Curious re Scores: PSAT vs. SAT vs. Retakes

CrabbittMom said:
We saw a huge improvement between ACT test 1 and 2. The big recommendation I would give is don’t sign up to send the scores until after the scores come in. That way if it’s a disaster the schools don’t see it.
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THIS!!! Great advice. Don’t sign up for send before you see the scores. I got a 1240 my first SAT with under a 600 math. Yes, I know not pretty. Studied, took the next one, big jump, secured an appointment with that second score. I am very happy to have not sent my first score.
 
Personally, I scored an 1190 on the PSAT, and my first SAT was a 1320. I retook it and scored a 1430, and like CrabbittMom said above, I would wait until the scores come in before sending them. I almost sent my 1st scores before the test, but I decided against it, which proved to be great for me, as I was really unhappy with my first score.
 
milmomsomeday said:
Not SAT, but for Pre-ACT to ACT we were super disappointed. He took the Pre-ACT Pre-covid at school in the middle of October 2019 and his predicted score was a 25-29 composite. He took the ACT for the first time in December 2020, on a weekend, after being virtual all semester, and his composite was a 20. SOOO disappointing. So we are regrouping and he's going to try the ACT in Februrary/March at school and then schedule the SAT again in June. He had taken the SAT as a Freshmen just to get a look at it, but we didn't realize his calculator batteries were dead, so he took the whole thing without a calculator.
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My DS had the same ACT composite- he's a junior so this was kind of used as a practice, trial run. We also had testing site issues- same date as yours- kids were waiting outside to get in the building still at 845a and they allowed late arrivals to still sit for the test, interrupting the room upon arrival. The SAT is scheduled for the March date, so here's hoping. The PSAT indicator led us to believe DS would do well on ACT, but I agree its really hard when they've been digital learning in our state since March 2020 and began the new school year online. And, we aren't having scores sent directly from the testing agencies, just getting them sent to us and learning from the experiences.
 
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Incognito said:
Good afternoon, y’all. As my DD prepares for her first attempt at the SAT, I find myself wondering what others have experienced with their scores. Did you see much difference between PSAT and SAT scores? Was there much growth between the first and second (or subsequent) attempts on the SAT? Did you or your DD/DS experience a score increase that shocked you?
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As others have mentioned, the bounce (or lack thereof) has a large variance.
How far apart are they taken?
What classes has tester taken recently?
Are they taking test at end of school or after a lengthy break?
How familiar are they to the test questions, timing, etc?
How did they sleep the night before, or feeling in general?
How fast/good a reader are they?

To answer your question, DS' ACT score was lower than I expected based on SAT. But he is a slower reader which supposedly handicaps ACT worse than SAT. The jump from SAT1 and SAT2 was 150 or so points, mainly due to taking the 2nd test at end of a semester when in academic mode vs August when not.
 
PSAT is based on a maximum score of 1520, SAT on 1600, so it is expected there would be a <100 point bump all other things being equal.

All this gamesmanship with the SAT and ACT by applicants is nonsense. Take it once, there's your score. If you take it 8 times over two years you haven't earned a higher score and it doesn't make you any smarter relative to your peers - you just figured out how to game the system. There should be some kind of descending weight applied to your score every time you take the test again - the more times you take it, the more the score should be discounted, because if you take it multiple times and there is no increase in score, then that says a lot.
 
The Academy will super score your ACT and SAT scores, so it does not hurt to have more than one test submitted. My cadet took practice tests in both the ACT and SAT offered at our high school. His results were equivalent in both, but he preferred the format of the ACT better, so he only took the ACT. Used Khan Academy (free) to study. Got a great composite score but wanted to improve his math score, so he focused on the math in his studying and took it one more time. He ended up with a superscore of 35, so it was worth it to him, though it was only a point or 2 more than his first test alone.
 
Also, when the score reports are sent, page 2 of the report shows all tests taken. At least that is what we see when DS downloads the report from College board.
 
My son jumped 50 points on his math a month between SAT tests, it brought his math into the avg for the SA range. He also jumped 30 points in reading but that was already an acceptable score.
 
CrabbittMom said:
We saw a huge improvement between ACT test 1 and 2. The big recommendation I would give is don’t sign up to send the scores until after the scores come in. That way if it’s a disaster the schools don’t see it.
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rickdunnjr said:
I don't think it matters for USNA or USCGA. They use the highest.
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We were told by a couple of the SAs that you must send ALL scores. Per ricckdunnjr's comment, we were also told not to worry about any low scores because 1) the final metric is the highest combine score; 2) they like to see how applicants improved over time. Thus, we took advantage of the free sends. However, for the Ivy schools that allowed score choice we did use that approach. In case it is helpful, DD's scores are: PSAT 1360 SAT 1360 1490 1560. All tests were taken before Fall junior high school year. This was advantages for the math because the math on the SAT was covered in classes she took before her junior year; however, she had to work hard to improve her english score because the most relevant classes for that section were taken her junior year. To improve math we focused on the "trick" questions that were in previous tests. For english, she took all the available old tests (I think 12) a couple times each as if she was taking them for real.
Hope this helps and best of luck to everyone.
 
