I’m pretty worried…I messed up my SAT twice (they’re not HORRIBLE scores, but def not what I need to get into my top colleges). Is it bad to take the SAT again for the third time? Or would it be better to just abandon SAT and try ACT? If I do ACT, I think most of my top college choices still require me to send in all SAT scores…
I have a perfect and rigorous GPA, but standardized testing is going to hold me back. I’m aiming for colleges like UCB, UCLA, Northwestern, etc. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!
Well, if your scores are not up to scratch, you won’t get in anyway, so what is the option? You can try an ACT in your lounge room with a pencil and a clock. You need to work for the tests if you are not naturally getting a good score, that might mean strategy, content, timing, often all three. Don’t take any test again unless you have really prepped. Your rigorous curriculum is obviously not the key here. Define not horrible? Under 1400?
How much sweat have you put into these two attempts?
Northwestern allows you to use score choice. UCB & UCLA require all scores to be sent, but they use your highest scores in each sub section. I recommend retaking the SAT. I did not study very much for my first attempt and to top it off I was very sick and sleep deprived so I did AWFUL (I did get a perfect score on the essay though, so at least I have that, but my actual score was just terrible :)) ). I took it a second time and I improved by quite a bit, and then a third time and I improved by quite a bit again. I ended up raising my score by a total of 160 points. I did this by taking lots of practice tests (all 8 of the official practice tests that are available) and using Khan Academy. In the end, I wasn’t totally satisfied with my score (I wish I retook the test again) but it was above a 1400 at least. In fact, a couple of months ago I received this email from the College Board and Khan Academy— “Congratulations! You are an SAT® Practice Gold Award Winner. This recognition is for students who increased their SAT scores through productive practice. Your SAT score went up by more than 150 points from the PSAT/NMSQT® to the SAT or 100 points from SAT to SAT and you completed 30 hours of practice on Khan Academy®.”
I thought that was funny lol, but it just shows that a lot of practice can help boost your score significantly so put in the work and it will pay off!
You can definitely raise your score, you just have to practice a lot. Taking the SAT three times isn’t excessive in my opinion. If you exceed 5 or 6 and you are not improving your score significantly then that can raise red flags. I personally improved by 90 pts. when I took it a second time (I didn’t really study, but as I said I did awful my first time around) and then I improved by 70 pts. from my second to my third attempt. Make sure you go into this third test with lots of experience and lots practice. If you put in that work you then should be confident that your score will improve.
My scores were def 1400+, but since I go to an extremely competitive public, I’ll need to get at least 1530 or around that to even have a chance at those schools. I did a LOT of practice tests, so there’s probably something wrong with my strategy and working efficiently. Any advice? thanks
A 1400+ score will NOT keep you out of Berkeley or UCLA assuming high GPA, course rigor, and compelling narratives; it may be a tad low for Northwestern.
I would suggest giving the ACT a try rather than taking the SAT a third time; taking the same test multiple times makes you look test-obsessed, especially if there isn’t a significant difference in scores, and especially if schools don’t superscore (the UCs don’t).
Most schools require that you send EITHER the ACT OR the SAT. I would see how you fare on the ACT after taking some practice tests. Some students do better on one testing format than the other.
It’s not as good as a 1 time good score, but you can make up for it if you do well on your 3rd try and the rest of your application is good as well. I took the SAT 3 times as well and ended up with a 1580 (Idk where I got in yet but I applied for the same range of schools you’re aiming for) Don’t worry too much. Standardized testing is not a defining factor on your application. Focus on your essays and your extracurriculars. I’d say if you score above a 1500, focus on other aspects of your application.
I was exactly in your shoes my junior year. I got okay scores, but they were not even in the range of my reaches. However, I went into my 3rd take absolutely calm and relaxed and ended up scoring the highest. I think that nerves play a huge role in test performance (even though a “screw it all” mood was probably not the best attitude to walk into the test room with :)))
You can also try and take a practice ACT and see how it goes- it can’t hurt. It comes more naturally for some people than the SAT.
And believe me, if you’re one of the 90% not accepted into some tippy top school, it will surely not be because you took the SAT an extra time. I promise you will be absolutely fine!
(Idk where I got in yet but I applied for the same range of schools you’re aiming for) Don’t worry too much. Standardized testing is not a defining factor on your application. Focus on your essays and your extracurriculars. I’d say if you score above a 1500, focus on other aspects of your application.