<p>Will colleges really just look at your best from each section?</p>
<p>Do your scores become tainted at all if you happen to do poorly on one SAT?</p>
<p>Some colleges look at the best from each section. Others take the best score from one sitting. It depends on which colleges you're talking about.</p>
<p>The info gets abbreviated as the process goes along. For example, your essay is rated on a scale of perhaps 1 to 5 with maybe a few notes on what stood out. It is pretty likely that they just transcribe the highest SAT scores and don't look at the CB report after that.</p>
<p>Research specific college rules. Most colleges do take best scores from each section. Most colleges dont look poorly on a poor showing, realizing that not everyone performs well every single time.</p>