<p>My daughter got a 1060 on her PSAT last year. She took a prep course in the spring and brought her score up to 1220 on the June SAT. She wasn't planning on taking it again. Her guidance counselor is advising her that colleges don't look favorably on prospects who take the SAT once only. She will be applying to JMU, American University in DC, Villanova, Gettysburg, possibly UMD - College Park, Penn State, and Salisbury and Susquehanna as safeties. Is her guidance counselor correct?</p>
<p>In your situation, I think it depends on the college she is aiming for. Check their website for the "range" of their SAT scores. If she's in the "range", then good for her, she doesn't have to suffer anymore. Colleges have no real aversions to kids who take the SATs only once:if you think you got a nice score the first time around, why would you take it again? The second-timers are often kids like me who are aiming high or did not think we've reached our full potential upon the first "taking of the test". So. Boils down to this:
Colleges prefer to see: One or two stabs at the SAT...a third time is ok, fourth time is completely over the line.
Overall: Depends on where your daughter wants to go to college.
Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I would think that colleges would look favorably on someone who took the SAT once and moved on with their life, rather than doing it again. However, I have heard that most stories about how colleges look on such things are myth; all that matters is your highest score. My opinion is that one should take it once, and then again if they are certain they can improve significantly. It's foolish to take a test again and just hope you'll get lucky and do better- you have to be SURE you'll improve.</p>
<p>If she can improve her score significantly (which shouldn't be too hard to do w/ extra vocab practice), she should definitely take it again. I made the mistake of taking it twice within a period of 2 months, and I actually got lower on my second time. I prepared for a third time and improved 150 points.</p>
<p>actually, i heard that with most college anyway, hte people reviewing an applicant's file don't even see how many times it's been taking. There's some poor clerical lady who simply pulls out the highest verbal and highes tmath or the highest score on one sitting (depending on school's policy).</p>
<p>I've taken the test 3 times now, and I don't see what the big deal is. Colleges really only care about what the highest score is, and it's not that much "suffering" to go through. I didn't study at all between my first and second time and went up by 60 points. Didn't study between 2nd and 3rd, we'll see how that works out.</p>
<p>It's really not that much "suffering" to go through. I've moved on with my life since the 1st time - I don't think about the SAT all day - but that doesn't mean I can't find the motivation in me to sit thruogh another 3 hours and maybe do better.</p>
<p>Based on a lecture conducted at our high school, it was suggested that the SAT can be taken as much as 4 times .Schools use the highest Math and highest Verbal. They don't do this, however, for the student! By using the highest math and verbal score, the schools get to inflate their average SATs!</p>
<p>I can tell you that every time that I have taken either the PSAT or SAT, I have scored significantly better. She has taken it a combined total of two time, including PSATs. I took the PSAT twice and the SAT once and I am taking them again. I recommend taking them at least once more.</p>
<p>Thank you all for responding. I appreciate your input. I'm printing out all of your responses and giving them to my daughter. I think she'll be able to make a more informed decision based on all of your responses.</p>