SAT Score question

<p>I took the SAT's two times. Can I submit the higher score from one part of test and the score on the other part from the second test, i.e. - mix and match!! Do the schools look at scores from both tests or do they only look at the better test results?</p>

<p>you can mix and match @ most schools..but not all</p>

<p>they look at everything you send them, but they supposedly only take the highest set into consideration...</p>

<p>I thought I already answered this question yesterday. Oh well, here goes again. </p>

<p>I attended the the Exploring College Options consortium (Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford) meeting on 10 May 2007 in Bloomington, Minnesota specifically to ask about this issue. Before the meeting, I emailed ahead to the admission offices of Duke, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford with quotations from earlier CC threads, all publicly viewable threads indexed by Google, in which students asked about the issue of retaking the SAT I. I also included short "fair-use" quotations from some replies (of varying points of view) that those student questions elicited.</p>

<p>After slide shows about each college, the audience of more than 200 students (and many parents) was allowed to ask general questions. I looked around to make sure I wouldn't cut off a student, and then stood up to ask my question. I said that I have seen many online discussions in which a student has taken the SAT I once, and is concerned about taking it again. I asked if that could have a bad effect on how the college would view the student's first score, to report more than one score. The Georgetown admission representative (the only one I didn't write to ahead of time) replied that when there are SAT I retakes after the second time, score increases are not usually seen. But Georgetown counts an applicant's highest score, section by section, and does so even if some of the scores come from the old two-section SAT I rather than the current three-section SAT I.</p>

<p>The Harvard representative, admission officer Julia Topalian, looked me right in the eye as she said, "Take it ten times if you want to; it's not going to hurt you." She continued by saying that test scores are but one element in evaluating applicants for admission, and "how you use your time is important." Harvard will look at what an applicant's extracurricular activities (ECs) are, and taking admission tests is not considered an EC. But specific to the issue of retaking the test, "You can take it as many times as you like."</p>

<p>I thought that was a good response to the groundless worries so many students have about one or two retakes before the final deadline for submitting SAT I scores for an admission application. (By the way, the Harvard representative said in a later discussion specific to questions about Harvard that the first admission test [SAT I or ACT with writing] in the year 2008 will still be timely for class of 2008 applicants in Harvard's new one-deadline application cycle. She also said it is NEVER necessary to rush scores--rushed scores and regular service scores arrive at Harvard at exactly the same time.) Don't worry--don't worry at all--if you think there is a good reason for you to retake the SAT I (or ACT). Do remember that Harvard (and other fine colleges) every year pass over applicants with peak test scores to admit students with lower scores who have other desirable characteristics. There is no special admission wallop to taking the SAT I only once, and no guarantee of admission even with a perfect score. The 2006-2007 Official Register of Harvard University, a publication of the admission office, says, "You may take tests more than once; we consider only your highest scores."</p>

<p>All comparable colleges have similar policies, so this isn't an issue to worry about. I hope this helps the applicants in high school classes of 2008, 2009, and subsequent classes worry less and enjoy their activities more.</p>

<p>tokenadult u have really solved my questions, i didnt want to ask them. although SAT is part of the APP game, it still very important.</p>

<p>i am gonna give the SAT for self satisfaction, I did terrible in my first one bcuz i didnt know what to expect, i though the 10 minute section was the practice section. bummer. anyway i know i'll get into some school(not community) in NYC. wish me luck.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone facing that decision about whether or not to retest. Best wishes for successful preparation before your last time taking the test.</p>

<p>tokenadult,</p>

<p>Have you asked Harvard how it uses the writing score from the new SAT test for admission? Thanks.</p>

<p>I haven't asked a Harvard admission officer specifically about that point, but I recall that Harvard has long required three SAT II Subject Tests, and I think it used to regard the scores of the SAT II Writing test back before that was made obsolete by the new SAT I writing section. Moreover, for applicants who submit the ACT, the ACT with writing is required, so it appears that the Harvard admission officers pay some attention to scores on the writing section of either test. I do not know, at all, how that score is considered in interaction with all the other aspects of an admission application. </p>

<p>Good luck on your tests and on your applications.</p>

<p>Are the highest SAT II scores only considered for admissions in Ivy Leagues?
So, for example, if a kid jumps from a 200 to an 800, his/her highest score is onlu looked at when admission time rolls around</p>