I took the SAT twice but the score gains are pretty different by section. How do colleges look at multiple SAT scores with varying progress per section? Are they just going to consider my highest overall score?
Colleges typically use what's called "superscoring" when evaluating your SAT scores from multiple test administrations. This means they will look at your highest subscores from each section (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Math) across all the tests you've taken and combine them to create the highest possible composite SAT score. So, in your case, they will consider your best performance in each section, even if those performances came from different test administrations.
Superscoring benefits applicants by allowing them to showcase their strongest performances across multiple tests. This is why some students choose to take the SAT more than once, focusing on improving certain areas each time.
Do keep in mind that admissions policies can vary slightly between schools, so it's always a good idea to double-check the standardized testing policies of the specific colleges you're interested in to make sure you have a clear understanding of their process. However, most colleges do use superscoring for evaluating SAT scores.
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