What is an SAT Superscore & Which Colleges Superscore?

Want to maximize your chance at getting admitted to your dream college? Learn all about how SAT superscoring works and which colleges superscore.

Are you familiar with SAT superscoring? Have you spent a lot of time researching how different universities and even individual departments utilize SAT scores?

Although the SAT is technically optional, SAT scores have become a crucial part of the college admission process, especially as the competition grows more intense. It is quite normal for students across the world to struggle with understanding how different universities evaluate SAT scores.

Having so much at stake when it comes to your SAT scores, such as college acceptances and scholarship money, it is important to strive for the best possible results. A great way to amplify your scores is to take advantage of colleges that superscore the SAT, which can open the door to some great opportunities.

Once you gain knowledge about superscoring and determine which universities employ this method for analyzing SAT scores, you can benefit from superscoring when prepping for the SAT. Each school has its own rules regarding SAT scores, so let's take a closer look at their use.

What is an SAT Superscore?

A superscore is a student's highest scores from each section of the SAT from all the dates it was taken, combined to create the best possible composite score. This means taking the top score for the math section and the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) scores from every exam taken, regardless of test date.

If you have taken the SAT multiple times, and for example, your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score increased by 80 points on the second test, but your Math score decreased by 10 points, some colleges with a superscore policy will use your highest section scores from each test when making their admissions decisions. It is usually encouraged that you submit all scores, and sometimes required, in order for the college to be able to fairly assess your best overall scores across all applicants.

Why Take the SAT Test Several Times?

Regardless of whether the colleges on your list practice superscoring, you should think about taking the SAT multiple times. This will give you a chance to show your dedication and progress, and potentially enhance your scores. Additionally, having several SAT scores can provide you with additional options when it comes to score sending.

Colleges don't think any less of students who retake the SAT, and it can actually help strengthen their application. Statistics indicate that 2 out of 3 students increase their scores when they take the exam again.

Many students will experience the SAT for the first time during the spring of their junior year, and again later on in the summer or autumn. Some may even choose to take the test a third time. According to the College Board, there are three nationally scheduled SAT tests administered before the early college application deadlines—August, October, and November.

Spending time with Amikka Learning's one-on-one SAT tutoring and keeping up in your classes can help boost your score. Put in the work on each section of the exam for every test date, as any one of them could end up getting a higher score than the last.

Let’s look at the benefits of taking more than one SAT Test

1. Improved scores: Taking the SAT multiple times allows students to become more familiar with the test format and content. This can often lead to better scores on subsequent attempts.
2. Increased chances of admission: With improved scores, students may have a better chance of being accepted into their desired college or university.
3. Opportunities for scholarships: Higher SAT scores may open up more opportunities for scholarships.
4. Improved time management skills: Taking the SAT multiple times can help students hone their time management skills, as they become more adept at completing the exam in the allotted time.
5. Exam confidence: Taking the SAT multiple times can help students become more confident about their performance on the exam. This can help students feel more prepared and confident when it comes to taking the test.

How to Calculate Your Overall SAT Score

If you take the SAT more than once, you'll want to compare your section scores from all the tests to identify your best scores. Once you've identified the highest scores from all the tests, you can combine them to get the highest composite score.

Here’s how you can keep track of your scores for each individual section for multiple tests, and the best total score.

The Benefits of Applying to Colleges That Use Superscoring

Many schools accept the highest scores from multiple SAT sittings, known as superscoring; however, it is wise to look into the SAT score-use policy of the colleges on your list. This information can usually be located in the “application requirements” area of the admissions website. Here’s how you can benefit from focusing on schools that superscore.

1. Higher potential for admission: Applying to colleges that superscore can result in a higher potential for admission as it allows for a higher average score.
2. Increased chance of merit scholarships: Colleges that superscore may offer merit-based scholarships that consider the highest scores from your applications.
3. Improved chances of acceptance: Colleges that superscore can offer you a better chance of being accepted, as they are more likely to look at your highest scores and overlook any lower scores.
4. Higher standardized test score: Superscoring allows you to select which scores to submit, making it easier to focus on increasing your highest scores and achieving an overall higher score.
5. Easier to demonstrate improvement: With superscoring, you can demonstrate improvement by submitting scores from multiple tests and showing your progress.

Colleges That Superscore SAT

Here is a list of the most popular colleges and universities that superscore the SAT. We include links to each school’s admissions office on their websites.

