What Does It Hateful to Sabbatum Superscore?

Every fall and wintertime, thousands of high school students will submit their Sabbatum scores to the colleges of their selection.

Some of these students will superscore their SAT score reports when submitting to the schools on their list. Other students will make apply of Score Selection.

What does it mean to superscore the Saturday? What is Score Pick? About importantly, which Saturday score submission option is best for you lot?

In this post, we talk over the post-obit:

  • What is SuperScoring?
  • Which Colleges SuperScore the Sabbatum?
  • What is Score Selection?
  • Score Selection vs. SuperScoring
  • Side by side Steps

What is Superscoring?

Some U.S. universities and colleges superscore the SAT. In a nutshell, this means that these schools just officially consider a student'due south highest SAT section scores.

Given that most SAT test-takers sit down for the exam at to the lowest degree twice, this can exist a valuable tool for college applicants.

Here's an example of SAT superscoring in activity.

Ery takes the Saturday in November 2022 and scores a 580 (Verbal) and 610 (Math). She takes the SAT in May 2022 and scores a 620 (Verbal) and 590 (Math).

Ery decides to superscore her results for eligible colleges on her list. These colleges volition see all of her Sat scores, merely they volition simply officially review the 620 (Verbal) and 610 (Math) section scores, her highest beyond the two exams.

Proceed in mind that about colleges that superscore the Saturday volition still require students to submit all of  their SAT score reports. They volition, however, simply officially review the highest Sat section scores .

Note: Superscoring is not a CollegeBoard tool, while SAT Score Choice is. Nosotros'll discuss this more later.

Some students worry that taking the Saturday two or three times may reflect desperately on their college applications.

This couldn't exist further from the truth! Most students take the Sat at least twice, and many experience a score increment the second or third time around. Nosotros discuss the best ways to achieve realistic score increases in our SAT Goal Setting Guide.

There is no show to advise that taking the SAT more than once impacts the college admissions determination.

Which Colleges Superscore the Sabbatum?

Not all college superscore the SAT. Plus, those that practise may have boosted requirements for score submission.

The about common requirement is that students all the same submit all of their SAT scores in order to be eligible for superscoring–no matter how many times they have taken the test.

Thus, it'southward vital to cheque a college's application requirements before submitting scores. These are nearly always specified in item on the school'due south website.

It's besides possible to review a university's Sabbatum score policies past using BigFuture , a CollegeBoard tool.

Simply enter a school of choice into the BigFuture search bar, select "Applying" on the left-mitt side of the school profile, and click "Application Requirements."

Here's the profile that appears for Pomona College.

If you scroll downwards and select "Application Requirements," y'all'll see how Pomona reviews Saturday scores.

Notice how Pomona College accepts a student's "highest section scores across examination dates." This means that Pomona superscores!

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are a handful of competitive colleges that do superscore the Saturday:

  • Pomona Higher
  • Duke University
  • Swarthmore College
  • Amherst College
  • Boston University
  • Dark-brown University
  • Vanderbilt University
  • Stanford University
  • Wesleyan University
  • Dartmouth College
  • Vassar College
  • Harvard Higher
  • Claremont McKenna College
  • Georgetown College
  • US Naval Academy
  • University of Chicago
  • Boston Higher
  • Pepperdine University
  • Reed College

Note: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted how colleges are reviewing standardized test scores for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle. We talk over this more than in our posts on COVID and College Admissions and Exam-Optional Schools for 2021 .

What is Score Option?

What is Score Choice? How does it differ from superscoring?

With Score Choice, an entirely gratis service, students become to choose which Sabbatum scores they ship to colleges on their listing. That's correct: you can select your best score report and send that i (and that one lonely) to colleges.

This doesn't hateful you lot tin can individually submit the all-time SAT section scores accomplished on split SATs.

You volition have to submit a single, full score written report from one exam date with Score Selection.

Score Choice is Optional_The College Board
Source: The Higher Board: An Easy Guide to Score Choice

If you don't opt for Score Pick, all of your SAT scores will be sent to the universities you have applied to. You practise not have to use Score Selection.

Just similar superscoring, keep in mind that some schools may still require applicants to submit all SAT scores . For instance, here'southward what Princeton University says under its "Standardized Testing" portion of its admissions portal:

We let applicants to employ the score choice characteristic of the Sabbatum and accept merely the highest blended score of the ACT, simply nosotros encourage the submission of all exam scores.

Review schoolhouse score apply policies ahead of time to make sure. The CollegeBoard is non responsible for knowing these policies, as it states on its website. Virtually colleges will accept this information on their websites.

Score Choice vs. Superscoring

What's the biggest departure between superscoring and Score Choice? The key departure lies in what scores colleges officially review.

With Score Choice, a college only reviews the single SAT score report a pupil submits from a single test date.

SAT Superscoring_Use Policies (1)

With superscoring, a higher may view all of a student's SAT scores. However, information technology will only officially review the highest section scores beyond test dates.

Not all students will have both options for every college. In fact, many colleges volition simply crave students to submit all official exam scores, even if they but officially review the highest section scores. Regardless, it's essential to inspect a school's score employ policy before applying.

Side by side Steps

The all-time mode to feel confident in the Sabbatum score submission process is to maximize your score in the first place.

This ensures that fifty-fifty if a college doesn't superscore the SAT, you'll be prepared to submit your most competitive SAT scores!

What can y'all practice to attain that high Sat score? Nosotros recommend working with a private tutor or enrolling in an Sabbatum test prep programme. Like whatever test, the SAT requires time, dedication, and exercise.

We as well recommend that students sit for the Saturday at least twice. This can maximize whatsoever test prep program and guarantee the all-time possible score, regardless of a college'southward SAT score utilise policy.

At Princeton Tutoring, nosotros're proud to offer over twenty years of experience in helping students succeed on the SAT. Learn more than about our SAT offerings here!

Kate_Princeton Tutoring_AuthorBio Kate

Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the terminal decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the higher admissions process, including the SAT, Human action, and college application essay.