<p>I'm confused about the best path to take as regards the SATfor my D. Could someone verify I've got this right. On SAT1 test day you can name 4 institutions where you want your test scores sent and those four are included in the overall fee. Okay.. I always thought a kid could decline to have those scores sent anyplace and later cherry pick his best scores from his/her numerous SAT1 tests and have College Board send ONLY those top scores to the colleges of interest. If I read CB correctly... if you want your SAT1 scores sent to a college then that college gets the results of EVERY SAT1 you have EVER taken. I've heard of kids taking this SAT as freshman and that some kids take the test four or five times. My question is, if indeed you take the test numerous times doesn't that diminish you in the eyes of an admit officer as compared to a kid who has only taken it once with a similar or even a somewhat lower score?
That having been said, what is the best strategy as regards the SAT.. take it once a few months prior to the application process, or take in numerous times, theorhetically improving each time and hope ONLY the highest score is considered, regardless of the amount of times you've taken the test. I'm halfway thinking colleges might average all your SAT1 scores together and group you in that percentile of applicants.. I just don't know. Do you?</p>
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My question is, if indeed you take the test numerous times doesn't that diminish you in the eyes of an admit officer as compared to a kid who has only taken it once with a similar or even a somewhat lower score?
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Short answer -- in my opinion absolutely not. Colleges have a vested interest in taking your best score, and most of them clearly say that they do just that. If a school averages, it will say so. I think the idea that schools frown upon multiple testing is mostly an urban legend. That doesn't mean that I think taking the SAT 7 times for what amounts to a relatively small increase is the most productive use of time. </p>
<p>And consider the ACT, which is accepted most everywhere and does allow score choice (you only send the results you want to send). There's a train of thought that the ACT is not looked upon as favorably as the SAT at selective schools, but I don't think that's at all true these days.</p>
<p>Kids can take the SAT for a variety of reasons. For example, some 9th or 10th graders (or even middle school kids) take it because it is required for admissions to the CTY summer program at Johns Hopkins. Of course these kids get scores lower than those they will eventually get as 11th or 12th graders. But it doesn't seem to harm them in any way.</p>
<p>My understanding is that colleges use the highest scores. The only debate is about whether they use the highest score on each section of the test or whether they use the highest composite score from one sitting.</p>
<p>When you're thinking about SATs for your daughter, please don't forget the SAT Subject Tests (also called SAT II tests). Not all colleges require them, but for students who may apply to schools that do, it's important to take them into account when planning testing schedules.</p>
<p>I don't believe it's true that selective colleges don't take multiple testing into account. OF COURSE, they say they only look at the highest scores (or the highest set of scores), and that's certainly what they're going to use for their common data set, USNWR reporting, etc. But I find it difficult to believe that, faced with two otherwise identical students and one slot left, someone isn't going to say, "But X got those scores taking the test only once, while Y had to take it three times to get that score."</p>
<p>When you ask CB to send SAT scores to a college, all the scores within the past three years are sent. You cannot cherry pick a test date.</p>
<p>I guess it gets down to whether a familiarity the SAT gains you an advantage. I understand each test has different problems, questions, and so on, but, at least in content, it is the same type of test. I see nothing wrong with taking it numerous times if an advantage is to be gained. However, if as JHS suspects, your scores are looked down upon owed to your having taken it so often, maybe any gain in scoring will not realized. Obviously no Admin Committee is going to hold a kid who took the SAT as a HS freshman to his freshman score, but what about a kid who took it three times in junior year and once in the fall of senior year? Only the colleges know for sure. Is there any data suggesting an increase in score occurs with each sitting? Generally speaking how much can a student expect thier score to increase per exam and when does any increase tend to top out? Just curious.</p>
<p>When you get your first (and subsequent) SAT score report in the mail, it tells you, based on your scores, whether you are likely to increase or decrease your scores by taking the test again, and what the likelihood is of each. Once you get to the point at which there is a stronger likelihood of decrease than there is of increase, I'd stop taking it again.</p>
<p>The correct answer is take it when you are ready - do NOT take it just for practice, which is a waste of time and money. Self practice using the xiggi method.</p>
<p>It is in college's best interest to only consider the highest score -- good for rankings and alumni bragging rights. Furthers, some adcoms won't even see the CB score report bcos a admin clerk completes a summary card on the cover page of the folder, only listing the highest test scores. The only documented report of test averaging was in a story about Wesleyan (The Gatekeepers) that was published several years ago.</p>
<p>Bottom line, 2-3 times is no problem, beyond 4 and adcoms will wonder if you don't have something better to do with your Saturday morning. btw: scores of tests taken in middle school are not added to the Test Report unless you request it -- middle school test scores are archived separately.</p>
<p>fwiw: you can take the ACT for practice, but don't even list your HS to receive a report bcos some high schools add the test data to your transcript.</p>
<p>Chedva's strategy is a good one for students whose scores on the different sections are similar (i.e., 650/640/680). But it doesn't work out well for the kid with lopsided scores (760/550/780). Should this kid take the test again in the hope of bringing up the high score, even though scores in the 750+ range are more likely to go down than up?</p>
<p>Well, sure he/she should retake, at least once.