School	Official Statements	Link to Admissions Site
Boston College	If you have taken the SAT more than once, Boston College will take the highest individual section scores from each date and combine those scores.	BC Admissions
Boston University	Boston University strongly recommends students submit their scores each time they take the SAT.	BU Admissions
Columbia	If you take an exam more than once, you will be evaluated on the highest score you received in any individual section.	Columbia Admissions
Duke	Students who have taken multiple tests may choose which scores to send to Duke. For students who elect to send multiple test scores, Duke will use whichever score is the highest.	Duke Admissions
Georgetown	Georgetown University does not participate in the Score Choice option available through the College Board. Georgetown requires that you submit scores from all test sittings of the SAT.	Georgetown Admissions
Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia Tech super scores within the same test, using your highest section scores from any test date. We will update your record with your highest scores each time you submit new scores.	Georgia Tech Admissions
Harvard	You are free to use the College Board Score Choice option.	Harvard Admissions
Johns Hopkins	We’ll consider your highest section scores across all SATs taken—even if they were on different test dates—in our evaluation of your application. We, therefore, encourage you to update your application with new test scores each time you take the SAT.	Hopkins Admissions
MIT	If you take the SAT multiple times, we will consider the highest score achieved in each section. This superscoring also applies to students who submit scores from both the “old” and “new” SAT.	MIT Admissions
New York University	For both the SAT, we will review the highest of each section, regardless of test dates. This practice is commonly known as the “superscore.”	NYU Admissions
Notre Dame	If you submit multiple scores, we will superscore the tests for our evaluation. This means we will consider the highest composite score and highest scores on each section, regardless of the test date.	Notre Dame Admissions
Princeton	We allow applicants to use the score choice feature of the SAT, but we encourage the submission of all test scores.	Princeton Admissions
Stanford	All scores from all high school sittings of either the ACT or SAT (or both if you took both) are required.	Stanford Admissions
University of Chicago	UChicago is a test-optional school. Students who choose to submit SAT scores may share either official or self-reported scores.	U Chicago Admissions
University of Connecticut	We will combine the highest scores from each subsection of an exam to create the best overall score (within the same exam formats) for exams taken more than once.	U Conn Admissions
University of Miami	If you take the test more than once, please ensure that the testing agency sends all of your scores so that we have your best performance on record.	U Miami Admissions
University of North Carolina	If you send us scores from multiple test dates, we’ll take your highest score for each section of the test and consider those scores as we evaluate your application.	UNC Admissions
University of Pennsylvania	We superscore within old and current SATs but not between old and current SATs.	UPenn Admissions
University of Southern California	For students who take the SAT more than once, USC records the highest scores for each section.	USC Admissions
University of Virginia	It has been the Office of Admission’s long-standing policy to consider the best test scores submitted by applicants. When reviewing SAT scores, we use the top score from each section across all administrations of the exam.	UVA Admissions
Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt strongly encourages students to submit scores each time they take the SAT. Vanderbilt will super-score among Old SATs and New SAT tests, but will not superscore between the old SAT and the New SAT.	Vanderbilt Admissions
Villanova	Candidates are asked to submit their scores from each sitting of the SAT, understanding that the Admission Committee will superscore the highest Evidence-based Reading and Writing scores and Math scores from the SAT.	Villanova Admissions
Virginia Tech	At Virginia Tech, we superscore across test dates AND exams—meaning we’ll look at your highest Math and English subscores.	Virginia Tech Admissions
Yale	When assessing SAT results, admissions officers will focus on your highest individual old or new scores from all test dates.	Yale Admissions

We’ll also provide a downloadable PDF in a future update of this article with a complete list of colleges that will consider the results of every single test date when they consider your application for admission.

Important Notes

Although it might appear simpler to apply to a school that takes the highest scores from different test sittings into account, keep in mind that many of these institution administrations are highly selective and will need more than an impressive test score to accept you. Here are some guidelines for applying to schools that superscore.

Conclusion

In closing, understanding what an SAT Superscore is and which colleges superscore can seem like a daunting task, but with the right resources, it's easily achievable. 

Our tutors at Amikka Learning are here to help high school students with test prep by offering unlimited resources to help them retain our course content. 

We provide study guides, practice exams, access to our self-paced courses, and much more to ensure that students are well-equipped to take the SAT Superscore and achieve test results that will help them succeed. Contact us for a free consultation.