Early Decision and Testing Timelines
What sort of testing schedule will provide the most comfort for a member of the Class of 2012 who plans to apply either Early Decision (“ED”) or Early Action (“EA”)? Let’s take a look at a matrix of colleges that includes ED/EA as well as SAT, subject tests, and/or ACT requirements. Since ED and EA deadlines can be as early as November 1, the November and December SAT test dates often are not available to those who apply ED or EA.
Moreover, SAT subject tests, which are required by many of the top colleges, are given on the same days and times as the SAT, so test takers cannot sit for both the SAT and the subject tests on the same day. Therefore, if a junior who needs to take subject tests sits for his or her initial SAT in May, he or she may have only the June and October SAT administrations to retake the SAT and attempt to upgrade subject test scores.
We suggest that juniors sit for the SAT at the January or March administration, planning to take the SAT a second time in May and the subject tests in June. Then, the October date in senior year can be used to retake subject tests, take the SAT a third time (more on this below), or just relax. Since 2007, when we started recommending that our juniors begin SAT testing in January or March, many of our students who have done so have reported gratifying results.
An objection we field again and again is that juniors “haven’t had the math yet.” The fact is that 95% of the math on the SAT is arithmetic, simple algebra, and simple geometry, areas that have been covered by the end of tenth grade.
Another parent concern revolves around how colleges look at multiple SAT scores. The most common practice among admissions offices (remember that each college establishes its own procedure) is to “mix and match” the best “split” scores from various tests to create a “superscore.” So, for example, if Cathy’s scores on the March SAT are Math 640, Reading 570, and Writing 590, and her scores in May are Math 610, Reading 670, and Writing 660, any college to which she submits her scores is likely to combine the Math 640 from the January test with the Reading 670 and Writing 660 from the May SAT, making her “superscore” 1970. It’s important to understand why colleges follow this procedure. It’s not to be nice, but rather because colleges submit the scores of admitted students to publications like U.S. News & World Report and Fiske College Guide. USN&WR uses each college’s submitted scores as factor in its college rankings. So, it’s in the college’s best interests to aggregate each applicant’s best SAT scores. As for any bias against students who sit for the SAT multiple times, we have detected none. Several years ago, one of our students who compiled a 380-point score increase did so while sitting for the SAT four times. She recently graduated from Williams College.
Please comment or feel free to call us or email if any of this is unclear. The bottom line is that, in our opinion, anyone who is planning to apply EA or ED to competitive colleges should consider beginning his or her testing earlier than is usually recommended.