SAT scores - to report, or not to report?

[Anonymous]

My daughter (junior) is taking SAT's this Saturday. She's not a great test taker (PSAT scores around 1100) and hasn't done any prep. for this test. She's also taking ACT in April (also cold) and the plan is to see which one she does best on, prep over the summer, and then take one of them a second time. I'd be shocked if she did well on the first try on either. So my question is this: Does it make sense to send the scores to colleges at this point?

Most of you probably know this, but SAT/ACT will send the scores to 3 schools for "free", but you have to make the decision before you get your scores. Otherwise, it's $15 each time you want to send your scores. As of now, we have elected not to send scores, but I want to get your collective advice. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

All advice we read and received is NOT to send scores without knowing what they are. Decline that offer and retain control to send what you want to who you want.

[Anonymous]

We are waiting to send. Dd got a 27 on her first ACT and will be taking it again. We don’t want colleges to see that score if there is a better one coming.

[Anonymous]

Some schools require that you send all SAT scores.
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/professionals/sat-score-use-practices-participating-institutions.pdf

[Anonymous]

This is a bad plan to use a real test as practice. Recommend cancelling and going to a test prep center. Many offer free timed tests so your kid can take both the SAT and ACT, see what the scores are without any official record.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford it, DO NOT SEND SCORES WITH THE FREE REPORT. You have no idea what the scores will be before they are sent.

I agree on NOT using this opportunity as a "practice test". Although SAT/ACT encourage taking the test numerous times, there is a disturbing trend of SAT/ACT accusing students of cheating if they take the test more than 2x and experience a jump in scores. You can read all about it on College Confidential. Essentially, if you're accused, no one ever wins the appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford it, DO NOT SEND SCORES WITH THE FREE REPORT. You have no idea what the scores will be before they are sent.

I agree on NOT using this opportunity as a "practice test". Although SAT/ACT encourage taking the test numerous times, there is a disturbing trend of SAT/ACT accusing students of cheating if they take the test more than 2x and experience a jump in scores. You can read all about it on College Confidential. Essentially, if you're accused, no one ever wins the appeal.

Thanks for your advice (and PP's) about not using this as a practice test. I had not heard of this new trend of accusing kids of cheating. I'll go to CC and read about this per your suggestion. Though on it's face, I don't understand why SAT/ACT would want to discourage kids from taking the test more than once as the whole thing is a money making enterprise for them, right?

Having said that, I agree that ideally you just prep for the test once and take it once. The thing is, this won't work with my kid. She's a good student (A'/B's in honors & AP), and knows she wants to go to college, but I know her, and she needs a wake up call on these tests. She's had zero motivation to take the tests, let alone prep for them. Ideally I would like her to be motivated to use the free Kaplan self-prep over the summer, but I don't see her doing this without a (probably bad) score under her belt.

[Anonymous]

My DD is a junior and it's amazing how many schools we've looked at that are "test optional". Don't send the scores, it isn't that much money and you want to determine what you want to share (if anything) when your child sends out their applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford it, DO NOT SEND SCORES WITH THE FREE REPORT. You have no idea what the scores will be before they are sent.

I agree on NOT using this opportunity as a "practice test". Although SAT/ACT encourage taking the test numerous times, there is a disturbing trend of SAT/ACT accusing students of cheating if they take the test more than 2x and experience a jump in scores. You can read all about it on College Confidential. Essentially, if you're accused, no one ever wins the appeal.

Thanks for your advice (and PP's) about not using this as a practice test. I had not heard of this new trend of accusing kids of cheating. I'll go to CC and read about this per your suggestion. Though on it's face, I don't understand why SAT/ACT would want to discourage kids from taking the test more than once as the whole thing is a money making enterprise for them, right?

Having said that, I agree that ideally you just prep for the test once and take it once. The thing is, this won't work with my kid. She's a good student (A'/B's in honors & AP), and knows she wants to go to college, but I know her, and she needs a wake up call on these tests. She's had zero motivation to take the tests, let alone prep for them. Ideally I would like her to be motivated to use the free Kaplan self-prep over the summer, but I don't see her doing this without a (probably bad) score under her belt.

Gotcha. FYI: Kaplan, Princeton Review, and many private test prep centers offer "FREE" tests to lure you into using their services. I've signed up my kids for these before paying for any test prep - it gives them a good idea of the test layout in general and the difficulty of the subjects. One of my kids even did a combined SAT/ACT test so they could get a feel for both. This kid took both tests, and did better on the ACT on the real thing. Go onto their websites and find a free test near your zip code.

[Anonymous]

Some school PTAs do practice test for $10 or so, which would be cheaper than a test prep place. Also look at Khan Academy online which offers free at home tests https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

[Anonymous]

11:15 here: The cheating is alarming. What generally happens is these kids take these tests 2,3,4 times and see a bump in their scores. Most take a prep class at some point, and of course see a bump of 8-10 points in the ACT, or a couple of hundred points in their SAT. This is what flags them in the system. And the system is rigged: no one ever wins the appeal. They cancel the score and ask you to take it again to "validate" your score. Many students were screwed because it was their Senior year and applying for colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some schools require that you send all SAT scores.
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/professionals/sat-score-use-practices-participating-institutions.pdf

OP here, thanks for this advice. I looked at the list, and though I don't know where she will apply yet, the schools she is likely to consider all take the highest scores in each section for each time you take it.


BUT.......... I just realized - what if she scores well on one section this time, and another section next time. She'll need to send both score reports! Ugh! People - what about this dilemma?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools require that you send all SAT scores.
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/professionals/sat-score-use-practices-participating-institutions.pdf

OP here, thanks for this advice. I looked at the list, and though I don't know where she will apply yet, the schools she is likely to consider all take the highest scores in each section for each time you take it.


BUT.......... I just realized - what if she scores well on one section this time, and another section next time. She'll need to send both score reports! Ugh! People - what about this dilemma?

We are in the same OP. My daughter took the ACT 2x and we are looking "superscore" schools because this benefits her. You have to send in all of the scores that will be superscored. In our case, 2 ACT scores so the college can look at all of the sub scores and recalculate the composite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some school PTAs do practice test for $10 or so, which would be cheaper than a test prep place. Also look at Khan Academy online which offers free at home tests https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

OP again -- THAT'S what I meant! Khan Academy -- that's what I want my daughter to use! Not Kaplan (they both start with "k"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools require that you send all SAT scores.
https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/professionals/sat-score-use-practices-participating-institutions.pdf

OP here, thanks for this advice. I looked at the list, and though I don't know where she will apply yet, the schools she is likely to consider all take the highest scores in each section for each time you take it.


BUT.......... I just realized - what if she scores well on one section this time, and another section next time. She'll need to send both score reports! Ugh! People - what about this dilemma?

Mine sent free scores to the schools that request all attempts (the more likely to apply to ones). He did three and did differently on each section every time, so had to send all to the superscore schools.