Taking SAT more than 2 times?

xiggi
Tue, 10 Jun 2014 19:33:17 +0000

Several College admissions have told me anything over 3 will cause admin to wonder and raise a flag.
Bottom line, if you prepare for them, you probably only need to take 2.
Taking the “real test” should not be a substitute for “practice test”.



The last two suggestions are absolutely correct. Regarding the first one, more than a decade ago I issued a challenge to anyone who could share a story about Adcom X at College XYZ who was actively discarding a higher score obtained in a sitting that exceeded 3 trials. In the same vein, I challenged anyone who had a VERIFIABLE story of a school averaging scores or applying a negative stamp on an application. A decade later … not one has surfaced.

On the other hand, there are available (and verifiable) sources such as Fischgrund seminal research on Harvard’s position versus 1600 SAT (the old standard) and how they admitted students who scored the perfect 1600 at their FIFTH trial.

Is there a bottom line? Yes, it is better to score high in 1-3 trials and it is true that most students do NOT need repeated admins to get there as long as they practice correctly. However, if one has a string of bad luck, or bad timing, there are few reasons (if any) to avoid taking the test again until satisfied.

Think this way. If an adcom might potentially raise a flag on a superb 4th try, do you think he will enter a higher score because it was earned in the first trial? Prettty obvious that the latter NEVER happens! Nobody gets a brownie for a “one sitting” score.