On my last SAT I got 700 CR, 610 M, and 710 W (2020). I’m applying to some competitive schools through questbridge where my score falls below the average. I’m considering taking this upcoming November SAT and mostly focusing on increasing my math score. I’m worried that my CR and W scores could get lower and colleges would see that when I send my scores. DO you think it would be worth it to take this last SAT to increase my superscore even if the total might not be as high as last time’s?
I would retake.
If you can raise your math score, I would recommend retaking. Do practice and review in your weak areas.
The student indicated in another thread that s/he can’t retake because of cost and can’t use another fee waiver for SAT.
I recommended seeing if they could take ACT instead.
Also to focus on practice tests for math and asking for help from a teacher with the missed problems.
Do you think this is a good strategy?
ACT math is different from SAT math. The math is more advanced but more straightforward, and you have to be fast. Then there is the science section. Many students who are weaker in math do not like it. She needs to try an ACT practice test to see if she can improve her math score while not dropping in other areas.
Yes, I agree. I would start by doing ACT practice test and see what you get.
I am a parent and when I did a practice ACT test I did best on Reading, English, then science and worst on math.
I am weakest in math. Science I found was not that hard, mostly interpreting graphs and such.
It depends on the schools and if they super score. But if a higher math score could be achieved with the ACT than the existing SAT score it might be worth it to try.
Do schools superscore ACROSS SAT/ACT? I don’t think the Official concordance tables would allow that.
The concordance is for the sum of SAT Math+SAT CR to the ACT composite, not for ACT math to SAT math. So you can’t say an ACT math score is “higher” than an SAT math score. You can say that an ACT COMPOSITE score is higher than the sum of SAT Math+SAT CR. The individual scores can’t be separated out.
See https://www.act.org/solutions/college-career-readiness/compare-act-sat/
Well I know of one school that separately looks at ACT English and Math, SAT CR &M and superscores between ACT and SAT, considering the highest scores from either test. But that is mainly for scholarship consideration I believe.
But I don’t think it’s one of the questbriddge match schools.
That’s interesting. Do you know what concordances the school uses?
For example, how much are 600, 650, 700, 750 SAT Math equal to in ACT Math?
How much are 600, 650, 700, 750 SAT CR equal to in ACT Reading?
I
always wondered about this, especially for reading.
I had a student who had SAT CR 600 M 700 W 700 = 2000
On the ACT, she had Reading 30, Math 33, Science 33 Writing 33 for an ACT composite 32
According to the concordance, ACT Composite 32= SAT CR+M 1420
According to reality, she had SAT CR+M=1300.
So is ACT Reading 30 = SAT CR 600 or not??
I don’t know what concordance they use.
But for scholarship purposes they require a 1450 CRM SAT or 33 EM ACT. So counting backwards from a perfect 1600 assumed equal to a 36 ACT, I came up with this:
800 SAT 36 ACT
750 SAT 34 ACT
700 SAT 32 ACT
650 SAT 30 ACT
600 SAT 28 ACT
A 32 ACT would be equal to a 1400 SAT, which is their published minimum for honors college.
But the UNIVERSITY does not compare separated reading and math scores, does it? Just the sum of SAT CR+M to ACT composite? This table is just your inference?
ACT Composite 32=SAT CR+M 1400 does not imply ACT Reading 32=SAT Reading 700, because the ACT composite score also includes the science and writing scores, and ACT science and writing both have a lot of reading comprehension in them. That’s why (so I had thought) you can’t compare individual section scores across the ACT and SAT (and so you can’t superscore across SAT and ACT).
I don’t know what is happening out there in every admissions office, but I think it would be bad statistics.
What I mean is that you can’t superscore INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS across SAT and ACT, not that you can’t choose the higher of the ACT and SAT totals.
The student in this thread has SAT CR 700 M 610 W 710. = 1310 CR+M
Just for the sake of the argument, suppose she were to get ACT Reading 31 Math 28 Writing 31 Science 27.= ACT Composite 29
Would the college take out the ACT math score individually and say ACT Math 30=SAT 650 and give her an SAT superscore of 1350 CR+M? Usually, a college would calculate ACT Composite 29=SAT CR+M 1300.
That’s why I sad that to be better off with the ACT, she would need to get a better COMPOSITE score than the equivalent SAT CR+M, not just a better math score. If she could get ACT Composite 30 or better, it would be higher than her current CR+M SAT.
Yes, as far as I know, they don’t consider ACT science or reading subscore, just English and Math. But they do require the writing score as well, just don’t figure it in as far as honors college or scholarship consideration goes.
What each admissions office considers for their criteria should be up to them. It is to the student’s benefit if the highest ACT or SAT score is considered.
Anyway, this does not pertain to OP, if s/he is only applying to questbridge schools.
I just thought if OP could take ACT and show a higher math subscore compared to SAT it might help.
If OP is doing practice tests and seems to be able to increase the math score above questbridge threshold, then I would ask parents if they could loan the money for one more SAT and then get a part time job and pay them back.
But if all previous attempts have been around 600 or lower I don’t know how much s/he will be able to raise it.
I just thought if OP could do ACT with a waiver then it might be worth it to try. After some practice tests of course.
I would retake. Many schools superscore and if the CR and W go down, they can calculate the best three scores across two tests.
I would do my best to scrape together the $55. It could yield big returns.
https://ink.niche.com/act-sat-superscore-your-test-scores/
http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/college-testing/colleges-superscore-act/.
These links explain how superscoring works, for SAT or ACT the individual subscores are superscored, picking the highest ones.
Thank you for the links. I didn’t see anything in them about superscoring subscores between SAT and ACT tests.
I agree that the OP is probably best off trying to get the money together for another SAT and putting everything into raising the math for that test.
@Plotinus @mommdc I have taken the ACT before and scored 29. (32 R, 25 M, 30 E, 27 S)
If I were to take it again it wouldn’t be until December and I feel much better about the SAT. Are there any organizations you know of that might help me pay for this SAT? The late fee is $82.50 
Can you ask to do some babysitting, dogwalking, running errands, mowing or leaf raking for your neighbors? Ask your grandparents? Ask your parents and offer to work to pay them back?
Have you done practice tests and actually improved your math score? What do you need it to be?
Make sure you apply to other schools as well, not just questbridge partner schools.
You need some safeties you can afford and definitely be accepted at.