<p>I know a couple of rejected/deferred people who took the SATs more than once. That wouldn't be much of a problem had some of their past scores been below average. I know that Stanford claims to look at the highest scores, but do you think the number of times an applicant takes the SAT I & IIs combined with bad past scores has any effect on admission?</p>
<p>I think it can have an effect. While they only officially consider the highest scores, the admissions officers will still see the other scores, and that may prejudice them in some way or another--after all, they are only human.</p>
<p>i took it three times, and my best scores were a 720 math from the second time i took it and a 720 verbal from the third time. i was accepted early. so no, i don't think you can blame the number of times you took your sat's for deferral/rejection.</p>
<p>in my opinion, grades and board scores are just a threshold thing - you have to be very strong in both to be considered by stanford (unless you're recruited) and after that, it's really your essays and rec's that make you stand out (not ec's b/c honestly, everyone who's applying probably is the head of this or that, editor of this magazine etc.) so write damn good essays, and stand out in a sea of 1600's and 4.0's.</p>
<p>i got in last year rd...took it three times...1320, 1330, 1500</p>
<p>I think if they see that you've taken the SATs an unnecessary number of times (depending on the adcom, this can be 4+), they're going to think that you've spent too much time worrying about SATs and not enough time spent doing much better, more meaningful things.</p>
<p>I took the SAT1's three times: 1310, 1320, 1460 and the SAT2s once and was accepted EA, so I guess it doesn't make that much a difference. I personally think that the test scores, academic history, and gpa get you past the first cut, and then it's your essays and recs and outstanding achievements that get you in.</p>