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Score Choice and the SATsWhat is Score Choice?Score Choice allows students to determine which SAT scores to send to colleges. Students can choose to send the entire SAT Reasoning Test (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) by test administration date. They can choose to send different SAT Subject Tests that are taken on the same day. In other words, Score Choice allows students to select scores by test date only for the SAT Reasoning Test and by individual test for the SAT Subject Tests. Can I send different sections of the SAT Reasoning Test taken on different days to colleges?No, you have to send all three sections (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing) that are taken during one test administration. For example, let’s say you take the SAT Reasoning Test twice and score the following:May 2010: Critical Reading, 650; Math, 690; Writing, 420.June 2010: Critical Reading, 600, Math, 700; Writing, 620.With Score Choice, you would send either the May or June tests to colleges. You can’t send the Critical Reading from May and the Math and Writing from June. Can I send different SAT Subject Tests to colleges, even if I take them the same day?Yes, you can. It’s a confusing difference from the SAT Reasoning Test. Here’s an example:May 2010: English Literature, 520; Math II, 750; Physics, 670.June 2010: English Literature, 690, Math II, 720; Physics, 700.You can send the May Math II score of 750 and the June English Literature (690) and Physics (700).How do I send these scores?Go to your College Board account. Select the colleges and universities that you would like to receive your scores, decide whether to send all of your scores or use Score Choice, check the summary page that lists all of your score selections, and confirm this list. What happens if a student does not use the Score Choice option in reporting SAT scores to colleges?If a student does not use Score Choice, then all scores are automatically sent to colleges. Do all colleges want students to send both the SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subject Tests?Colleges have separate policies on their use of standardized testing. Some colleges don’t require SAT Subject Tests, for example. Let’s take a concrete example. Bowdoin does not use SAT Subject Tests in its admission process; however, when the College Board sends a student’s scores, Bowdoin receives all test scores. Their admission officers simply use the SAT Reasoning Test and do not evaluate an application on the basis of SAT Subject Tests. For students, it’s a tedious process of keeping track of which colleges want what scores, and, in general, it is not the absolute determining factor in admissions. That is why, in practice, most students just send all of their scores to all of the colleges to which they apply.Do all colleges accept the use of Score Choice?While most colleges accept the use of Score Choice, there are notable exceptions. Cornell, Rice, Tufts, and Yale, for example, want students to send all of their SAT scores. How do I find out which colleges use Score Choice and which want to see all of my scores?Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. You will have to look on the website of each individual college or university to determine its policy toward Score Choice. You can also ask the college representatives when they come to ASL on school visits. How does the use of Score Choice affect the standardized test section of the Common Application?The Common Application has a section in which students self-report their standardized test scores, but it does not allow students to customize their SAT scores for different colleges. Consequently, Rob Killion, head of the Common Application, advises students who are using Score Choice to leave this section blank. What about students who just do not score well on standardized tests? Those students should consider test-optional colleges. See for more information. Then check the individual colleges’ websites, because their policies on standardized testing frequently change. Please discuss this with your college counselor. What’s a “superscore”?“Superscore” is a term used by colleges to describe their practice of taking the highest scores from each section of the SAT Reasoning Test. For example, using the example from above:May 2010: Critical Reading, 650; Math, 690; Writing, 420.June 2010: Critical Reading, 600, Math, 700; Writing, 620.With superscoring, a college would list the student’s scores as:Critical Reading 650; Math, 700, and Writing, 620.“Superscoring” is a common practice that benefits both the students and colleges. May 6, 2010 ................
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