How many times should you take the SAT?

"How many times can you take the SAT?" is probably the question I have been asked most frequently by students and parents. Underlying this question is the assumption that colleges and universities can see or will insist on seeing all of a student's SAT attempts and will view those students who score 1400, 1450, and 1500, for example, less favorably than those who score 1500 on their first attempt. In the case of most colleges and universities, however, this assumption is false.

In recent years, many colleges and universities have adopted the policy of allowing students to self-report their SAT scores via the Common Application rather than paying the College Board to send official score reports (this is to reduce the financial burden on applicants, as sending scores costs money). Students can report whichever scores they want. Students who are admitted are then expected to send their official scores after they have been accepted. If there is any discrepancy between the reported score and the official score report, the student's offer of admission may be rescinded. The takeaway here is that students control which scores colleges and universities see when self-reporting via the Common Application. Only very few schools insist on receiving official score reports with all test scores (e.g. Georgetown University). As a result, for most students it does not matter how many times they take the SAT or whether their initial score is markedly lower than their final score.

Even if colleges and universities could see all of a student's scores, they probably still would not care. This is because the real value of a very high SAT score is that it boosts a school's average SAT score of admitted students, which can impact a school's ranking and prestige. Colleges and universities understand that some desirable applicants, such as strong students from underrepresented backgrounds and exceptional student athletes, are less likely to score 1500-1550+. They therefore prefer students from overrepresented demographics who have very high SAT scores to counterbalance the lower scores of desirable applicants who have not tested exceptionally well. To be sure, colleges and universities do view the SAT as a helpful metric of college readiness (especially in the post-COVID era), but they do not see a student with a 1550 score as necessarily much stronger than a student with a 1510 or even 1490. The student with the 1550 is more likely to be accepted (all else being equal) because their score will better support the university's average SAT score for admitted students. And in the case of one student scoring 1490 and later scoring 1550 vs. another scoring 1550 on the first attempt, both will be counted as 1550 for the sake of average score of admitted students.

So does this mean students can take the SAT an unlimited number of times? The answer is no, but not because colleges and universities look down on too many attempts. The answer is no because students have so much to accomplish in secondary school –– maintaining high GPAs, preparing for IB and AP exams, participating in sports and other activities, etc. –– that it is unwise to invest too much time in the SAT. However, there is certainly no problem with students taking the SAT 3 or even 4 times if they can't secure their target score on the first or second attempt.

by Edward Dunnigan

8 November 2024