While you can take the SAT exam as many times as you want. You are likely to increase your score by retaking the SAT exam, so if you aren’t satisfied with your scores after your first time taking the SAT exam, consider giving it another shot.
Superscoring
Some schools allow you to combine the results of your attempts for a superscore. This means that you can pick your best scores from either attempt to create a superscore. A school will use the highest score from each section across all of your attempts to construct the superscore. Taking the exam multiple times can hugely benefit your ability to build up your score section by section.
Check to see if the schools you are applying to use a superscoring process. Consider that taking the exam multiple times can be a great strategy to implement if you are able to send your highest scores from multiple test dates.
Multiple Attempts
Some schools will require that you send all of your scores from each attempt. In this case, taking the exam too many times can affect the impression you make for admissions.
You should consider that if you take the exam too many times, it can appear as though you are not thoroughly preparing yourself for each attempt, especially if your scores are not improving with each try.
Instead of taking the exam repeatedly and hoping to improve by chance, study hard using data from your scoring reports (from the College Board or practice tests) and gain confidence through lots of practice.
You will want to give yourself enough time to prepare for your next attempt. Do not rush to retake the exam. Be confident and take practice tests to analyze your growth through each section and subsection. You can create study plans around the areas you can improve the most, and take the exam again when you are satisfied with your performance in the practice tests.
Practice Tests
Consider that you may have to send in your lowest scores as well, so being prepared for each time you take the exam is crucial. If you hope to gain confidence through multiple attempts, consider taking regular practice exams instead of sitting for an official SAT exam. UWorld’s SAT Prep course offers performance tracking with the practice tests so you can gain confidence through experience and receive useful data for your study plans.
