Game Day Strategy Forum

[gambelda]

Scenario: I have been scoring in the 165-168 region almost consistenly. Had a 171 once when I was really focused (but didn't think I had actually done that well) My GPA is a 3.92

Unless I feel like I absolutely killed it, should I cancel the December exam?

I want to go to a top school and want to get as much money as possible but am worried that if I hit a 166 or so, it will greatly reduce my chance at money in the long run if I get a 170+ on a retake (June 2011).

Just wondering what my strategy should be to have a the best chance at $ with my applications next cycle. Is it better to sit this exam, eat a 166 range score if it happens, retake and get a 170 or to cancel, study 6 more months, then retake and shoot for a 170?

Sidenote: Already have 1 absence due to pushing back my test day.

[whymeohgodno]

If you are asking which one looks better between an absence+cancel+170 vs an absence+166+170, the answer is probably the first.

[jwaters]

No, I wouldn't cancel unless you are absolutely sure you bombed it or mis-bubbled.

However, if you are PT'ing in the 165-168 range, you should not be at all surprised to get an actual score somewhere between 163-167. Very few people hit their upper range of PT scores. Many people in the Oct. scores thread were very disappointed by their scores because they had unreasonable expectations. If you are shooting for 170+ (which your post makes it sound like you are), there's really no point of you even taking the Dec. test if you are consistently getting 165-168. I'm not trying to be negative or put you down, just being realistic.

[JJDancer]

I think he/she is saying "Cancel+170" or "166+170"

I'm of the group that says you really can't guarantee your score in advance. I got pneumonia the DAY of my retake and had to cancel. What would you do if something like that happened and you didn't have an old score to fall back on?

I say don't cancel unless you feel you did worse than normal (less than 165) because sometimes it is hard to predict how you did, especially without knowing the curve. I'd take the 166,170 and risk not getting any $ from NYU, CLS than risk having a cancel, cancel or cancel, 165.

[northwood]

with a consistent scoring range of 165-168, id say you will likely score within that range on game day You have scored 171 one time, but are consistently scoring in the 165-168 range. Assuming you do not suffer from test day anxiety, you should score within that range. However, many people have scored lower than their pt average, while others score within your range.

Unless you know you had an epic bubbling fail, did not complete all of a section then I would keep the score. Its going to be very easy to psyche yourself down after the test, and you will second guess the entire test from the moment you get home- to the time you get your score.

My advice would be to make the decision to cancel or keep during the writingsection. Once you write something down, start going through the test. how did you feel about each section ( it will be very fresh in your mind, and you wont have any opionons from TLS to persuade you one way or another)? If you feel confident that you performed within your scoring range, dont cancel.

[eaa1537]

deleted

[gambelda]

with a consistent scoring range of 165-168, id say you will likely score within that range on game day You have scored 171 one time, but are consistently scoring in the 165-168 range. Assuming you do not suffer from test day anxiety, you should score within that range. However, many people have scored lower than their pt average, while others score within your range.

Unless you know you had an epic bubbling fail, did not complete all of a section then I would keep the score. Its going to be very easy to psyche yourself down after the test, and you will second guess the entire test from the moment you get home- to the time you get your score.

My advice would be to make the decision to cancel or keep during the writingsection. Once you write something down, start going through the test. how did you feel about each section ( it will be very fresh in your mind, and you wont have any opionons from TLS to persuade you one way or another)? If you feel confident that you performed within your scoring range, dont cancel.

I like this suggestion a lot. Does having say a 165-166 and a 170 negate my chances at money at schools like Michigan, Chicago, or Berkley? These would be my top 3 choices. I figure I could get into all 3 with a 170/3.92

I think everyone is right to expect a score within my range but I've been knocking on the 170 door for so long that I'm of the mind it just comes down to absolute focus. I never get nervous in standardized tests so I doubt I'll drop points from that or noise. My last 5 PT's have all contained at least 4-5 blatantly obvious incorrect AC's that when I re-read the question I know the answer before I even re-read the AC's and I wonder what the hell I was thinking. I'm of the mind that maybe I'm just struggling to focus in PT's because I work long days before I get a chance to study and so my focus is diminished.

Anyways, I guess we'll see what happens.

[northwood]

i say take it. If you know that you are making a few dumb mistakes and are confident that you wont do this on game day, you will be fine.

going from a 165-170 should keep you in the running for the schools you listed, assuming you are applying next cycle.( its getting late for this cycle. December should be the test of last resort for this cycle)

[gambelda]

i say take it. If you know that you are making a few dumb mistakes and are confident that you wont do this on game day, you will be fine.

going from a 165-170 should keep you in the running for the schools you listed, assuming you are applying next cycle.( its getting late for this cycle. December should be the test of last resort for this cycle)

Definitely next cycle. I'm all about the $$$ and it's disappearing too fast fo rme by the time I get my apps in on this cycle. Plus I have a great pay job right now that even though it's not really enjoyable, I can use to save up some money to help with the debt and make my WE look better for next cycle's applications.