[Aim high education column] 5 Important SAT and ACT Admissions Questions

1. Do all colleges superscore?
Almost all colleges currently do some form of superscoring with the SAT and the ACT. This means that, for purposes of ranking your application against those of other applicants, only your highest individual test scores or your highest section scores across multiple test-dates will be considered. Many college require you to submit only the scores that you want to let them know about, but some colleges do require you to submit all test scores, even though they “pay attention to” or “focus on” only your highest test performances. Every college determines its policy on this individually, and the policies are constantly changing, so it is absolutely imperative that you find out what the policies are for each college you plan on applying to. This information can typically be found on each university’s website, and you can also contact the admissions offices directly if you are having trouble locating this information. College Board has a detailed chart of every college in the U.S. and its superscoring policy for the SAT, which can be found here:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf

2. Which colleges combine SAT and ACT scores?
It is not a common practice for colleges to combine SAT and ACT scores and arrive at a superscore that way. For one thing, it is difficult to do so, since each test is graded on an entirely separate scale, and because the SAT has 3 sub-scores while the ACT has 4 sub-scores. Most colleges now superscore the SAT and ACT individually. However, some colleges do consider both SAT and ACT results and consider the highest performance across both tests for ranking purposes. Georgia Tech, for instance, considers only your best sectional SAT and ACT results. They don’t actually combine them all together, but they do consider only the highest scores a student receives on a given section of either the ACT or SAT. For instance, they would look at your highest SAT Reading score from the SAT, your highest ACT Writing score from either test, and, finally, your highest Math sub-score from either test.
http://admission.gatech.edu/apply/freshman-application/standardized-test-scores
But, again, it is essential to make sure you check with the specific college you are applying to, since each college has its own policy on this, and these policies often change.

3. Do colleges look at all records of the SAT/ACT?
Most schools do not require you to submit all SAT and ACT results for admission. There are, however, a substantial minority of schools that do require all test results. These schools can be found on this page and have their test policies listed as “All Scores.”
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf
However, the vast majority of colleges consider only your highest section scores or your highest single test scores. In other words, even if a college does not combine your highest Math score from one test with your highest Writing and Reading scores from another test, it will probably still ignore the tests you performed poorly on if you have a single ACT or SAT that you did very well on. Some colleges even have specialized software that systematically removes all of your worst test- or section- scores from viewing.

4. Does taking multiple SATs/ACTs count against you?
As a general rule, no. Taking multiple SATs/ACTs is quite common and often necessary in order for you to find out which test format you can perform the best on. With so many colleges that superscore and consider only your best test performances, it makes sense to keep taking the SAT or ACT until you reach a score that you are happy with. Taking the SAT or ACT anywhere from 3-5 times is perfectly okay, and will not count against you in the eyes of admissions officers. Of course, each test costs money and time, so there is that downside. But generally multiple tests will not hurt you otherwise. Of course, there are some cases that would look suspicious. For instance, if you took the SAT once and received a horrible score, and then took it again and received a perfect score, admissions officers would obviously be suspicious of such a dramatic discrepancy.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/349391-a-retake-on-how-many-times-to-take-the-sat-or-act.html
If you do take the SAT or ACT more than 5 times, some colleges may be inclined to lean towards averaging your scores, figuring that your “real” score is somewhere between your highest and lowest. So, for instance, taking it 10 times is probably not a good idea. Again, 3 to 5 is acceptable.
http://www.petersons.com/college-search/ask-experts-sat.aspx

5. How long are my SAT/ACT scores valid?
Both SAT and ACT scores are valid for 5 years.
http://www.manyagroup.com/about-sat-test
www.act.org/path/adult/faq.html