H
ow much is too much? When it comes to the SAT, it’s a question that a lot of students (and their parents) wonder about. Few people just take the test only once; most take it several times, but how many times is too many? If twice, or three times, is good, wouldn’t four, five, or six times be even better? Well…probably not. A couple of factors come into play when you’re deciding how when, and how many times to take the SAT, so here’s a short guide to your testing schedule.
Take it More Than Once
Would it be great if you could just take the test once, and be finished? Of course it would. I mean…that would be great. That does occasionally happen, but unless you get a near-perfect score the first go-round, it’s smart to try again. Why?
- What’s the best way to increase your score after your first shot at the SAT? Take it again. I’m not being facetious—research shows that most students see their scores rise the second time they take the SAT, regardless of whether or not they’ve studied more. There could be many reasons for this—maybe a student’s first time testing jitters are gone, perhaps they have a greater comfort level with the test now that they’ve seen it once, maybe they’ve just had time to learn more material in school that they can apply to the test. Whatever the reason, scores do increase. These gains shrink when it comes to taking the test a third or fourth time, but they’re undeniable for the second time, so don’t miss out on what are essentially free points.
- The college admissions game is so competitive, especially in a place where lots of kids with grades and scores and backgrounds that are very similar are all applying to the same schools. In this market, a few points can make all the difference in making you stand out, so don’t sell yourself short. What seemed like “good enough” ten or fifteen years ago isn’t necessarily enough anymore, unfortunately, so you want to make sure your testing profile is as appealing to colleges as it can possibly be.
- Taking the test is how you identify your strengths and weaknesses. Studying vocab, grammar, and math is important, but so many factors come into play when you’re taking the SAT, like stamina, and focus. Doing sections one at a time is great, but you won’t really see how you’re doing until you take an entire test, under real testing conditions. This is one of the reasons why mock tests are such an important test prep tool—they give you a chance to rehearse, to take a trial run and identify areas in which you need to improve. Taking the SAT, and getting back the questions and your answers, so that you can go over them (remember to order QAS—the question and answer service) is an invaluable tool, and one of the best ways to hit your target scores.