Yesterday someone posted that it is good strategy to not send your scores with your first attempt (you get four scores included in the fee but you can always send them later for $13 each). We had no strategy except to try to take it often. My son's first attempt at the ACT (no practice at all) was pretty average (25) and went out to four places, then COVID hit and there was no testing available for months. He managed to redeem himself with two SATs (which he found easier than the ACT and practiced for with Khan Academy) but had we not been able to schedule those a pretty meh-score would stand out against those who had no score and were excused of submitting since they were unable to schedule. Use superscoring to your advantage, try to take them a few times. (Yes, the are expensive, but getting into a SA is priceless). Personally, I hope they look at the candidate more as a whole and don't sort them out based on those scores alone. Some kids are just better test takers.
 
WindandSea said:
Also, when the score reports are sent, page 2 of the report shows all tests taken. At least that is what we see when DS downloads the report from College board.
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Not sure about "downloading" the report, but for the SAT the College Board allows you to choose among multiple scores as to which scores are sent via the CB's "Score Choice" if the school allows for that:

collegereadiness.collegeboard.org

Send SAT Scores to Colleges - SAT Suite | College Board

When you register for the SAT, you can select colleges or scholarship programs to send your scores to. When your score is available, you can send it to others.
collegereadiness.collegeboard.org collegereadiness.collegeboard.org
 
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FrauTeufelshund said:
Personally, I hope they look at the candidate more as a whole and don't sort them out based on those scores alone. Some kids are just better test takers.
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That exactly what the SA's do. I belive it varies by SA, but a fair gauge of how much academics is weighed is somewhere around 65% (just my figure based on what I have learned over the years). This can and will vary in special cases. For most applicants, I see them focus too much on ACT/SAT scores and not the CFA and sports (throughout High School), the SA's want physical fitness. Just read the SA' Mission. Know that Officers that lead the SA's will achieve the Mission. The SA's evaluate the "Whole Person". That said, if an applicant wants to really really go to a SA, they may use every ethical advantage tactic. Taking standardized tests often is one such tactic.
 
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Korab said:
PSAT is based on a maximum score of 1520, SAT on 1600, so it is expected there would be a <100 point bump all other things being equal.

All this gamesmanship with the SAT and ACT by applicants is nonsense. Take it once, there's your score. If you take it 8 times over two years you haven't earned a higher score and it doesn't make you any smarter relative to your peers - you just figured out how to game the system. There should be some kind of descending weight applied to your score every time you take the test again - the more times you take it, the more the score should be discounted, because if you take it multiple times and there is no increase in score, then that says a lot.
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The academies actually suggest that you take it as many times as possible.

Maybe you’re right, but if you’re able to take the test a half dozen times, then why should that be reflected poorly? It shows that they’re working to improve an important part of the application. You can’t exactly cheat on the SAT. College Board never reuses an SAT test.
 
OHunts said:
The academies actually suggest that you take it as many times as possible.

Maybe you’re right, but if you’re able to take the test a half dozen times, then why should that be reflected poorly? It shows that they’re working to improve an important part of the application. You can’t exactly cheat on the SAT. College Board never reuses an SAT test.
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One of the factors that is judged during a BGO Interview is: "Interest and Motivation", including how motivated are they to get Appointed.
 
OHunts said:
The academies actually suggest that you take it as many times as possible.

Maybe you’re right, but if you’re able to take the test a half dozen times, then why should that be reflected poorly? It shows that they’re working to improve an important part of the application. You can’t exactly cheat on the SAT. College Board never reuses an SAT test.
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I agree, I could take it 10x and I won't figure out how to game a trig question. It is not a I tried ABD the first 3 attempts so it must be C type of test. (I've had to do that with crazy call center training modules many many times.) Learning more advanced math concepts will help a test taker improve though. That isn't gaming the system.
 
lipton_hot_tea said:
I agree, I could take it 10x and I won't figure out how to game a trig question. It is not a I tried ABD the first 3 attempts so it must be C type of test. (I've had to do that with crazy call center training modules many many times.) Learning more advanced math concepts will help a test taker improve though. That isn't gaming the system.
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Exactly! That’s showing motivation to learn. I didn’t take the test three times to just guess on the answers. Same here. I took time out of my day to study and improve on math concepts, which doesn’t only apply to the SAT.
 
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