As high school students prepare to apply to colleges, one important aspect of the application process is taking the SAT and/or ACT. Many students and parents may have heard the term “superscore” when it comes to these standardized tests, but may not fully understand what it means.
In short, a superscore is the highest possible composite score that can be calculated from multiple test dates. Essentially, it allows colleges to take the highest scores from individual sections of the SAT or ACT across multiple tests and combine them to form a new, higher composite score.
For example, let's say a student takes the SAT three times and scores a 600 in Reading and Writing on the first test, a 650 in Math on the second test, and a 620 in Reading and Writing on the third test. Instead of taking the best overall composite score, colleges that use superscoring would instead add the highest section scores from all three tests, resulting in a superscore of 1270 (620 Reading and Writing + 650 Math).
The benefits of superscoring are clear: students have the opportunity to improve their scores over multiple attempts and can potentially achieve a higher overall score than if they were only allowed to submit their highest composite score from a single test. This can be especially important for students who struggle with test-taking anxiety or who may have underperformed on one or more sections of the test on a particular day.
It's important to note, however, that not all colleges use superscoring, and the policy can vary widely between institutions. Some schools may superscore both the SAT and ACT, while others may only superscore one or the other. Additionally, some schools may require students to submit all of their test scores, rather than allowing them to pick and choose which scores to submit. Therefore, it's important for students and parents to research each school's policies regarding superscoring and score reporting.
In conclusion, a superscore is a composite score calculated by taking the highest section scores across multiple test dates for either the SAT or ACT. While the benefits of superscoring are clear, it's important to research each school's policies to determine whether submitting a superscore is beneficial and whether or not the school accepts superscores at all.
