For many high school students, the primary end goal is to build an impressive college resume. Whether your child takes the SAT, ACT, or both, their final scores will play a significant role in the application process, so it is critical for them to achieve the best scores possible. However, many students fear that admissions officers will look poorly upon those who take the tests more than once. The guide below explains the inaccuracy behind this myth and why multiple attempts may benefit your child.

How Do Colleges View ACT/SAT Retakes?

Colleges and universities do not penalize students for multiple attempts at ACT and SAT testing. In fact, it is very common for students to take them more than once. Many take their test of choice two or three times to improve their scores. Admissions officers will see the number of attempts, but this won’t reflect negatively on your child’s application.

Colleges expect most students to retake the SAT or ACT and will only use the best scores for admissions purposes. There are two main ways colleges determine these scores. They may use the highest total score your teen earned on a single testing date, or superscore their results. Superscoring compiles all of a student’s results from every time they took the test and selects the highest scores from each section, even if they come from different testing dates. All colleges are open about their evaluation policies and will typically explain the process on their website.

Why Should Students Make Multiple Attempts?

Since there is no penalty for retaking the SAT or ACT and colleges will only take the best scores into account, multiple attempts will ultimately give your student an advantage. In fact, most students do improve, because they have taken the test before and will remember areas where they struggled. If your child manages to raise their scores the second or third time around, they’ll be able to strengthen their application further.

That being said, it is critical for students to use their retakes wisely. SAT and ACT testing and prep takes time and money. While final scores are important for college applications, your child will also need time to focus on their grades, extracurricular activities, and admissions essays. Make sure your teen gets the test prep they need before every attempt.

Ensure your child does their best on the SAT or ACT by finding them a tutor through Peach State Tutoring & Test Prep. Serving Roswell, Johns Creek, Milton, Cumming, Duluth, Norcross, Suwanee, and Alpharetta, GA, they provide SAT prep, ACT prep, and academic tutoring customized to strengthen your child’s academic skills and transform their performance. Their tutors will help your student build a strong resume and guide them towards acceptance from the college of their dreams. They also offer a free SAT vs. ACT evaluation test to determine which of the two will result in a higher score. To find the best tutor for your child, call (678) 824-6890. Visit their website for more information about their test preparation services.