How Many Times Should You Take the SAT?
What’s Covered:
- Do You Have To Take the SAT More Than Once?
- How Many Times Do We Recommend Taking the SAT?
- What Is Superscoring?
- How Can You Improve Your SAT Score Before the Next Test?
- The Impact of the SAT on Your Chances of Acceptance
Maybe you’ve just gotten your SAT score back, and you’re disappointed with your performance. Or, you left the test having run out of time on one section, knowing that if you could’ve planned a bit better, you would’ve had no problems. Maybe your score report shows you that there’s one area which, with a little fine tuning, would make all the difference. So–should you retake the SAT?
Beyond actually sitting for the SAT, which is hardly something most students enjoy, preparing for the SAT is time-consuming, and that’s time you could be spending on other key parts of your college apps, like your essays. On the flip side, retakes obviously give you the chance to do better, which is always tempting. If you’re considering a retake, we’ll walk you through some of the factors you should weigh as you make your decision.
Do You Have to Take the SAT More Than Once?
No college requires you to take the SAT more than once, and plenty of students are content with their scores the first time around. However, generally the biggest score improvements on the SAT take place between a student’s first and second sitting. So, unless you really hit it out of the park on your first attempt, a second sitting is often a good idea.
Just being more familiar with the test layout and the types of questions asked is likely to yield a better result on your second try. Additionally, your score report can give you valuable information about where to target your studying–or you may even be able to figure out your problem areas on your own, as you reflect on your test-taking experience.
Alternatively, if you have a busy schedule and don’t think taking the actual SAT more than once is feasible, the PSAT or practice tests can closely mimic the experience of an official test sitting. These are valuable resources for students who decide on a retake as well–the added familiarity, with both the test itself and your own strengths and weaknesses, can make a big difference!
How Many Times Do We Recommend Taking the SAT?
Each person is different, and has their own goals for the college process, so there are no hard-and-fast rules here. Generally speaking, though, we recommend taking the SAT 2-3 times. After your third attempt, you’re likely to see diminishing results. Spending the study time on some other part of your college apps, like your essays, is likely to make a bigger impact on your chances of acceptance than an increase of 10 points.
Additionally, some schools, like Princeton, encourage submission of all of your SAT scores. Overwhelming admissions officers with too many test scores, even if some are very good, is not likely to enhance your application. Colleges use test scores to get a sense of your genuine aptitude in math, reading, and writing, not your ability to play a game of chance.
What Is Superscoring?
Some college admissions committees use a practice called superscoring, where they consider the highest score an applicant receives on each section of the SAT, regardless of whether these scores were achieved in a single sitting.
For example, say you earn a 680 on the Reading and Writing section and a 710 on the Math on your first SAT, and on your second you earn a 730 on the Reading and Writing and a 690 on the Math. Your superscore would combine the 710 Math from the first sitting with the 730 Reading and Writing from the second, for a composite score of 1440, which is higher than the 1390 or 1420 you earned on the individual test dates.
If most or all of your schools superscore, and on your first SAT you performed significantly worse on one section, retaking the test and focusing on that single section would be a good idea.
However, there is a catch–not all schools superscore. If only a few of your schools offer superscoring, and you focus all your energy on one section before your retake, you’re risking doing worse on the other section, and thus not actually raising your composite score.
Check your schools’ testing policies before you decide to go all-in on raising one section score, potentially at the expense of the other. Of course, trying to score well on the entire test is always a good idea, to avoid needing to navigate the intricacies of superscoring at all.
How Can You Improve Your SAT Score Before the Next Test?
Review Your Score Report
One of the best ways to improve your SAT score is by using the wealth of information provided in your score report. Many students are so excited to receive their reports that they hardly read over anything except their section and composite scores. In reality, though, the score report contains tons of information about subsections and helps to identify your strengths, as well as areas where you can improve.
Study!
Once you’ve reviewed your score report, you should have a good idea of where exactly you can make the most improvements. Rather than study everything all over again, focus your energy on the areas where it’s most likely to pay off. Don’t neglect your stronger areas, as you want to keep those skills fresh too, but be strategic with where you exert the most effort.
There are plenty of free resources online, like Khan Academy, that can help you ensure your next test is your best one yet.
Reduce Test Anxiety
Sometimes, SAT scores are negatively impacted by test anxiety even when a student is well prepared for the test. If your score on the actual test was significantly below your practice test results, test anxiety could be the cause. For more information about taming test anxiety, see our suggestions for how to overcome test-taking anxiety.
Consider Tutoring
Sometimes, expert advice is just what you need to succeed. There are plenty of SAT tutoring services out there, but many schools also have prep courses that may be more convenient or affordable. Search online for practice problem breakdowns or instructional videos designed to build up particular skills, or, if you prefer in-person learning, ask an older sibling or friend who has taken the SAT recently for their best advice.
The Impact of the SAT on Your Chances of Acceptance
Even with many colleges officially going test-optional, standardized test scores can still play a big role in admissions decisions, especially at highly selective institutions. If you’re wondering how your current SAT score stacks up at the colleges you’re considering, or how big of a boost a slightly higher score would give you, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine, which evaluates a variety of factors like grades, course rigor, extracurriculars, and yes, standardized test scores, to estimate your odds of being accepted at over 1,600 schools across the country.
Our admissions calculator can also give you suggestions for how to boost your chances of acceptance—for example, by buckling down and committing to raising your SAT score!
