How Many Times to Take the SAT

Host: How many times should I take the SAT?
Laura Rheinauer: You can take the SAT as many times as you want. There is no limit but it definitely have some pros and cons for taking it multiple times. Let's do the cons first. Each time you take the SAT; those scores are going to get sent to the colleges and Universities and so they will be able to see if you took it seven times. They will say, "Why is this girl taking it seven times, easily could have laid off of it?" Usually two or three times maybe a fourth time would be enough. Another con is that unless you are doing really substantial prep in between SATs you are not going to see a huge increase. Research by the College Board shows that if you don't do any prep just taking it a second, a third, a fourth or even a fifth time, you are not going to see a substantial score increase.
There are some pros though for taking the SAT multiple times as most colleges and Universities will take your Highest Combined Score. So go ahead. Give yourself two or three options for them to pick and choose your Highest Combined Score. Another great tip for taking the SAT multiple times would be that you get practice and practice usually makes perfect. As long as you are taking what you learned from that first go at it and applying it the second time you take the test.



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