Imagine you are a little kid again and your parents tell you that if you took out the trash every day for a week, you can get a new toy. You’re probably going to want to demonstrate your compliance by alerting them, somehow, to your success every time you complete the chore. Perhaps you have a chart with gold stars, or you walk them over to the newly-emptied trash can each day, or maybe you just yell across the house as the door slams behind you, “IT’S WEDNESDAY AND I’M TAKING OUT THE TRASH AGAIN.” What you don’t do is take out every piece of trash, put each one on your parents’ desk so they can see, put the trash back in the bag, and then take the bag outside.

Your test scores are not trash. We hope they were or will be well-above trash, but you should think of test scores in a similar manner. When applying to schools, a lot of students ask us if they should send both the SAT and the ACT. The answer is no.

This can be tough, especially if you’re the kid who, perhaps, got a little bored in class and didn’t do so well, but aced both the SAT and ACT. We get it. You are right to want to show off your abilities, but sending in multiple test scores is just overkill. Like ordering too much dessert or putting each piece of trash on display, for that matter; it sounds like a good idea, but it’s ultimately a little nauseating and will do more harm than good.

A Word To Sophomores and Juniors

We’ve already established that you do not need to take both. So how do you decide between the two? Take a diagnostic. There is truly no competitive advantage to one over the other. It’s like choosing between leggings and sweatpants for a long plane ride. It doesn’t really matter--just don’t wear both.

SAT IIs: The Exception

Know how we just said you shouldn’t send multiple tests? Well, that doesn’t count for SAT IIs. If you’ve already taken multiple SAT IIs, you can send in as many as you want. If you did really well on four subjects, you should send in four.

SAT IIs: The Exception to the Exception

Sophomores and juniors: you don’t need to take four SAT IIs. Your time is better spent studying for the myriad of other tests on your plate or doing just about anything else.

If you need some help managing the testing process, give us a call..