Retake the SAT: How many times?

Retake The SAT can be as many times as the student desires. In the spring of their junior year and the fall of their senior year, we advise that students take it at least twice.
The majority of students score higher on the second attempt, and most universities base their admissions choices on the applicant’s highest SAT score. Additionally, if their new SAT score is at least 100 points higher overall than their old one, they may be qualified for a $2,000 Improve Your Score scholarship.

Another incentive to retake the SAT is that many colleges employ a practice known as “superscoring,” which combines a student’s top Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section scores, even if they were obtained on multiple test dates, to determine the student’s overall SAT score.

It’s recommended to have your child take the SAT in the spring of their junior year if they only take it once.

Motives for taking the SATs many times
You might ask why taking a test more than once is advantageous given how time-consuming it is. According to experts, these are the most typical justifications for retaking the SAT:

Improve your score.

One of the biggest reasons students retake the exam is to increase their scores. Research shows that 55 percent of high school juniors improved their scores when they retook the test as a senior [2]. On average, scores went up by 55 points, and 4 percent of students increased their scores by 100 points or more, according to Manhattan Review.

Focus on the trouble spots.

You might know what to expect and which sections of the SAT were more challenging after taking it once. As a consequence, you may focus on those trouble spots and raise certain section ratings. You can spend additional time studying the arithmetic concepts covered in the exam, for instance, if your math score is poor. The majority of students who wish to improve their grade use this type of strategic studying.

You are aware of what to anticipate.

The jitters that come with taking a college admission exam are unique, but after passing one test, you know what to anticipate. Now that the bar has been set, you can control your anxiety and concentrate on the questions.

Hopefully, you are properly educated.

As already indicated, many students take the SAT for the first time after their junior year. Although you’ll have extra time in the classroom to expand your knowledge if you retake the exam later. During your senior year, you may learn new math and English fundamentals that may help you do better on tests.

Become eligible for financial help.

Higher SAT scores might lead to additional chances for financial help if you repeat the test. A minimum SAT score may be necessary for some loans, scholarships, or programs that reduce the cost of tuition.
Investigating financial assistance options before to the exam might help you set a goal score.

For instance, the University of Mississippi offers minimum scholarship payouts to applicants having SAT scores between 1130 and 1150 [3]. Students who satisfy this requirement will get $1,000 in assistance annually. The scholarship amount rises to $3,000 each year if the student additionally has a GPA of 3.5 or above.

In general, there are more scholarships available the higher the SAT score. The University of Mississippi offers a maximum annual grant of $12,718 to students with SAT scores of 1450 or better and a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Although you can test as frequently as you like, I don’t suggest taking the SAT more than four times in total.

1. You might have to admit your poor performance.
Some universities demand that students submit all of their SAT scores in order to be considered for admission, even though College Board gives students the option to choose which test dates they share with institutions via the Score Choice function.
In other words, if you want to apply to certain universities, you can’t use Score Choice.
Sadly, this is frequently not mentioned to pupils before to an exam. Before you decide to use Score Choice to mask possibly unsatisfactory test results, make sure you are aware of the policies of your preferred universities.

2. Time and money are being wasted.
Testing repeatedly won’t help you significantly raise your SAT results unless you are actively studying for the exam. It’s a fairly stupid idea to keep taking the test in the hopes that you would become better.
However, many families really do that as a result of the College Board’s open-ended testing policy. They forfeit several Saturday mornings and hundreds of dollars in registration costs that they might have avoided with a little bit of foresight.
I’d want to discuss with you the best SAT strategy with you in order to acquire your higher scores quickly on as few test dates as you can, so that this doesn’t happen to your family.