Which Colleges Superscore the SAT?

You all know that SAT scores are very important for your college application process. These SAT scores give the college an idea of your academic ability. What if You didn’t perform well in your SAT test this time? That’s exactly where the SAT Superscoring exists.

Superscoring is the process in which the colleges consider the student’s highest scores of each section mainly depending on the school superscoring policy.  It is found that nearly 90% of the colleges superscore SAT, these colleges realize that your one-time performance on the SAT may not represent your true academic ability. To balance that some colleges use superscoring.

In this article, we will explore what SAT superscoring is, how is it calculated, and institutions that superscore the SAT.

What is SAT Superscore?

Superscoring SAT is the process in which the colleges consider the student’s highest scores of each section (Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) on the SAT depending on the college’s superscoring policies.

Also read: What is a Good SAT Score?

How is the SAT Superscore calculated?

To calculate your SAT superscore, you’ll need the test results as per the new SAT format. You can take the highest scores from each section and add them together forming the Composite score(SAT superscore).

For example - A student took the test 3 times, in which the student earns unique scores every time. The following table shows the student’s results.

Test Dates	Part 1	Part 2	Composite
October	740	670	1410
November	780	720	1500
December	700	760	1460

In the table, the highest score of part 1 is 780, which is from the second test (November), and the highest score of part 2 is 760 which is from the third test (December). By adding those scores we get 1540, which is considered to be a candidate’s SAT superscore.

Top Colleges that Superscore SAT

According to the College Board, it is found that nearly 90% of the institutions participate in the SAT superscore(score-use) practices.

Here’s the list of top colleges that superscore SAT.

• Boston College

• Brown University

• California University

• California Institute of Technology

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Cornell University

• Dartmouth College

• Duke University

• Emory University

• Georgetown University

• Johns Hopkins University

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• New York University

• Northwest University

• University of Notre Dame

• Princeton University

• Rice University

• Stanford University

• Tufts University

• University of Chicago

• University of Southern California

• University of Pennsylvania

• University of Virginia

• Vanderbilt University

• Washington University in St.Louis

• Yale University

To know more, visit the list of institutions that Superscore SAT.

Tips for applying to a school that superscore SAT

Schools that consider SAT superscoring are usually highly competitive and require and they look for more than just a test score to get in.  Tips for applying are:-

• Review the previous average SAT score 

 Reviewing the previous year's average SAT score will give you a good idea of what kind of score you should earn when you take the SAT yourself.

• Pay attention to the application requirements

Some schools require a combination of essays, letters of recommendation, and other forms of information. If they are asking for that information, it’s because they read it and take it seriously when deciding to choose you, so you have to make sure to do your best on every part of your application.

• Take the SAT in junior year

To avoid preparing for the SAT while you work on your college applications during senior year (and stressing you out more than you need to), we recommend you take the test once in the fall and again in the spring of your junior year. If not, taking the test at least once in the spring of your junior year will give you an idea of how much additional preparation you want to do before taking the test early in the senior year.

Benefits of SAT superscoring

SAT superscore schools mostly face a win-win situation for both the institutions and the students. For the institutions superscoring gives them the competitive students, superscoring shows that the student has the ability to score better given the time, chance, and resources. For students, superscoring can give them the advantage to improve their overall composite score on the SAT, helping them to face more competitive candidates. For example, if a student has scored as per the following table

Test Dates	Part 1	Part 2	Composite
October	750	660	1410
November	730	700	1430

So superscoring the SAT results would increase the composite score by 20 points. From 1430 to (750+700)=1450.This benefits the students to get into their dream college in most cases. 

Superscoring has other benefits too, it makes the student qualify for financial aids like Scholarships and other financial grants.

You may read: How is the SAT scored?