Getting the Most Out of the SAT

There’s a right and a wrong way to utilize the SAT to your child’s advantage when applying to colleges. For starters, one test just isn’t enough. Their first SAT is a trial run. They’re “testing” the waters (pun intended).

The second time they take the SAT is their first real attempt. They know what the pressure feels like, the silence, the grueling 3 (soon to be 2) hour test. They’ve been there and done that.

The THIRD test, which is hopefully the last, is the one they should do their best on. They’re seasoned veterans at that point. But what if it isn’t their best test? Everyone has off days, and that’s certainly possible for high school students taking a pretty unpleasant test.

*super score enters stage left*

The super score allows students to send their best score from each individual section from any test they’ve taken. For example, let’s say student B performs really well on the reading section of their second test and gets a 650. But they didn’t perform well on the math section and scored a 400 for a total score of 1050 on that test. On their third test, however, they bomb the reading section and get a 350, but absolutely nail the math section and get a perfect score: 700.

Based on the previous scenario, student B scored 1050 on each test, which looks like there wasn’t any improvement. But they did in fact improve. They have shown they can conquer each portion of the test. This is where the super score comes in handy. You can submit the 650 on reading from test 2 and the 700 on math from test 3 for a combined score of 1350. That’s a huge improvement over 1050 on either test.

The super score is THE reason taking multiple tests is recommended. It allows your child to submit their absolute best performance from each section across any tests. This will help them stand apart from their peers who submit SAT scores but maybe only took one test.