How Many Times Can You Take The SAT?

SAT is a hard test to crack that's why multiple trials are allowed, Learn how many times can a student take the SAT and more?

TCM Staff

17th August 2020

According to the collegeboard.org, students can take the SAT as many times as they want. Actually, the students are recommended that they take the test twice during high school.

Many students take the test more than three or four tests, but the chances of scoring are often less, So in this article, we’ll try to answer the most recurred question by Parents and students, which is “How many times can you take the SAT?”

How many times you can take the SAT exam

There are seven SAT test dates per year( August, October, November, December, March, May, and June.). Just as aforementioned, the student can take the SAT test as many times as they want. The student will not face any restrictions for registering for the SAT test, except for the time constraint that every student faces.

As the SAT is a standardized test, it is obviously not easy to score high at the first time in most cases, so it is recommended that the student takes the test more than twice, which improves the chances of scoring high as well increases the possibility of getting a high Scholarship.

Most of the Schools superscore the SAT,  or to use Score Choice, which allows the students to pick the best scores across multiple test dates that the student can send it for the college application.

 According to the collegeboard, nearly 90% of the schools superscore SAT and most of the schools allow the students to use Score Choice,

*Note: Not all schools Superscore SAT or supports the use of Score Choice, So clarify with your school policies.

Why You Shouldn’t Overtake Take the SAT 

According to a study, it is found that most of the student’s scores increased by a range of 30% in their third test, the study also revealed that the student’s score is not likely to increase any further in most cases

The worst part is, if your score tends to remain the same or if it falls low after the 3rd attempt can lead you to disappointment, frustration, and stress.

And when the student’s dream college doesn’t superscore SAT or allows them to use Score Choice, then the student will have to submit all of his/her test scores, which also includes the poor score, and a decrease in the scores will not help the student in most cases.

Scoring a high SAT score after dozens of try will not be the only option left for you to get into your dream college, Instead, there are other options to get into your dream college, by working on improving your GPA, extracurriculars, or else you could invest your time wisely by preparing for the test more effectively.

Keep reading the article to know the Tips for Effective SAT Preparation

The candidate may also loos time and money in choosing the Right Test date and location, so following are the tips that help you choose the Right SAT Test date for you

How to Select the Right Test Date for SAT

Planning

Start with planning for the test date, as the SAT is administered seven times a year ( August, October, November, December, March, May, and June.), be specific and choose which date offers you enough time to prepare for the test.

Favorable Test Center Locations

Nearly thousands of testing centers are allotted for the SAT across the country, however, you may not get your favorable seat, but you can choose your favorable location. Mostly students prefer a familiar location.

Registration Deadlines

After getting clear with the test date and location, ensure that you are of the registration deadline, don’t do things at the last moment, early seeming to be a good idea when it comes to enrollment, So try to register for the SAT test as early as possible for the particular test date you are trying to apply for.

Study Plan

Once you are clear with the test date and location and registration, Now all you have to do is focus on your test preparation, Set your other tasks aside and start concentrating on the test. Try taking practice tests before the actual SAT test.

The following are the links that help you get started with the SAT preparation.

Read More About: What is the best time to take the SAT?

Tips for Effective SAT Preparation

Read a Lot

Practice reading a lot of nonfiction content this may sound a little disoriented, but trust me, this technique has a serious effect on the EBRW section, It’s because you will have to continuously read-heavy passages in a limited period of time, so your brain might get frustrated and lose the patience leading to careless mistakes.

*  reason for specifying nonfiction is because, that is where you can relate the context to your mindset, in most cases.

Dig Deep in Grammar

Many test-takers score low in EBRW than compared to Math, it is because the candidates underestimate the verbal section, it consists of mostly grammar questions, so learn and revise the grammar concepts clearly.

Train your Brain

The SAT test two sections in Math, one where you can use the calculator, the other Math section where the test taker should not use the calculator,  That particular section might kill your time, so learn an practice how to do mental calculations, it saves time as well as makes Maths problems look quite easier.  

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

Don’t try to fill your head with every information, given the period of time, you might have the time and information to stuff into your head, but your brain doesn’t allow everything to stay in your head.

*(if you can do that, then hats off for proving that you’re an alien)

Prepare as much you’re memory can store, and try to revise and take a practice test twice a week.

United we stand, Divided we fall.

All I’m trying to say is, find a study partner may be a group, it doesn’t matter as long as you compete against each other, co-operate with each other in the SAT preparation.

You can learn from your partner(s) or you could teach your partner(s), it’s a win-win situation.

Conclusion

Hereby, we conclude that according to the collegeboard, a student can take the test as many times, but that doesn’t mean that the student can keep on taking the SAT test until he/she is personally satisfied with the score, No.

It is recommended that the student should take the test at least 2- 3 times, as well as overtaking the test may not be a good idea as per the study on the SAT test-takers.

Good luck!

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