Top 10 Questions We Get Asked about the SAT
Test Prep: To SAT or Not to SAT?
Test Preparation
1. Do I need to take the SAT?
Post-COVID, most US universities have remained test optional. The only Top 50 universities that still require the SAT are the following:
Harvard
MIT
Yale
Brown
Dartmouth
Georgetown
Univ of Florida
Georgia Tech
Purdue
So unless you’re applying to one of the aforementioned schools, the short answer is No, you do not need to take the SAT. Furthermore, many schools are test blind*, most notably the UCs, including Berkeley and UCLA. In other words, even if you submitted your SAT score, the UC schools wouldn’t even look at it when evaluating your college application.
2. Why do so many people still take the SAT then?
Because submitting good SAT scores to test optional schools is statistically proven to still significantly boost an applicant’s chances of admission. In fact, some universities’ published data show that applicants who submit scores falling within or surpassing the average of their admitted students are twice as likely to be accepted compared to applicants who choose not to submit their test scores. For these highly ranked institutions, “optional” is just their way of asking how far you’ll go the extra mile.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic when nearly every top university was test optional, most applicants still took the SAT or ACT and submitted their test scores to try to get a competitive edge.
3. Why would the SAT still boost students’ admission chances when it’s optional?
The SAT is not an intelligence test, but it is extremely useful in assessing a student’s college readiness. Because higher SAT scores strongly correlate with better GPAs among university freshmen, universities can more easily and confidently identify genuinely exceptional students who are best able to handle the rigorous courseload of a more prestigious institution. This is an especially important point for top universities because they don’t want to spend all this time and effort selecting the best candidates only for them to drop out.
Many high schools will inflate their students’ GPAs, hoping to make their students look more attractive to colleges. However, this actually has the opposite effect: in the past, a Fuhsing valedictorian was accepted to Harvard, only to flunk out before the end of freshman year, and since then Harvard has never accepted a Fuhsing student ever again. Standardized tests like the SAT help to spotlight which high schools are actually holding their students accountable grades-wise.
4. So I should always submit my SAT scores to test optional schools?
Not if your scores fall below your desired school’s average or median scores because that would actually hurt your admission chances. Instead, focus on maximizing your school grades, furthering your extracurricular activities, writing the best application essays you can, and building relationships with your teachers and mentors.
5. Would it be bad if I took the ACT instead?
Both the SAT and ACT are equally accepted standardized tests at every US university. Just like how Coke and Pepsi are just different kinds of cola, the SAT and ACT test the same thing but in different ways: the SAT tends to be a trickier test requiring more strategy and critical thinking whereas the ACT is a more straightforward but rigorous exam with tighter time limits. In our experience, the majority of students who try the other test end up getting an equivalent score, or sometimes even lower because they’re not accustomed to the different format and style.
6. How do I decide whether to take the SAT or ACT then?
Take a practice test for each, compare your results (you can find plenty of correlation charts online), and reflect on how you felt about each experience. Generally, you should just choose whichever test you scored higher on and/or which felt more natural. Traditionally, the SAT is more popular with Asians because half the test is math, whereas math only makes up a quarter of the ACT. Some science-inclined students take the ACT because of the Science section, whereas the SAT only has a few science concepts that may show up in a small handful of Reading and Graph questions.
7. How many times should I take the SAT?
Technically, as many times as you want. Most universities (except for Georgetown, UT Austin, UW–Madison, UIUC, and Ohio State) will Superscore** the SAT, meaning that they’ll evaluate your highest Reading & Writing score and your highest Math score; in other words, they’ll only see your scores from two different tests at most. That being said, you should still limit your attempts because the time you spend preparing and taking the test is taking time away from other—and potentially more meaningful and impactful—endeavors like your extracurriculars or even quality time with your friends and family. Besides, all the stress that comes with each test-taking experience and the two subsequent weeks of anxious waiting for the result is just plain bad for your mental health.
**To better understand how Superscoring works, consider a student who takes the SAT four times:
As you can see, even though this student never broke 1400 in a single test, they would still end up with a 1460 through the Superscore system! What’s more, since colleges only see the full test results of the best section scores, they wouldn’t know about any tests that were taken outside of May and October of 2024, so you could theoretically attempt the test a dozen times, and they would still only see the scores to a maximum of two tests (please don’t take the SAT twelve times).
8. …OK but really, how many times should I take it?
There’s no magic number, honest! It all depends on your personal circumstances. What we do advise, however, is for you to give yourself at the very least two months between each attempt to ensure that you have ample time to study, take practice tests, and do what you can to maximize your chances of improving.
9. If I do well in school, does that mean I’ll also do well on the SAT?
Not necessarily. If you’ve been studying and paying attention in class, then you likely already have a strong foundation in many of the concepts that are tested on the SAT, but this test is still unlike anything you’ve taken in school. There are plenty of students who excel academically but struggle on the SAT, and plenty with high SAT scores but subpar grades. This is why the SAT is the one test that high school students spend the most time and money on.
Opportunity Insights conducted a study on the students from Ivy Plus schools (Ivy League universities, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Caltech, Northwestern, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Rice, WashU) that eventually swayed most of the Ivy League schools to reinstate their testing requirements.
10. Then what’s the most effective way to prepare for the SAT?
College Board, the creators of the SAT, has a free app called Bluebook Exams that provides an array of practice tests for students to familiarize themselves with the test. In addition, College Board has collaborated with Khan Academy to supply free online SAT lessons and practice questions, so students can further sharpen their skills to maximize their performance. If you’re already scoring close to your goal, we strongly encourage you to use these two resources to prepare for the test. If you feel like you’re still struggling in multiple areas or just lacking the willpower to get started, our SAT prep course puts you on the right track to learn all the tips and tricks you need to survive and thrive on the test. If you’d like more information on how we can help you get started, click here.
*List of top schools that are test blind (you can apply without submitting any SAT or ACT score):
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UC San Diego
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
UC Riverside
UC Merced
Reed College
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly - Pomona
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