I’ve taken the old SAT twice with a highest score of 1490. I have also taken the new SAT twice with a highest score of 2070. I wish to retake it again in October. Will that look bad on my application? I hope to apply to Harvard, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, and the like.
<p>Both the Harvard and the Yale websites discourage students from taking the SAT more than 3 times. So looks like you have another go. However, do some heavy prep before you take it again.</p>
<p>so they wont count the old SAT and the new SAt together and say that i have taken four SATS right?</p>
<p>When you say, Don't take it more than three times, is that all together or just during your junior/senior year. I took it in Freshman and Soph years as an experiment--would hate to think I only have one more shot!!</p>
<p>They're referring to the times when you were taking it for college admission. However, your freshman and sophomore year scores will show.</p>
<p>Dude, take it AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE!! It took me FOUR tries to break 1300, with my scores only raising 10 points each time with my 2nd and 3rd shots. But once I did improve my score, I was all of sudden a smart kid (because I wasn't before I learned how to take the SAT, apparently). Then again a 1490 is a good score....</p>
<p>I also think that if took it starting your freshman year, you will be "allowed" more shots. There's a difference between a 15 and an 18 year old's head!!</p>
<p>theoneo is right...it's about college admission attempts. But as far as "experiments" go your total should still be pretty low. Mike, take it again if it makes you feel better but beyond that more tests look less impressive. I mean from an admissions point of few any one who took the test 10 times should know the test material...therefore defeating the purpose of the test. Practice at home so you can save your money. </p>
<p>The Ivy Recs said personally that they hold it against applicants who make themselves career test takers. </p>
<p>Don't worry TOO much about it. It all ends up in the shredder in the end anyway. Just get a high enough score for YOU to feel like you put together a solid application. Best of Luck!</p>
<p>"The Ivy Recs said personally that they hold it against applicants who make themselves career test takers."</p>
<p>At what point is someone considered a "career test taker"? I took 8 SAT IIs and forgot to explain on the app why I did it...</p>
<p>The standard advice is that if you take the SAT 3 times or less, it is probable that the college will take the best verbal score and best math score regardless of test date; and that if you take it more than 3 times, it is probable that they will average all of the verbal scores and all of the math scores from all of the test dates. Other possibilities are that they take the best overall score from a single test date, or that they take the best subscores no matter how many times you take it. The colleges make their own policies.</p>
<p>This year is, of course, different due to the New SAT. Whether a college considers 2 old SAT's and 2 new SAT's to be 4 or just 2 is up to the college. You could call and ask specific colleges.</p>
<p>The only good advice is to take the New SAT at least once because some colleges are not accepting the old scores. Once again, you would have to ask the specific colleges.</p>
<p>Someone taking a test five times is going to look obsessive, but there is the difference between the old and new tests. You should judge whether the possible gain outweighs the possible loss.</p>