I would like to take advantage of the credits of sending my SAT scores for free to 4 colleges. However, if I get accepted as ED, what happens with my scores having been sent to the other 3 colleges I would otherwise be applying to. Should I contact the colleges in question?
If all you do is send scores to colleges, you do not have to do anything if accepted ED elsewhere. Those other colleges simply hold the scores until an application for admission shows up and if one does not, they do nothing. If admitted ED, you have to withdraw from other colleges considering you only if you have actually appled for admission to those colleges.
I see, thank you!
One problem with sending scores for free is that you may not be happy with them, and may wish you hadn’t sent them. A few schools require all scores be sent, but most don’t.
I know that but I still would like to send them no matter what because I am not planning to take any of the tests twice. One more question - if my Admission ticket states that I am taking the Math 2 subject test and on exam day I choose to sit the Math 1 test, would it be a problem if in the “Send scores for free” section on my SAT profile the subject for which scores are sent has been noted to be Math 2 instead of Math 1?
As long as you are allowed to switch out your subject tests on test day per College Board rules there shouldn’t be a problem. Colleges aren’t notified as to which tests you are planning to take - just which ones you took. If, for instance, you became ill on test day and didn’t sit the exam at all, the colleges wouldn’t be notified that you were a no show. You might want to double check on that with the CB but I’m thinking that colleges and universities desire only those electronic transmissions that contain useful info. such as an actual test result.
Good luck!
Edit/update: I second @intparent above. While it seems like a cost-saving measure to choose the free option, and you might be certain as of this point that you won’t retake the tests, you really don’t know what’s going to happen or what decisions you might be making in a few months time. Declining the free option is the only way to have complete control over who sees your scores. Once you take the exam, you can’t cancel that option. It’s out of your control. So choose carefully. It might make sense to spend a few bucks up front to have the assurance that you will be sending your best score no matter what. That strategy, in fact, might save you thousands of dollars in scholarship money.
So, basically, once I sit whatever exam I am sitting, CB will update the info on the sent scores for free form from one subject to the other /if I’ve chosen to sit a different exam than I’d previously intended to/? I just want to make sure if that’s automatically changed into the CB system or if I should change something by myself on my SAT profile.
Colleges and universities don’t see what’s in the CB system. If they could, then Score Choice wouldn’t work. Colleges only see what CB sends them. Choosing the free option is making a reservation with CB to send these scores out as soon as they are available to send. It’s a pre-order and nothing else. (CB saves time and administrative expense by sending as soon as available rather than processing later requests. It also give them an idea ahead of time as to how many human processors they need and gives them time to plan for that. That’s why they offer this pre-order for free). CB doesn’t send additional information such as a student’s registration info. to the colleges. And, by the way, there really is no upside to pre-ordering as far as the college itself is concerned (especially the competitive ones). Strength of application is going to be given consideration over “expressing early interest” every time. See my last post to which I added comments about using the free option.
So, to conclude, if you change anything on test day, that’s going to be between you and the CB. You will need to check with their rules as to what you are allowed to switch out. But I wouldn’t worry about CB sending anything other than an actual test result. No more and no less.