SAT score drop

[Hadley]

My son is aiming for some very selective colleges.  He took the SAT last fall (his junior year), and earned a great score.  However, he is a unrepentant perfectionist, and was determined to take it again and earn a perfect math score.  He had only missed one math question the first time he took the test...

So, after many cancelled tests, and much confusion, he managed to take the test for a second time.  The whole situation was a hot mess.  He was at the school for a total of six hours, masked for the entire test (I 100% think this was a good thing, just worry that it messed with his focus), etc.  And...his second SAT score came back 80 points lower than his first!  He is sick.  Two of his top pick schools ask that he report all SAT scores.  I guess he just never dreamed that his score could fall this much.  They won’t average these scores, will they?

So, does anyone have a been there-done that story to help cheer him this afternoon?  Pretty please?  He’s ploughing through his school work today, but feeling pretty defeated.  He’s just worked so very hard...

His essays are strong, he’s worked two computer science internships, has solid AP classes and test scores, and has numerous college math credits in which he earned As...surely this won’t be a nail in the coffin with admissions, right??

I promise I’m acting calmer in front of him than I sound here to you guys 😊

 

Thanks in advance for any reassurance!

[Kassia]

No BTDT, but I wanted to say I'm sorry for your son's distress!  Poor guy.  😞

[Lilaclady]

This year is a crazy one so I can’t definitively say what will happen but I know MIT has repeatedly said they always take the best score of all the scores reported. I hope it is still true. Lots of hugs for your son. It is hard

[mlktwins]

No BTDT either, but I would also hope that colleges will be offering some grace considering covid, test postponements, having to wear a mask for such a long time, etc.  Especially since many (all) colleges are not requiring current SAT scores for 2021 applications.

[freesia]

I agree with Lilaclady.  I think that no matter what a college's usual practice or bias, this year will be different.  All the kids are being effected in crazy ways.  My dd is also a senior.  She is a high scoring, driven, organized, studious, etc child.  She sat down to her AP Environ. Science exam today and said, when as soon as she started she realized she forgot to study. What?!? And she doesn't even seem to be stressed.  Her straight A college brother just got a B on a test he should have aced.

Dd takes the SATs on Sat. for the same reason as your son.  I am not so sure it's a good idea.

But, like I said, I am sharing this to let you know that you are not alone.  This is effecting everyone.

[Forgiven]

My daughter is also applying to some selective schools. See if the schools your son is applying to superscore. They'll take the highest score from each area (EBRW and Math) and use those to make the highest score. For my DD, she took the SAT in December. Did okay, but needed to bring up her Math and wanted to bring up her EBRW. Well, that August test was horrible for the Reading section. Her EBRW score dropped 30 points, but her Math score went up 130 points, right where we wanted it, so her superscore will be in the range we needed.

My daughter is also scheduled for the SAT for this Saturday (26th) and for the Saturday after that (10/3). She wants to still take these two tests, as though her superscore is where it needs to be, she wanted to get her EBRW up from the December test, and hopes the Reading portion isn't as brutal these next two tests.

Angie

[daijobu]

Every once in a while I'll see a post somewhere from parent whose student earned an extremely-high-but-not-perfect score.  Should the student retake the test?  And most parents will respond correctly that the answer is no because eking out an additional point or two contributes nothing to your probability of admission, and is time wasted that could be put to better use.  

Now here's another reason.  If it makes him feel better, you can tell him other students may heed his example of what not to do.  

If he's still feeling like he's underperforming in math, tell him to take the AMC12 as that is a true measure of math competency for competitive universities.  

[UmmIbrahim]

3 hours ago, Hadley said:

My son is aiming for some very selective colleges.  He took the SAT last fall (his junior year), and earned a great score.  However, he is a unrepentant perfectionist, and was determined to take it again and earn a perfect math score.  He had only missed one math question the first time he took the test...

So, after many cancelled tests, and much confusion, he managed to take the test for a second time.  The whole situation was a hot mess.  He was at the school for a total of six hours, masked for the entire test (I 100% think this was a good thing, just worry that it messed with his focus), etc.  And...his second SAT score came back 80 points lower than his first!  He is sick.  Two of his top pick schools ask that he report all SAT scores.  I guess he just never dreamed that his score could fall this much.  They won’t average these scores, will they?

So, does anyone have a been there-done that story to help cheer him this afternoon?  Pretty please?  He’s ploughing through his school work today, but feeling pretty defeated.  He’s just worked so very hard...

His essays are strong, he’s worked two computer science internships, has solid AP classes and test scores, and has numerous college math credits in which he earned As...surely this won’t be a nail in the coffin with admissions, right??

I promise I’m acting calmer in front of him than I sound here to you guys 😊

 

Thanks in advance for any reassurance!

Oh, that is no fun. It's hard enough to stay focused for the duration of the test without other stressors thrown into the mix.

My oldest son went through the ringer with competitive college admissions last year, and it was a tough process for us (I was not the most organized with our records, so I had a lot of work to do when getting all of my counselor paperwork ducks in a row!).

He would relate to your son's pain about the frustration with the math section. He missed one question in the math section during his first taking of the SAT, and the curve for that administration date was such that missing one question got you a 770 on math. No way to get 780 or 790 on that testing date because of the curve model. He was not happy and got salty every time he read recommendations like "have a 780 or 790 on the math section," because those scores were impossible to achieve for his test date. He eventually got over it, lol, but I think we probably should have tried the ACT at some point because I've heard of less curve frustration with that exam. Oh well, lesson learned for the next kid!

