One of D’s top choice schools offers guaranteed merit based on test scores from a single sitting. D currently qualifies for the second highest amount. If they superscored, she’d qualify easily for the highest amount.
D has taken the SAT three times. Each time she has been pretty close to what she needs for a single sitting, but not quite there - eg. math goes up, CR goes down about the same amount. It’s definitely possible for her to get the score she needs, but it hasn’t happened.
(She has taken the ACT twice. Again, superscored she would qualify for the highest amount, but not in single sitting. She doesn’t think it’s likely that she’d get the score in a single-sitting ACT. She’s better at the SAT.)
She’s trying to decide (today!) whether or not to take the January SAT - the last possible. On the one hand, if she gets the score, it takes a favorite school from ‘under consideration’ to ‘of course you can go there.’ On the other hand, she hasn’t gotten it yet and isn’t it much more likely that her scores will not go up if she takes it yet again?
I know that she wants some help in making the decision, but I just don’t know what to think. Any suggestions?
What are her score ranges? At a certain point, yes, it depends on how the questions shake out on a given day, but is there targeted studying she could do that would help? Is there a certain type of question she misses, or something that consistently gives her trouble? Could an hour or two with a tutor going over a practice test and what she missed/how she felt during certain types of problems/etc. make the difference?
If she’s willing to invest time into studying, it may be worth it (especially because of the merit award). If she’s just going to take it cold, it may still be worth it if she’s got a decent shot (and the stars align) to get the highest merit. My vote is for to take it, but to do targeted studying/prep.
I made my kids take these tests often. One April I called a school and said that our scores increased significantly. After a short email exchange they increased the merit aid by $10,000 per year. Not a bad return on investment. The other children were athletes and they needed high scores to get into the colleges of their choice. Again a good return on investment.
The children developed a skill of studying for the test. Yes it sounds awful but they played College Board’s game well.
How far off the mark is she? 20 or 30 points (which could be one question) Or 100+? I remember from when our kids took the test the score report included statistics on what % of students who retook with that score went up, stayed the same, and went down. It broke it down by M, CR and W. Obviously,it’s individual - but it gives you some idea. Has she identified a particular problem area on the test and figured out how to address it? If so, more of a reason to try.
I’m assuming she’s a senior, right?
Do the schools she’s applying to require “all test scores” from either SAT or ACT? That might factor into your decision, too. What’s the total range in her three total scores? If they are all close this just might be where she tests.
If she’s game and will regret not trying “one more time” have her take it. I believe January is the last “old” SAT. Have no idea if it will be easier,harder, or about the same. If she’s pretty satisfied with her scores, have her focus on essays, apps, etc. Good luck.
If she has taken it three times already I would stop, but that’s just me. The likelihood of the score going up is small, especially because they will not super score, but I guess it’s not impossible for it to go up. I would leave it up to her.
My daughter took the SAT once and the ACT once, and then declared that she was done. She put in a tremendous amount of time prepping for the two tests and refused to continue. She said any school who will not take her (or give her merit) for the scores she achieved is not a school she is interested in attending. We spoke about it and agreed that she would pick one test to take again, and then she would be finished. She chose to take the ACT one more time; her score went down (possibly because she had no interest in retaking and went in without caring about it) and that was it. Done.
I would leave it up to your daughter, which you seem to be doing. I know this stuff is stressful and there is no easy answer. Good luck.
Thanks for your input @purpleacorn Math range is 720 - 750 on actual tests. She’s capable of 800 but probably wouldn’t get it. CR is 660 - 710 on actual tests. It’s her weak point. She needs 1440 for the award.
If she wants to go to the school (or is interested enough in the school to put in the time), I would take it, but only with a little more CR studying. Is it vocab or the reading section? She might highlight questions she’s having trouble with when she does a section to figure out if there’s a type of question/wording she struggles with, practice speed reading, do a lot more with vocab (and a lot of higher-level reading)… If it’s possible (and again, she likes the school enough to put in the time), I would also invest in a tutor for the CR section.
Thank you all for the comments. She is probably only one or two CR questions away from the score (assuming math stays on track), but she has the most difficulty with that section. I think she’s afraid that the scores will go down and be less convincing to the school.
Has she taken any SAT specific study skills tutoring or classes? If not, then signing up for that kind of test taking practical tips class might be just the thing to help her navigate the test more efficiently.
If she has had consistent study time on content AND has successfully engaged in study skills classes, she may have maxed out her top score.
But why wonder? I would say take it again, IF she has the willingness to take practice tests on a consistent basis. Training and practice are key at this point in her testing.
If she is burnt out and knows she won’t put in any additional effort before the next text, then let her be done.
I would highly value HER opinion and let HER be the final judge on whether to retake test or not.
This is a potentially stressful situation so I think it depends on how your daughter handles stress, and how she is doing in this very stressful year. Also, it depends on whether she has other affordable schools she is pretty sure she will get into.
I know one of my kids would have retaken but the other two wouldn’t have.
I think that as long as she is studied up in math, she should not study. There is no good way to study for CR. She could do a few practice tests. But otherwise, maybe go to the movies the night before
I’m not one to advocate taking SAT/ACT over and over again just to inch up a superscore, but this situation is different and makes sense pragmatically to try once more for that single sitting score with the automatic merit sitting out there at a school she really likes. I would recommend trying, but leaving the final decision up to your D. If she is up for it, then take one more try and best of luck to you!!
what make the analysis hard is that the decision involves two probabilities, the probability of achieving a 1440 and, once achieved, the probability that she picks the school. In your place, I’d ask my daughter to assign probabilities to both events and then ask (or help) her to run the return on investment math.
If she decides to take the test again, I think she should look for a new set of strategies for rc. Our approach was to hire a tutor (at a cost less than a kaplan prep course). After two sessions, he figured out my s was changing too many answers while checking his work and his RC score popped from the mid 660s to mid 700s…
There’s money on the line here. It seems worthwhile to give it a try. Reminder - it’s important to be well rested and eat a good (but not overly filling) breakfast.
I go with the above- #16 post and all of the others who say fine to try once more if your D wants to. Nothing to lose, a lot to gain it seems. The time and money spent for it sound worth the effort.
I don’t see a down side to trying again, unless the student is going to have to miss some important event to retake, or she’s having so much anxiety that a retake will make her miserable.
If she is just barely below the threshold on both the SAT and ACT for a significantly larger automatic-for-stats scholarship at a school she is realistically likely to attend, it certainly make sense to keep trying both the SAT and ACT until she runs out of test dates or reaches the threshold score. A few days of preparation and a few saturday mornings for many thousands of dollars is far easier money than she is likely to be able to earn while attending college.
