What is considered a competitive SAT 2 Math 2 score?

[8filltheheart]

My rising 10th grader took the May Math 2. He really wants to attend a top school----new territory for us. I'm not sure what they are really looking for in test scores. What looks great to me, a 750 as 9th grader, is it good enough for applying to schools like Yale, MIT, Johns Hopkins?? Or should he consider taking it again aiming for an 800? I'm clueless.

 

Thanks.

[Kareni]

We were very pleased with the 690 that my daughter received; however, her interests are primarily in the humanities (Classics major with Geology minor). I think that a 750 is a very respectable score.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Mommyfaithe]

A 750 is awesome! Are you bragging? :D

(just kidding between old friends...)

Faithe

[8filltheheart]

A 750 is awesome! Are you bragging? :D

(just kidding between old friends...)

Faithe

 

I wish. :tongue_smilie: Making an 800 on the Math 2 is pretty normal amg kids applying to math/science programs at competitive schools. We knew that going into it. But, that is also typically amg jrs. I am wondering if the fact that he took it as a freshman sort of balances that out. :confused:

 

He wants to major in physics and astronomy or astrophysics (it depends on the school.) So this is a pretty important score.

 

But, honestly, I am at a pt right now where I really don't care. I'm trying to make myself. :(

[Teachin'Mine]

I was hoping you'd get more replies as I'm wondering too. Congratulations to your son!!! He did amazing!!! :)

 

Did he take both the levels of math? If he did, were his scores about the same, or does the level 1 come out lower like they say because of less leeway in the scoring? I'm also wondering if colleges take into account the year the test was taken and would consider a 750 in 9th as good as an 800 in 11th. Have you contacted any colleges to ask their admission people?

[8filltheheart]

I was hoping you'd get more replies as I'm wondering too. Congratulations to your son!!! He did amazing!!! :)

 

Did he take both the levels of math? If he did' date=' were his scores about the same, or does the level 1 come out lower like they say because of less leeway in the scoring? I'm also wondering if colleges take into account the year the test was taken and would consider a 750 in 9th as good as an 800 in 11th. Have you contacted any colleges to ask their admission people?[/quote']

 

He did not take the level 1. After reading posts on College Confidential, it appears that the math 1 is looked down upon by math/science schools and is considered a test taken by weaker students.

 

We only found out his scores last night, so I haven't done anything with them. I don't know if I'll have the energy to make any contacts this summer. I guess we'll just play it by ear in the future.

 

He is taking AP cal BC in the fall, so I might just wait to find out how he scores on that next yr.

[Laura in CA]

That's an awesome score for a 9th-grader! Your son should be proud of himself. :001_smile:

 

However ... after giving yourself and your son time to enjoy his success ... your son should think about taking it again -- a year or more from now (he's got plenty of time!). He will use many of the topics on the subject test during the year he takes Calc BC and this will help cement the concepts. I think Kathy in Richmond's kids took the subject test the same time as the Calc BC exam. (What does Kathy say about this?)

 

The scoring on the level 2 exam is pretty generous (I think you can miss up to four questions and still get an 800). And as you say, the schools your son is looking at are very competitive. I'm picturing the admissions people looking at a sea of data for a sea of applicants, and I wouldn't bank on it that they would notice that the 750 was achieved when he was in 9th grade, you know? when many of the applicants have 800s, and they're used to seeing scores like that ... I agree with a PP, you could simply ask an admissions person (I've found them very helpful and very down-to-earth). And I'm curious what Kathy in Richmond says!

 

and ... that reminds me, I have some SSP info to forward to you! :001_smile:

 

~Laura

 

ETA: From the link Brenda posted in a similar thread, it looks like an 800 on math level 2 is only 91st percentile, and a 750 is 79th percentile -- again, awesome for a 9th-grader! But I'm guessing an admissions person would wonder, if there's no other data, if your son was indeed capable of an 800 or close to that ... better to show them that he is! My son, also finishing up 9th grade, will study for the math level 2 and take it this coming fall. I figure it will be good review of high-school math concepts, and the time he spends studying - aiming for high 700s or 800 - will be time well spent.

Edited May 28, 2011 by Laura in CA

[Kathy in Richmond]

Hey 8FilltheHeart!

 

First of all, this should be the very *least* of your concerns right now.:)

 

That said, your son's score is indeed a terrific one for the ninth grade! I agree with Laura; you both should feel proud of his accomplishments at such a young age.:001_smile:

 

The type of schools he's considering use holistic admissions, so there aren't hard and fast cutoff scores for admission. MIT, for instance, insists that any score starting with a 7 or 8 is just fine by them, and I see no reason not to believe them. At the same time, I like to err on the side of caution myself. Their data set for admitted students last year shows that the 25/75 percentile range for the SAT math subject test is 750/800. Btw, it's extremely hard to find such information for a given school; I applaud MIT's openness in making the numbers public.

