SAT Score Choice: A Strategic Guide for College Applicants

For high school students navigating the college application process, understanding the nuances of standardized testing is crucial. Terms like Score Choice, superscoring, test-flexible, and test-optional can be confusing and stress-inducing. This article clarifies SAT Score Choice, a policy that allows students to strategically send their best scores to colleges.

What is Score Choice?

Score Choice is a College Board policy for the SAT that allows you to choose which test scores you send to colleges. If a college permits Score Choice, you can send only the scores from the SAT test dates you want that school to see. This means you don't have to show an admissions committee performances that aren’t to your liking.

In essence, Score Choice lets you decide which composite scores to send to colleges.

How Score Choice Works

With Score Choice, you're making a choice about which scores to send. You can choose a score report by test date. You can't choose individual sections, like just sending your math score from January and your Reading and Writing scores from April, for example.

For example, if you took the SAT four times, you don’t have to send all four score reports to the colleges. Instead, you can decide which one you would like to send. Let’s say you took the SAT in August, October, November, and December and scored your best on the August and November tests. By using score choice, you only have to send in the August and November test results.

The Advantage of Score Choice

Every applicant wants to present their best selves to an admissions committee. Much like you only submit a final essay draft to a college, Score Choice allows students to share only their “final” version scores, or those that they are most proud of. If the schools you are applying to honor Score Choice, use it to your advantage. Instead of sending all of your score reports, review each test outcome and choose those that you are most proud of. This way, schools will only see one or two reports of your choosing.

Read also: Decoding Yale Admissions

Having the option of SAT Score Choice is another good reason to take the SAT more than once. Some students even take advantage of superscoring policies to build up a high composite score section by section. With this strategy, you might prep intensively for math before one test date, for reading for the next, and for writing for the third date.

The College Board's Perspective

At first glance, Score Choice might seem like an act of pure charity. But, Score Choice also benefits the College Board. Before Score Choice, you would pay one fee to the College Board to send all your test scores to a university. Now, if you want to send three different test date scores, you’ll pay a separate fee to send each score. Score Choice allows the SAT to collect 2x or even 3x the score submission fees!

Score Choice vs. Superscoring

You may know that the SAT offers both Superscoring and Score Choice, but do you know what separates the two? Superscoring is what many colleges do with the SAT scores you submit with your application. In the case of Superscoring, however, the whole point is for colleges to extract your best individual section scores to create the best total score possible. Score Choice is the first filter that scores pass through in their composite form.

Score Choice: You can choose which tests to send, and colleges will use your highest subscores from those tests with Superscoring.
Superscoring: Colleges extract your best individual section scores to create the best total score possible.

Colleges That Do Not Honor Score Choice

While College Board has done its part to improve the test day experience and give students more control over their test scores, unfortunately not all colleges are on board. Some schools have a "send all scores" policy. If you fail to use Score Choice, all of your SAT test results are automatically sent to the colleges on your list.

Before using Score Choice, make sure you research your colleges' policies towards SAT scores and score reporting so you know whether you should or are even allowed to use Score Choice.

Read also: SAT Requirements for LSU

Should You Use Score Choice?

If your schools have a policy of superscoring the SAT, is there any reason to use Score Choice and leave some score reports out? If you think it could look bad to admissions officers, then you might use Score Choice to leave that score report out.

SAT Score Choice is a great option if you have a fluke testing day or scores you'd rather not share with admissions officers. It's another good reason to take the SAT multiple times, if you have the time and means to do so.

Important Considerations

College Policies: Research each school on your list to understand their specific policies on test-optional, superscoring, and score reporting.
"Send All Scores" Policy: Some colleges require you to submit all scores. Do not use Score Choice to withhold scores from them.
Test-Optional Schools: If a school is test-blind, there’s no decision to make - don’t send scores.
Financial Implications: Score Choice favors those who can afford multiple test dates and prep materials.

How to Strategically Use Score Choice

Take the SAT Multiple Times: If you have the time and resources, taking the SAT more than once can increase your chances of getting a higher score.
Focus on Improving Specific Sections: Superscoring allows you to focus on improving specific sections without retaking the entire exam from scratch.
Review Each Test Outcome: Review each test outcome and choose those that you are most proud of.
Consider Forgoing Free Score Reports: If you want total control over which score reports get sent, then you might not want to use the 4 free score reports at the time of registration.

Navigating Test-Optional Policies

Navigating standardized test scores for college applications can feel complicated, especially with many schools going test-optional.

Test-Optional: You can choose whether or not to submit your SAT/ACT scores. Always check the specific policy for each college on your list!
Test-Flexible: Typically, test flexible means that you still need to submit some form of standardized test or tests; however, the applicants can choose which test(s) best represent them as a student.

Read also: Decoding Princeton Admissions

tags: #SAT #Score #Choice #explained