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Reporting test scores


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Hello all,

I am trying to sort out our plan for next year. My son will be a 10th grader and is most likely interested in a STEM major at this point.  (I say most likely because I want to keep options open for anything.)  I have been doing a lot of reading here and on college websites about their admissions requirements, and I have a few questions about testing.  I am going to make two threads because I want to ask questions about reporting test scores, but also figuring out which tests to take.

 

So, in regards to reporting test scores:

 

1)  For AP and SAT 2 tests, do you have control over which scores get reported to the colleges?  For example, if you were to get a poor score on an AP test, but 4s and 5s on the rest of them, can you send only the 4 and 5 scores?  Or, if you send a report from the AP or SAT 2 place, will it include all the tests you've taken?  Is the answer different for AP and SAT 2?

 

2)  Can you retake an AP or an SAT 2 if you get a poor score?  And if you do, again, can you choose not to send the lower score?  Or will a report show both scores?

 

3)  If you take completely optional tests, like Le Grand Concours, the national French exam, for example, and you don't do well, can you just choose to not include that in your applications?  Just because you take a test, does that automatically mean that you should send those scores to the colleges?

 

When my kids were younger, I really didn't like the idea of teaching to a test, memorizing facts to spit back out, etc., I mean it's the main reason we have homeschooled.  But now that they are older, I understand needing to have some validation, and I want my child to have experience with that kind of testing.  I want him to have opportunities for whatever he wants to try for.  At the same time, I don't want all of our time taken up by studying for high stakes tests.  So, I'm trying to strike a balance.  And I want to know upfront how much wiggle room there is for us to give things a try.  If you take a test, and you don't get a good score, will it hurt you?  Or is it one of those things where, it can't hurt you if you try?

 

Thanks for any insight!

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The requirements depend on the college. Some colleges want to see ALL scores. Others allow you to choose.

 

You can retake SAT2 exams; simply sign up for another test date Not sure whether AP allows the same.. A problem with AP exams would be that they are only administered once a year; so the student would have to wait an entire year.

 

I have not come across any school that requires the scores of "other" tests. These are not used to rank applicants against one another. I would include them if good, to provide additional outside validation and would omit them if not good.

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Okay so then, to me, that would mean, don't try an AP or an SAT2 unless you feel really prepared and feel confident that you are in a place to do your best.  Because you don't know what the colleges you may end up applying for are going to want.   Is that an accurate perception?

 

Thanks!

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