SpringAwakening

Maybe I'm naive, but even with those colleges opting out, I really honestly can't imagine anyone not getting accepted to a school for doing badly on one sitting and well on the next sitting. If you can get the score the college is looking for once isn't that good enough? If anything I would think a big improvement would be a plus because it shows you aren't satisfied with less than your best. Just a more positive thought.

Arachnotron

I don't see the big deal with people worrying about multiple scores. If you do really badly once then improve, then that signifies an increase in your ability. Nobody will care about your 1700 if you get a 2200 the next time.

washdcmom

Some students' scores actually go down. Everyone mucking around with trying to increase their scores does not necessarily see a straight line trajectory to heaven. The more times you take it, the more likely you are to see incidences of decline. And the fact is once you get into the 90s (percentiles) it becomes increasingly difficult to up your score. Yes, you can fall.

Of course the colleges usually take the highest scores. What you don't want to see is a big 2200 first or 2nd time then a 2000 the third time out... On a separate note...the College Board also has documented that annually, a certain percentage of students have lower PSATs in Junior year over Sophomore year.

DRMAN54

You know what I was thinking about... Score Choice really helps with schools that have Tufts Syndrome. Just send some average scores rather than your 2400. haha

It'd be a great way to prove if tufts U actually has Tufts syndrome.

broetchen

^ yeah, you go ahead with that and tell us how it worked out for you

Greta

Reviving this thread to reference a March 2009 College Board pdf document that tabulates the results of a survey of colleges about their score choice practices:

http://professionals.collegeboard.co...tices-list.pdf

Colleges in the report are listed as requiring either:
1. All Scores Required for Review (The list of schools requiring all scores is longer than the list previously compiled in this thread.)
2. Highest Section Score Dates, Versions 1 or 2
3. Single Highest Test Date, Versions 1 or 2
4. Contact Institution for Information

You might also want to check out the related Parent's Forum discussion:

College Board corrects College Confidential (FAQ on an old argument)

Calipso

SAT FAQ:
Score Choice - New SAT Score-Reporting Policy

apparently, it's up to the student's integrity to follow individual school policies regarding score choice, but colleges do not have a way to verify your scores since collegeboard won't release your scores without your consent. The "opt out" really only means the school has a policy that you *should* follow. After that, it's up to your conscience and morals.

Calipso

Also, here's that list I think someone mentioned above about each school's policy:
http://professionals.collegeboard.co...tices-list.pdf

bclintonk

^ I wouldn't bet on that. The colleges pay the College board to supply them lists of students who take the SAT on specified dates; and possibly even to provide them lists of students with scores above specified benchmarks. That's where all those college mailings come from. If they keep that data (and I wouldn't assume they don't), they can match up your test dates as provided by them by the College Board against the test dates of scores you submit. If they're asking you to submit all test scores and you submit only a smaller number, they can red flag your application, and that alone is sufficient grounds to disqualify from the applicant pool because essentially it means it's a fraudulent application. So it's sort of on the "honor" system but if you violate that code of honor you could be caught and disqualified.

Also. some high schools report SAT scores on your official transcript. If it's reported on your transcript and you don't report it among the scores you're required to report as part of your application, you're toast.

So I'd suggest that if the college asks you to submit all scores, you should submit all scores. That's the honest and fair way to do it.

Calipso

I'm not advocating that you lie or anything. I'm just saying, that's the official rules of it. If I were anyone here, I'd be honest too. Becuase seriously? Who's going to care if you got a "bad" score. From what I hear, most successful applicants didn't have stellar scores anyway. They had a passion for something. By successful, I mean the people who got into the ivies.

And as for those college mailings, you get those becuase you checked a box saying it's okay for collegeboard to release your contact info to interested schools. Not becuase your score is high. If you got full score on an SAT and didn't check that box, collegeboard isn't allowed to send out anything about you. They violate a contract if they do. That goes for colleges paying collegeboard for your stats. I doubt they do that becuase that would be akin to an institution paying the government for your personal information and social security number.

bclintonk

^ But my only point is, if you checked the box, the colleges know you took the test on a certain date. If a college asks you to send all your scores and you send only some of them, you're lying, and they may have the capacity to determine that you're lying if they have a record that you took the test on a certain date and you send in test scores that don't include your scores from that date. That's enough to disqualify you for submitting a fraudulent application, whether or not the college knows your scores from that date.

No big deal. Don't lie. Send them all your scores if they ask for them. That's the only honorable thing to do.

broetchen

What about the tests that you registered for but did not show up to take?
They are also on your record, just with no score. Will that then look like an unreported score?

Yet

Guys, colleges say they reject score choice but it is literally impossible to force college board to tell your scores. College board's policy is that if you tell them to send scores, they send scores. If you tell them to send one test, they send one. No difference between sending one and sending all. I called them about this. They also do not care what a college thinks. They will honor their policy of score choice. they are actually not even allowed to give your scores without your permission. And one more time: there will be NO indication whether you used score choice or not. The only reason people are so worried is that this is the first year score choice is back. so colleges themselves don't even really know how they will enforce it, probably. I'm guessing the answer will be that they can't enforce it, and will just have to trust students (which wont work at all).

ttparent

Yet, I think we all understand that but the big question is; if you use score choice, would you sign the bottom line at the end of your college application when it specfically asked you to send all the scores and that you have filled the application truthfully without any misrepresentation?

broetchen

What is the source for this? I have not seen this spelled out anywhere on the College Board website.