, it might not matter in the end, but maybe it could, given superscoring.

I think the key is “assuming it doesn’t add much stress.”

My kid took sat as “practice” in spring of 10th grade (on rec of college counselor to see how much if any prep was called for) with minimal prep (took a look at khan academy and that’s it) and got a 1540.

My first thought was of course “great score!” But also, “maybe give it one more shot summer after junior year!” but it was clear that even one more test would have been a drag to her even if she didn’t prep at all-it just felt so good to have it crossed off her list.

She very likely would have taken it again if I had pressed at all but I didn’t and she got into her first choice (and was really conscious of feeling happy/relieved she was done w the sat.)

One and done is the way to go. You are not going to MIT so don’t need an 800 in math. Build the rest of the resume.

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Anonymous wrote:So I genuinely don’t understand the responses here. Assuming retaking doesn’t add much stress/take time away for the kid, given that most schools superscore, why not take another stab? I ask because DC had a similar score but retested and now has a significantly higher superscore. Sure, it might not matter in the end, but maybe it could, given superscoring.

This is not 1490. Most kids retake and retake but can get better superscore. At this level, it’s increasingly difficult.

DC’s didn’t do better the second time but with superscoring, composite went up by 40 points. I guess I’m saying that with superscore, there is nothing to lose, so take the test and see what happens.

Anonymous wrote:So I genuinely don’t understand the responses here. Assuming retaking doesn’t add much stress/take time away for the kid, given that most schools superscore, why not take another stab? I ask because DC had a similar score but retested and now has a significantly higher superscore. Sure, it might not matter in the end, but maybe it could, given superscoring.

This is not 1490. Most kids retake and retake but can get better superscore. At this level, it’s increasingly difficult.

So I genuinely don’t understand the responses here. Assuming retaking doesn’t add much stress/take time away for the kid, given that most schools superscore, why not take another stab? I ask because DC had a similar score but retested and now has a significantly higher superscore. Sure, it might not matter in the end, but maybe it could, given superscoring.

If she prepped and occasionally got higher scores on practice tests, I’d retake now to give it a shot while still fresh. Amazing score but a 1560 would be a notch higher and seems to be correlated to higher admissions chances at our school. Because it’s her idea, I’d go for it.

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Anonymous wrote:This is the biggest humble brag on DCUM.

1000%

OP here. HAHAHAHA - I wish it were a humble brag (I think if it were I would have tried to embellish the pedestrian (heh) ECs?)! But I just finished reading a few DCUM threads with tippy top GPA/SAT scorers getting shut out of most/all reach schools (of course, being DCUM, many on those threads called the OPs of those threads "trolls" ).

Anyway, my instinct remains - 1540 is good enough (but, I will admit, not tippy top!). PP is right - no guarantee of scoring higher (but I guess it doesn't matter if she scores lower?? So long as not applying to GT or MIT?). I do worry about devoting more time/mental energy to a dumb test. There are other things to focus on for sure.

Lower does hurt. It shows the first was a fluke or raises a lot of questions (nothing positive).

But aside from a couple of schools (GT and MIT come to mind) you don't have to report all scores? Or am I incorrect in that assumption?

Some kids are like that. Your only jobs is to caution them to not let other priorities. Let them decide. It's their life, their admission.

Take it again and can Super Score.