I don’t understand this. How is that not a super score?

Compass Prep has written a lot about this over the years. They call it weak superscoring where they set common app up to take verbal and math from different test dates then they assure “they do the superscoring” , while in reality they treat it slightly differently:

Weak Superscoring: These school fall somewhere between “highest composite” and true superscoring. For instance, University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign’s policy states, “If you took either test more than once, we’ll use your highest sub-scores in our evaluation. However, we don’t use your highest sub-scores from different test sittings to create a super-score.” We find this to be almost a distinction without a difference, especially since some colleges do the same thing behind the scenes but label it “superscoring.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So they know it’s from a single sitting? How exactly. That would help my kid, but I wasn’t sure they would be able to tell. Don’t kids self report and they just ask for highest on each section?

All or almost all top colleges on the common app make you type in both math and verbal from all dates you want to self report. They do not let you type just the top verbal score and the date and just the top math score and the date.

This is false. The common app (for schools who superstore) asks for highest math with date taken and highest verbal with date taken. Schools do not see the other scores until you are accepted and mail in the score reports

No, it depends on the college: many top colleges make you enter the the verbal and math of the top two dates if you are superscoring. Others do not. The colleges choose these specific formatting/self reporting options for submitting. Also, many colleges encourage submitting an official score report from CB, which makes you select the test dates you are submitting, so the scores from each test date you select will show. One does not have to submit official CB score report, but the former AO at a top10 who heads the top private in our area strongly encourages everyone to do so, unless cost is a barrier. He tells all parents and students to submit the official report as soon as possible in the application season.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two sittings is not excessive. Even three is OK. They just don't like people who "shop" for a higher score by super scoring multiple sittings.

This is incorrect, except for a handful of schools (Georgetown and MIT are the big ones). On the common app you only submit your top math score with date and your top verbal score and date. When accepted, you send the two tests that have those scores on them, that's it. The school does not know if you took the test twice or 20 times.

Thank you PP! I finally understand super scoring!

Super !!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two sittings is not excessive. Even three is OK. They just don't like people who "shop" for a higher score by super scoring multiple sittings.

This is incorrect, except for a handful of schools (Georgetown and MIT are the big ones). On the common app you only submit your top math score with date and your top verbal score and date. When accepted, you send the two tests that have those scores on them, that's it. The school does not know if you took the test twice or 20 times.

Thank you PP! I finally understand super scoring!

Anonymous wrote:Two sittings is not excessive. Even three is OK. They just don't like people who "shop" for a higher score by super scoring multiple sittings.

This is incorrect, except for a handful of schools (Georgetown and MIT are the big ones). On the common app you only submit your top math score with date and your top verbal score and date. When accepted, you send the two tests that have those scores on them, that's it. The school does not know if you took the test twice or 20 times.

Two sittings is not excessive. Even three is OK. They just don't like people who "shop" for a higher score by super scoring multiple sittings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So they know it’s from a single sitting? How exactly. That would help my kid, but I wasn’t sure they would be able to tell. Don’t kids self report and they just ask for highest on each section?

All or almost all top colleges on the common app make you type in both math and verbal from all dates you want to self report. They do not let you type just the top verbal score and the date and just the top math score and the date.

This is false. The common app (for schools who superstore) asks for highest math with date taken and highest verbal with date taken. Schools do not see the other scores until you are accepted and mail in the score reports

OP here- super helpful. DC is oldest child so this is our first time through the process.

Sounds like my concern is unfounded and there is no downside to superscoring, since schools won’t see the lower scores. Seems like it’s not a big deal for them to know kids took it twice and had a higher score on each part on different sittings. If that were a problem, they wouldn’t allow super scores.

8:28 answered your question