To submit or not submit

My oldest 2 (class of 2023 & 2024) are homeschooled. We encountered quite a few schools that were test optional, except for homeschooled students. So definitely look into that. If your daughter is a junior, I’d recommend taking the SAT again in the spring or at the June test date. My S24 raised his score by 60 points between the October & June dates last year. Another option is to try the ACT. (When I was in HS I got a 36 on my second try but never got over a 1500 on SAT. Some people do better on one than the other.)

We also assumed a different calculation for “does this score add to your application” than a traditionally schooled student. I think the score adds a stronger support to the quality of education/likelihood of success in college than it does for a traditionally schooled student.

Basically, I think if she can get the score over 1400 it is probably worth submitting just about everywhere (maybe not the tippy-top schools, if she is looking at those). And even if it doesn’t come up mich, a score in the mid to high 1300s is, I think, a good support for her.

My opinion might change if the DE classes she is doing are at a really solid 4-year (rather than a CC or a less reputable 4–year). If she gets good grades in her DE classes at a challenging college, then the test score might not be necessary. The DE classes my kids did a CC were much easier than their online AP classes, so I didn’t put much hope in them being a plus in their column for applications, except that they showed the kids could handle themselves in a classroom setting.

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