 

Overall percentile ranges for all kids taking the SAT subject tests in 2010 can be found here. I just view it as another handy piece of data to have on hand when matching a kid to a school. Keep in mind that only the top students take subject tests, which is why the average scores are skewed much higher than on the plain old SAT.

 

As for the fact that your son' score was earned in the 9th grade; I've never had a sense that the colleges credit the age at which the tests are taken. The schools requiring SAT subject tests are looking carefully at those numbers. It's the only apples-to-apples comparisons they have amongst applicants at the advanced subject level. Also, at lots of these schools (my dd knows a fellow student who does this at Stanford), the applicants' raw data is going to be summarized by clerical workers before the readers ever see the file. Whether they include dates along with test scores is anybody's guess. And the initial reading of an applicant's file is going to be very quick. Even if dates are in there, I'm not sure that they'd be noticed. [One thing I've done to get around this is to place my kids' test scores *and* dates on their homeschool transcripts.]

 

Like Laura suggests, I'm sure your ds could attempt the test again and score even higher after a year of BC calculus. He certainly has the talent to do so.:D Is that the best use of his time and energy, though? That's up to him & you.:) My kids took the math subject test after Calc BC and found that it was super easy at that point with little time investment. I personally don't think that it's necessarily a make-or-break issue. Pursuing his passions in astronomy and physics would help your ds stand out much more to admissions committees (not to mention being more fun for him!)

 

Another thing to research is score choice. Some schools like Yale don't participate in score choice & require all SAT scores and subject test scores to be sent in. Here's a link that lists score choice policies at various colleges.

 

In the end, it's a fuzzy decision, isn't it? Here's a quote from the Dean of Admissions at Rollins College that's made its way around: "test scores count less than students think, and more than colleges are willing to admit."

[Laura in CA]

Thanks, Kathy! Wow, I learned a lot from your post! And I know you're busy right now, too, so thanks for the info. :001_smile:

 

~Laura

[Kathy in Richmond]

Hey Laura! You're most welcome... & I need to catch up with you one of these days soon. Work's been super busy, and we're leaving for N's graduation in a few days. Hopefully shortly after that! :)

[flyingiguana]

If he goes on to do well on the Calc BC exam, I'd be inclined not to worry about his Math SAT 2 score. The Math 2 covers stuff up to calculus, so if one can do well on the Calc test, the Math 2 test may be a bit moot.

 

Anyway, that's not a bad score. The percentile is somewhat irrelevant on that test because it's generally only taken by kids who are pretty good at math. (And colleges do know that.)

 

Anyway, a lot of colleges don't even request SAT 2 scores. I don't know if they look at them if they don't request them. Some surely do, but it would likely be part of looking at the whole "package" so one slightly lower score wouldn't probably be of any consequence.

 

He could retake the test, but you'll probably find that he's got a lot more things to do that are of more importance as college admissions gets closer -- things that will probably mean more to admissions. Tests aren't everything. In fact, too many tests that are not balanced by other experiences might be a bit of a detriment at highly selective schools.

 

In any case, it could be that that's just what he scores on that test, and that retaking it may not make a huge amount of difference. Some tests are just like that. They just mesh with certain minds in a certain way. Some kids do great even if they aren't all that great at math, and other kids who are geniuses at math may not get perfect scores on that particular test.

[8filltheheart]

Thank you Laura and Kathy for your responses. You ladies are awesome. :)

 

Flyingiguana, most of the selective colleges do require the SAT 2s. I'm not positive that 50 pts is going to make or break an admissions decision. I'm not sure what the correct answer is. Ds is taking AP chem next yr as well and will be taking the May or June SAT 2 for that after finishing the AP, so we just may make the decision that he takes 2 that day (for those who don't know, you can take 3 SAT2s in one sitting).

[Laura in CA]

Hey Laura! You're most welcome... & I need to catch up with you one of these days soon. Work's been super busy, and we're leaving for N's graduation in a few days. Hopefully shortly after that! :)

 

Yes, Kathy, let's catch up soon! Enjoy the graduation (how exciting!) and I'll be in touch after that -- I have some math questions :001_smile:

 

8FilltheHeart: I agree with a lot of the posters who say your son may have better uses for his time ... I now remember seeing the stats of several kids admitted to Caltech (very similar to MIT in selectivity), and one kid had 750 on his SAT math section (which, I think, is a much easier test than the math level 2 subject test). And a girl I know who graduated from Stanford had 760 on her math level 2 subject test, and 720 on SAT math -- and she was a science-y kid who had a lot of science fair wins, math & science clubs, tutoring, etc. -- obviously a passion for science (like your son!). So it's true that one doesn't need all 800s! Also, we went to a Caltech info session, and the director of admissions told the kids in the audience NOT to take the SAT etc. too many times (more than twice). In his words, "You have better things to do with your Saturday mornings."

 

So, as Kathy says, retaking the math level 2 may be super-easy after calculus; or if your son is too busy doing cool astronomy things, that's good too! :001_smile:

 

~Laura