The kid should prepare to do well on the 550 section.
If the 550 gains anything, the composite goes up.
Brush up to keep those 750s in the ball park even if they do drop a small bit so they don't look like the atypical score.
It is the retrying to get thet 750 to 780 that seems obsessive. Or the kid who goes from 550 to 570 to 580 and still retakes.</p>
<p>Chedva- Do you know how College Board can determine if your score will increase or decrease should you take the test again. What do they use to determine that?</p>
<p>Right. I never considered a higher average SAT looks good in the magazines and brochures. I guess it does behoove them to use the highest based on the rating game.</p>
<p>I've been told by adcoms from the Ivy League colleges that if they see more than three SAT sittings they start to wonder why the kids didn't have something better to do on a Saturday morning. So my advice is take it as often as you like in middle school as those scores get archived. (Though really the only good reason to do it then is to qualify for Talent Search programs.) If you want to take an official test for practice early - take the PSAT. I recommend it as a sophomore and don't think it's a bad idea to do it as a freshman as well. Don't take the SAT until junior year probably Jan or so. I think studying ahead of time is a good idea, based on what seemed to be weak areas on the PSAT. Be sure to practice writing an essay in 25 minutes - a skill that is not offered on the PSAT. </p>
<p>While I agree that retaking can border on the obsessive you never know what will happen. Our high school made us take the SAT twice no matter how much we liked our first score. A good friend of mine had a 750.750 first round and 790.710 the second - same average but a better top score. I had almost exactly the same score both times.</p>
<p>"What do they use to determine that?"</p>
<p>Statistics. :)</p>
<p>It really depends on the school whether they consider how many times you take the SAT. All schools use your highest individual section test scores to report, but that does not mean the adcom eyeballing your file is not going to raise his eyebrows when he see 5 or 6 test takings starting as a sophomore. That can make someone wonder what you are doing with your time as Mathmom wrote. And I don't blame them. THe top schools do not have trouble making their high SAT goals, so they are more in the business of eliminating extra apps, and anything they see is fair game. It's impossible to say what a 600 in American History as a 4th SAT2 when only 3 are requierd would do for someone who's scores are all 750+ and all else looks super, for instance, but in super competitive admissions, that is a reason to put aside the app as opposed to someone who took the minimum number of required SAT2s and stayed consistently in range with no Am History exam on record.<br>
If you are applying to a school where their average stats are substantially below your test scores, I don't think they are going to give a hoot how many times you took the test. They're going to want those test scores.</p>
<p>MathMom- Yes I understand they would use statistics but what stats do they use to determine if "John Smith" from "Jones High School" is better off taking the test again. Is it based on fellow students in your high school or what????</p>
<p>I do not think it matters at all if a student has taken the SAT I as a freshman because there are many reasons to do so, CTY, PSAT prep etc. </p>
<p>Howver if an adcom is looking at two similar applications with identical composite SAT scores with student A having taken the test once and student B having taken the test 5 times with a wide divergence in scores, I think common sense would dictate that the nod would go to student A. I would give the edge to student A and I think most other posters here would feel the same.</p>
<p>I doubt that the difference would be significant enough to trump other aspects of the overall application.</p>
<p>However, I do think I would wonder why student B would take the SAT I so many times and ask the question whether such a student would be a good "fit" at the college if most admittees had taken it a couple of times. If other parts of the application led me to suspect that student B had been arduously packaged by zealous parents or a paid admissions counselor, I would be reluctant to admit.</p>
<p>Not only does College Board sent your previous SAT 1 scores, they send all your previous SAT II (or subject) test scores, too. All in all, I think 3 is a reasonable maximum number of times to take the SAT 1 in high school.</p>
<p>If you're going to assume that an adcom looks more favorably on those who take the test fewer times because they've had "less practice," think about this- I know people who took it only twice, but did 20 practice tests on the side. I know people who took it 4 or 5 times but did little or no practice tests. How would an adcom know how many practice tests someone did?</p>
<p>To make an analogy- imagine a baseball player who hits a home run in a game versus the one who gets a double. Are you going to look more favorably at the one who got the double because he's had less times at bat?</p>
<p>"Is it based on fellow students in your high school or what????"</p>
<p>I doubt that. As far as I know they look at everyone who got the same score as you and look to see what their subsequent scores are the next time they take the test. Maybe all of the next times they take the test. It has to be a large sample to be statistically significant.</p>