Need a reason to smile? If you’re taking the Digital SAT or ACT, the existence of Supserscoring should bring joy to your heart. Not to sound like an old fogey, but back in my day, Superscoring was NOT a thing….and I really would’ve loved it if it had been!
But what is Superscoring?
If you’re a parent or a high school underclassman, you may not even have heard of this game-changer practice yet! So please allow me, a test prep expert and private SAT/ACT tutor for over 15 years, to explain how Superscoring works and which colleges use it.
Article Contents
1. Watch this article as a video
3. Does the ACT allow Superscoring?
a. What is “weak” Superscoring?
4. Can you Superscore between the old and new ACT?
5. Why do colleges Superscore the SAT and ACT?
6. Which schools do Superscoring?
7. How to take advantage of Superscoring
8. Conclusion
Watch this article as a video:
What is Superscoring on standardized tests?
When a college allows Superscoring, its admissions committee will look at your highest scores for each section, across the (likely) multiple dates you’ve taken the test. Then, for admissions purposes, your total score is considered to be the sum of each of your highest section scores!
For instance, let’s say you do your research and calculate that the universities you’re applying to tend to have median SAT scores hovering around 1400. Your target score is therefore 1400. You proceed take the SAT in December, March, and June.
In December, you snagged a 730 in the Math, but only a 470 in Reading and Writing (let’s shorten that to “Verbal,” for convenience’s sake). Uh-oh, that overall score is not high enough for your desired college!
You take the exam again in March, really working hard to learn ALL of the strategy and content you can to raise your Verbal score, and you DO: to a 680! However, you were SO laser-focused on Verbal prep that your Math score declined to a 690. So this test date’s total (1370) still comes in shy of a 1400.
You take the test again in June, but this time, you’re so stressed with finals and AP exams that BOTH your scores sink to the mid-600’s. Shoot!
At first, you might think you’re in hot water because NONE of your individual test dates achieved the total score you need! But wait: Superscoring is here to save the day. With Superscoring—if the practice is permitted by the colleges you’re applying to—only the highest Verbal and highest Math scores matter in your application to that school. So in our example, your Superscore would consist of the 680 in Verbal that you got in March and the 730 in Math that you got in December. Together, those add up to 1410. So, in test prep lingo, you “Superscored to a 1410.” Voilà! SAT quest complete!
Does the ACT allow Superscoring?
In some cases, yes. Here’s the nuance: it’s not the makers of the ACT or the SAT who actually decide whether they will Superscore you. It’s actually the specific colleges you’re applying to. Each school on your list determines whether they Superscore the SAT, the ACT, or both tests. And more colleges Superscore the SAT than the ACT.
Although there are some schools that WILL Superscore for the SAT and NOT for the ACT, generally speaking, more and more colleges ARE Superscoring these days. That rising tide lifts all boats—the ACT’s and the SAT’s alike.
And, further good news for you: since 2021, the ACT has offered a new, one-stop reporting option that makes it way cheaper for you to send your Superscore to those colleges that do accept it.
"Weak" Superscoring definition
However, some colleges will still opt NOT to use this one-and-done ACT Superscore report…and will instead spring for a special option known as “weak Superscoring” for the ACT. Basically, this means that they’ll consider your highest English, Math, Reading, and Science section scores...but they will NOT take the extra effort of adding them up and dividing by 4 (you know, averaging them) to come up with a new, Superscored composite score.
Can you Super score between the old and new ACT?
Fortune smiles upon us again: yes, you CAN Superscore between the previous and the revised formats of the ACT! According to the ACT organization, your Superscore report will consist of your highest English, Math, Reading AND Science scores across test dates (and those four sections will be averaged to make your Superscore) if you get your Superscore report BEFORE September 2025.
Come September 2025 and beyond, the Superscore report will calculate your Superscore composite from your highest English, Math and Reading section scores ONLY. Science will be an entirely separate score from your composite. But your highest section scores themselves will be taken across test dates and across both new and old versions of the ACT.
Why Do Colleges Super Score the SAT and ACT?
So, I know this may be a bit of a bummer (in the midst of an otherwise optimistc post), but: colleges do not Superscore solely out of the goodness of their hearts…nor does Superscoring benefit ONLY you.
See, if a college allows you to take multiple SATs and ACTs and blend together the highest section scores, you’ll (in most cases) end up with a higher overall score, right? But….so will all of the other college hopefuls you’re competing against that year!
The overall effect is to boost a given college’s “average SAT” or “median ACT” scores, which makes THEIR admissions numbers more impressive!
If a school can flaunt the fact that their incoming class has a 25th-75th percentile SAT score range of 1480-1560, that makes the institution look pretty impressive...which means more applications, and more application fee money, for that college in future admissions cycles.
Which schools Superscore?
Unsurprisingly, this is a case-by-case question—and year-by-year, too, as colleges’ policies can change over time. To find out if YOUR top-pick schools Superscore for the test, you can either:
1) Click on over to to CollegeBoard.org;
2) Search CollegeData.com; or,
3) Proceed to an individual school’s website and search for their standardized testing requirements. (This is often clustered under the “Apply” tab!)
How to take advantage of Superscoring
Ultimately, if the schools on your list Superscore, it DOES mean you no longer have to sweat bullets over acing every single section in the same sitting. But there’s a second repercussion: if your target colleges Superscore, you’re not optimizing your odds if you only take the SAT or ACT once (unless, of course, you happen to get a perfect or near-perfect score the first time you try!).
Since ALL applicants will be able to raise their Superscore by taking the test 2, 3 or 4+ times and getting a higher score on individual sections of the test each sitting, you’ll be at a disadvantage if you don’t allow yourself the same multiple opportunities to improve your section scores.
(Wondering how you can possibly cram multiple test sittings into your already-jam-packed 11th/12th grade schedule? Here’s my guide to drawing up the testing timeline that will get you to your target score on time…or I can use my expertise to craft that timeline for you!)
Also, please note that when a college allows you to Superscore the SAT and/or the ACT, their median score ranges tend to be higher, since students didn’t have to give an Olympian performance on a single test day to get that score that they’re reporting.
In the end, there are pros and cons to the practice of Superscoring, though it ultimately doesn’t matter what *I* think... all that matters is what your dream college requires, and which test and approach are going to help paint the best portrait of you on the testing front!
Conclusion
The goal of today’s post was to help you make informed decisions about your testing strategy. If you find yourself confused by any of the fine print of Superscoring, or if you need more help prepping to take the SAT or the ACT, we can make a customized study plan together that takes into account YOUR strengths, weaknesses, target score, and schedule.
