Question:

I’m starting to prepare now for the winter intern recruitment. I am a third year student at [non target school] with a good amount of professional experience and internships under my belt.  One of my primary concerns is my SAT math scores that I took in high school.  On one sitting, I received a 720 in math, 500 in reading, 570 in writing (total 1790).  And on another sitting, a 670 in math, 590 in reading, and 680 in writing (total 1940).  My SAT II math score is 710.

Is retaking the SAT a viable option? If not, how should I incorporate my scores in my resume (if necessary)?

My Reply:

It would be extremely odd to retake the SAT, and not worth it. If you’re concerned about the scores, you should take the GRE or GMAT instead, and not disclose your SAT scores.

While there isn’t a firm cut-off at most firms (it depends on everything else on the resume), your scores would be considered on the low end for the Top 7 firms, especially coming out of a non-target school (which itself starts your application off at a slight negative).

If you’re looking at the Top 20 firms, I think there’s more flexibility around scores.