Regarding the score differential, I'd be really surprised if it mattered that much, even for the most competitive colleges. As long as you are in the general good score range, they don't really analyze a few points here and there. I would imagine that it would matter even less during a pandemic, but who knows. The reason my son really tried to get the best score he could was for scholarship applications. Those are far less forgiving with regards to score ranges, and you can often qualify for consideration with a score of let's say 1550, but not with a 1540. There are arbitrary fenceposts regarding the score that are just so silly (10 points means absolutely nothing, of course, but that's just how it is).

As far as schools wanting every test score to be sent, we honestly found VERY few schools had that policy. Yale and Georgetown are two that I know require all scores be sent (we didn't apply to either one of those), but most of them do NOT absolutely require all test scores to be sent. Because many try to encourage students to send multiple test date scores for the benefit of super scoring, we sometimes found the language a bit confusing (made it sound like you should send all scores when it wasn't required). I would call your schools to make sure that they really do absolutely require all scores if you are concerned.

Regarding averaging scores, I've never heard of that. Schools that "super score" will consider your highest subsection score from multiple testing dates (i.e. if you got a 1510 at one sitting with an 800 math and 710 ebrw and a 1520 another time with a 780 math and 740 ebrw, they will consider your sat score to be a 1540 by taking your best subscores). Schools that don't super score will just look at your best single test date score.

It sounds like you will be just fine, and I hope your son gets over his disappointment. The application process was a roller coaster ride, but my son looks back and feels like he learned a lot just from going through it and was happy that he tried for lots of reach schools. Good luck to you!

[Hadley]

Thank you ALL so very much for your detailed and kind replies!!  It’s good not to feel so alone in this process.  I’ve been teaching a class this afternoon, but I’ll share these responses with my son as soon as I can.  I think it will help him, also.

He did take the initiative to call CMU this afternoon and speak with an admissions officer.  Apparently, although the university usually requires applicants to submit all scores, they are not expecting them this year.  I do appreciate that colleges do get how unpredictable the SAT had been in the pandemic!  The only other college that I know of that requests all scores is Johns Hopkins.  I’m hoping they will have the same view about this year’s scores.  We shall see.  Thank goodness that most schools let students self-report just the scores that they wish to share!!

I can only hope our predicament helps another student.  It’s always best to quit while you’re ahead, right??🤣

Thank you all, again, so very much!

[Hadley]

3 hours ago, freesia said:

I agree with Lilaclady.  I think that no matter what a college's usual practice or bias, this year will be different.  All the kids are being effected in crazy ways.  My dd is also a senior.  She is a high scoring, driven, organized, studious, etc child.  She sat down to her AP Environ. Science exam today and said, when as soon as she started she realized she forgot to study. What?!? And she doesn't even seem to be stressed.  Her straight A college brother just got a B on a test he should have aced.

Dd takes the SATs on Sat. for the same reason as your son.  I am not so sure it's a good idea.

But, like I said, I am sharing this to let you know that you are not alone.  This is effecting everyone.

Good luck to your daughter this Saturday!  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.  Be sure to have her take a snack. My son’s biggest problem with the six hour ordeal was that they tested through lunch, and he was ravenously hungry!

[Hadley]

51 minutes ago, Forgiven said:

My daughter is also applying to some selective schools. See if the schools your son is applying to superscore. They'll take the highest score from each area (EBRW and Math) and use those to make the highest score. For my DD, she took the SAT in December. Did okay, but needed to bring up her Math and wanted to bring up her EBRW. Well, that August test was horrible for the Reading section. Her EBRW score dropped 30 points, but her Math score went up 130 points, right where we wanted it, so her superscore will be in the range we needed.

My daughter is also scheduled for the SAT for this Saturday (26th) and for the Saturday after that (10/3). She wants to still take these two tests, as though her superscore is where it needs to be, she wanted to get her EBRW up from the December test, and hopes the Reading portion isn't as brutal these next two tests.

Angie

Good luck to your daughter, too!  It’s a wild ride😊

[UmmIbrahim]

3 minutes ago, Hadley said:

Thank you ALL so very much for your detailed and kind replies!!  It’s good not to feel so alone in this process.  I’ve been teaching a class this afternoon, but I’ll share these responses with my son as soon as I can.  I think it will help him, also.

He did take the initiative to call CMU this afternoon and speak with an admissions officer.  Apparently, although the university usually requires applicants to submit all scores, they are not expecting them this year.  I do appreciate that colleges do get how unpredictable the SAT had been in the pandemic!  The only other college that I know of that requests all scores is Johns Hopkins.  I’m hoping they will have the same view about this year’s scores.  We shall see.  Thank goodness that most schools let students self-report just the scores that they wish to share!!

I can only hope our predicament helps another student.  It’s always best to quit while you’re ahead, right??🤣

Thank you all, again, so very much!

JHU definitely did NOT require them all (we applied there). They are a score select school and do super scoring. Be sure that you MUST send rather than "it's recommended." Talk with multiple people if you are really worried, but, again, you should be just fine either way!

[Hadley]

1 hour ago, UmmIbrahim said:

JHU definitely did NOT require them all (we applied there). They are a score select school and do super scoring. Be sure that you MUST send rather than "it's recommended." Talk with multiple people if you are really worried, but, again, you should be just fine either way!

Thank you!  I just found the more accurate information on Hopkins.  The ladies and gentlemen on this board rock!  I’ve learned that it’s always best to check here first😊.  Thanks for the clarification.