<p>My son took the SAT reasoning test and got 2180 (780M, 700 CR, 700 W). Concerned if he took it again would do worse and possibly get under 700 in CR and W.</p>
<p>Is it a red flag to admissions if only took once?</p>
<p>Any advice would be appreciated!</p>
<p>I think the conventional thinking is that most admissions take positive view upon applicant that takes SAT only once. It can give the vibe that the applicant is not obsessive with scores and stats. With that said, most colleges including the most competitive schools usually super score, taking the best scores from each sub-section from different dates and use that as the composite score. So it may not hurt or diminish your son chance if he takes the SAT again. And obviously, it could help if your son improves upon his first score.</p>
<p>Why would it be a red flag to take it just once, especially with a high score? Indeed, repeated attempts may look worse than getting a high score on the one and only try.</p>
<p>If a second test is to be taken, consider whether it may be worth taking the ACT instead, since some students do better on one test versus the other.</p>
<p>Thank you for your perspective. I had heard that 2200 is a cutoff for top schools. Is that true? Do admissions then not look at your application if less than 2200?</p>
<p>Depending on where he wants to apply, it would help to get a little bit higher scores. Most people take it more than once. I think maturity matters when it comes to taking SAT I. I would wait until end of spring to have him take it again. Meanwhile, he could take few practice tests every week. I wouldn´t be surprised if his CR and writing should go up by 20-50 pots.</p>
<p>Where does he want to go? Taking it only once is not any kind of red flag, but if he’s aiming for either ultraselective schools or merit money, every uptick in the score can matter.</p>
<p>There is definitely no cutoff in the sense that you are proposing. 2180 will not be looked very differently from a 2200, especially with the most competitive schools. Some suggest to look at it this way, if your test score is within the range (like approximately equal or greater than the 50% percentile score published by the school), then the rest in the application are a lot more important than the test score.</p>
<p>I really don’t think there’s any harm in taking it twice even if the score goes down. For both my kids a second take resulted in some scores that were lower and others that were higher, which means that for schools that superscore there was still a net gain. No one will think you are taking it too many times if you take it twice, four times maybe.</p>
<p>Mostly, my kids scored lower the second time around…AFTER tutoring. Go figure.</p>
<p>If you look at your detailed SAT report, it will tell you how most applicants with each of those scores on each section fared on retest. At these levels, it is likely that the average test taker with these scores does worse, but not all do worse. It really depends on what is lacking. If you had a test that you can get the test and your child’s answers (for a fee they are available for some test dates) you might be able to see if there is room to improve. On math, he probably skipped one or two questions to get 780 (and none wrong). Maybe he knows what area he needs to review. In writing, it is helpful to know what types of questions were wrong. In reading there also are some types of questions that are difficult for each individual test taker.</p>
<p>If he hasn’t already done the 10 test book from the college board, he could practice and see if there is consistency in his score. IRL, there is a normal range that the score would be in statistically. He could be high, low or just on par…</p>
<p>Per some colleges that want all scores, a very few do not like to see that you have taken the test too many times (eg. check out U of Penn). Others will superscore and put only the best subsection in for the applicant. (And it is sorted by computer not a person I am told). Quite a few top schools let you select which scores to send. I personally have never heard of anywhere that looks badly at a kid who took the test once. We visited many schools, and researched a number of others.</p>
<p>In my mind the downside is if you apply to an all scores school, and do worse, even if they say that they will superscore, the kid might feel badly about doing worse. Not too bad a downside.</p>
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<p>^^^D1 scored 30 points higher on a second SAT test after taking a rather pricey test prep course. She had very good scores, but she wanted to go for more. Money wasted as far as I was concerned; lesson learned.</p>
<p>D2 scored much higher than predicted on her first SAT. We left it at that as her scores were more than good enough to get into her preferred choices (very bright kid, but not a tippy top school candidate, so no use in trying to get blood from a turnip).</p>
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<p>Absolutely false. But colleges look at the scores in context of the applicant, both as to personal qualities and the school/area he is coming from. Higher scores really aren’t going to help a generally strong applicant, especially with the score pattern that your son has.</p>
<p>Depending on your son’s target schools, a higher CR score could help him. (Not that his current score is not good.) Unfortunately, I think that the CR section is probably the most difficult to raise by prepping, although I could be wrong. </p>
<p>IF your S is willing to do some real prep, it may be worth his while to retake. That is the big IF. My S insisted on retaking a 2300–he was offended by his 720 M :rolleyes: --but didn’t do any prep at all either time. He scored 10 pts higher the second time. Not worth it, IMHO.</p>
<p>No one is penalized for taking the SAT only once. They MAY be penalized for taking it 3 or more times, according to conventional wisdom.</p>
<p>I would only recommend taking it again if your son was scoring higher in practice tests. If not, I’d say “done” for standardized testing. Plenty of kids take the test just once.</p>
<p>My D only took SAT once. Her score was a bit higher than your S, but she really wasn’t happy with it. She said she wants to take it again, but then changed her mind. She opted fir an extra SAT2 insted, and a bunch of AP exams. Result: she got ED into Cornell. If your S is happy, or at least OK with his scores (he should be able to evaluate the test difficulty vs his skills/knowledge) then no need to retake SAT.</p>
<p>I took my SAT twice, even though I had a well-enough score the first time. Most schools take the highest of each, for example, say your student received a 760M, 720CR, and 710W the second time. The college would take the 780M and the two higher Critical Reading and Writing scores. It is really all in your perspective: if you feel your child needs to retake the test, go for it. If not, the first score is typically high enough for nearly any college entry program.</p>
<p>Both DDs refused to take the test again. “Why would I want to wake up early on a Saturday to take a test I already did well on??”</p>
<p>No, in fact most colleges expect student to take the SAT 2-4 times unless they get 2300+ as it shows effort. Because almost all schools super score, he could only score higher. Wait until Spring to test again, and have him do practice tests (no need for tutoring - he is already in a good range).</p>
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Absolutely wrong. While many students do take it multiple times there is no expectation.</p>
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<p>These statements are completely false. Admin officers like seeing kids who have something better to do with their Saturday morns, and the time leading up to their Sat morns…especially if there’s minimal difference in the already high test scores. The difference between a 700 and a 720 is not what’s going to “tip the scale” in a kid’s favor when it comes to admissions decisions.</p>
<p>If it were my kid, I would not push taking the test again, even for the tippy top schools. Especially if there are 750+ SAT II’s. However, the advice given earlier – if the PSAT score and/or practice tests indicate your kid should be getting at least 750 on all 3 sections…a retake could be considered.</p>