Frequently Asked Questions
The college board has it's own list of frequently asked questions about the digital sat and another set for parents.
This list is not intended to duplicate these lists. This list is intended to address issues or questions that will most likely not be covered in official documentation or covered honestly by test prep companies. If the answer to your question isn't in this list, check the official FAQs. If your question or a reasonable answer to that question isn't in those lists, either, please open a PR or post the question to the discord.
What is superscoring and how does it work?
Superscoring, officially known as score choice is when you submit your best math and language scores from separate test dates. For example:
| Attempt | Math Score | Language Score | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 650 | 620 | 1270 |
| #2 | 700 | 600 | 1300 |
| #3 | 670 | 680 | 1350 |
| Super Score | 700 | 680 | 1380 |
Before you get too excited, not every college allows you to super-score. Here's a list of colleges that accept superscoring.
You'll also find more information about how score submission works at that link.
How many times should I take the SAT?
Ask your guidance counselor. I am not an expert in admissions nor am I planning to be. That said, my students usually take the test 1-4 times. Again, ask your counselor. They should know what's best for you specifically, given the schools you're applying to.
Should I read the questions first?
Absolutely not. When you're at a party and you're introduced to people, how many names can you typically retain? Probably not many. My point is that you will just overload your working memory and then forget all the questions you just read. Just do one question at a time.
What is a typical score increase?
This is a really hard question to answer. A quick google search will yield a wide variety of lies and misdirection.
Some students see huge changes in their score with hardly any preparation. They simply take more practice tests, and their scores come up. Others work and work and work, and their scores stagnate.
The difference, in my experience, is rooted in how certain people process information. While I don't have any data to back this up (let me know if you do!), I can say that I've taught students who simply remember tricks and hacks after being told just once, and I've taught others who basically can't get through a math problem without making at least one careless error with negative numbers.
That's not to say that the former type of student is smarter than the latter. In fact, I've students with fairly high starting scores who just aren't detail oriented. Even if they're getting straight As in school, they have a hard time getting their SAT scores up into the 1500s. Other students may be less academic with generally lower grades in school, but they are quick and meticulous workers, which are critical skills for the SAT. Hence, these students' scores go up fairly quickly.
So does that mean that studying doesn't matter? No, not at all.
What it means is that if you find yourself struggling to improve your score, you may be better off focusing on your grades and applying test-optional. Or, if you see that your score is increasing naturally, you might choose to devote more time to your test-prep to see how far you can push it.
All that said, any increase above 250 points is big. More than 300+ points is very rare. More than 400+ is almost unheard of.
Unless...
Unless you fiddle the numbers. For example, if you use your first PSAT as a baseline, which you took when you were 14, and you compare that score to your highest mock test instead of your actual SAT test, well, then, yeah. My point is that when test-prep companies casually say that anyone can get an 800 in the math, they're flat out lying to you.
Am I allowed scrap paper?
Yes.
Do I have to answer the college board's silly questions when I register?
No.