CHAPTER 1 / CONQUERING THE SAT WITH THE COLLEGE HILL™ METHOD 7
Choice. Some will require you to release all or none
of your SAT and SAT Subject Test scores. Check with
the colleges to learn their policies on Score Choice.
Find out more about SAT Score Choice by visiting
http://www.collegeboard.com.
SAT Score Choice can help you to simplify your
testing profile by submitting only the scores you
like. For the SAT, you can choose which tests to sub-
mit, but not which individual subscores. For in-
stance, if you like the Math and Writing scores from
your first SAT, but you like your Critical Reading
score from your second SAT, you may not submit
just the Critical Reading score from the second test
without also submitting the other subscores. In that
situation, it is likely best to just submit all of the
scores from both tests, because most colleges simply
take the top individual subscores from all SATs you
submit. They call this “superscoring.” (For instance,
if your first SAT scores are 570CR 430M 600W and
your second SAT scores are 520CR 500M 560W, and
you submit both sets to a college, then that college
will most likely give you credit for a 570CR 500M
600W SAT score.)
So what’s the point of Score Choice if most colleges
will just maximize your SAT score for you anyway?
Basically, it keeps students from freaking out too
much about taking any particular SAT. If you bomb
it, no one will have to know!
So here’s our advice:
- Go to the websites of the colleges you like, and
find out what their policies are on Score Choice. - If your favorite colleges allow Score Choice, you
can relax and remind yourself that you don’t have
to ace any particular SAT. - Even if they don’t, no worries—they probably
“superscore” anyway. - Plan to take the SAT at least twice, preferably in
your junior year, well before any possible college
application deadlines, so that you can maximize
your testing profile. - Don’t—we repeat, don’t—release your scores until
you’re satisfied with your overall score report.
What Do Colleges Do with My
SAT Scores?
Your SAT scores show college admissions officers how
ready you are to do college work. They know that stu-
dents with high SAT scores are less likely to struggle
with tough math, writing, or reading assignments in
college. Recent studies have also shown that SAT
scores correlate strongly with post-college success.
Students with high SAT scores are more likely to grad-
uate from college, and have successful careers after
college.
But let’s face it: one reason colleges want you to
send them SAT scores is that high scores make them
look good. The higher the average SAT score of their
applicants, the better their rankings and prestige.
This is why most colleges cherry pick your top sub-
scores if you submit multiple SAT results. (It’s also
easy to see why some colleges have adopted “SAT-
optional” policies. Although colleges like to sayit’s
because they like to look beyond test scores, it’s hard
to deny that there are other compelling reasons.
When a college makes SAT scores optional, only the
high-scoring students are likely to submit them, and
so the college’s average scores automatically increase,
thereby improving its national rankings.)
In addition to your SAT scores, most good col-
leges are interested in your grades, your curricu-
lum, your recommendations, your leadership skills,
your extracurricular activities, and your essay. But
standardized test scores are becoming more impor-
tant as colleges become more selective. Without
exception, high SAT scores will provide you with an
admission advantage regardless of whether your
college requires them or not. Some large or special-
ized schools will weigh test scores heavily. If you
have any questions about how heavily a certain
college weighs your SAT scores, call the admissions
office and ask.When Should I Take My SATs, and Which
Subject Tests Should I Take?
The vast majority of colleges and universities require
the SAT or ACT, but some have “SAT-optional” poli-
cies. Some schools require no SAT Subject Tests, and
some require up to three. If you want to be able to
apply to any competitive college in the country, plan
to take the SAT twice, as well as a set of SAT Sub-
ject Tests, in the spring of your junior year, and
retake any of those tests, if necessary, in the fall of
your senior year. (Taking the ACT can also be a
good insurance policy; you can submit those scores
instead if they’re much better than your SAT
scores.) This way, you will have a full testing profile
by the end of your junior year, and you’ll have a
much clearer picture of where you stand before you
start your college applications.
Even if your favorite colleges don’t require stan-
dardized tests, take them anyway, because if you do
well, you can use them to boost your application.
Say, for instance, you’re an A student, but you got
one C– in chemistry class. Submitting a strong SAT
Subject Test score in chemistry will show your col-
leges (even those that don’t require the Subject Tests)
that you’re a better chemistry student than your tran-
script shows.