SAT scores

[Night Elf]

How long are SAT scores good for between testing time and college application time? My son is working more slowly than we anticipated and I see at least another full 2 years of school, maybe longer. DH wants him to take the SAT this fall. Is this too early?

[HollyDay]

I asked this very question at a homeschool-to-college conference last fall.  The speaker said the SAT score was good for 5 years from testing.  I don't know about ACT score. 

[Night Elf]

Thank you :)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I think there are really two different questions here.  One is how long SAT scores are available.  Answer is that scores from throughout high school are available in your active file for a year after graduation if you have not tested.  Then they are archived, but are still available for a fee.  More info on fees for retrieving archived scores available here.  (Note that scores for tests taken by middle schoolers such as in a talent search program are archived automatically before high school unless the family writes and requests that they be retained.)

 

The second issue is the question of how old of a test a college will accept for admissions.  That would depend on the college.  But usually they aren't going to have an issue with a test that is a couple years old.

 

In general, I don't think there is any issue with a student starting to take the SAT in spring of sophomore year or seriously during junior year.  But you might discuss what the point of his taking the SAT is if he has significant gaps, especially in math.  If he is going to have a couple more years, it might be better to have him take the PSAT.  PSAT scores are used as a qualifying exam, but don't get bundled with the SAT scores as part of the admissions package.  Just depends on what your aims are for having him take the SAT. 

 

BTW, I really encourage you to source info about the SAT directly from College Board, rather than from speakers or even from posters here.  There is a lot of conventional wisdom that is partly true, under some circumstances; but that might not convey all of the truth.  Same holds for what you must have or don't need to have for admissions.  It varies from school to school and even for programs within one university.  I've listened to highly touted speakers at big conferences make very self-assured statements that I knew were wrong and was able to demonstrate were in error.  Trust but verify.

[HollyDay]

I did just call CollegeBoard because I'm curious about this question myself.  They said it depended upon the college or university.  Some colleges or universities want the scores within a certain period of time, say 2 or 3 years, while others have different requirements.  They said the scores are there and the student can access them at any time.  The question is whether or not the college or university would accept the scores.  If you have a particular institution of higher learning in mind, then you might want to verify their entrance requirements. 

 

And absolutely, what Sebastian said is correct, always, always, check to be sure.  Each college has their own requirements and the way they want things done.