Retaking the Test
SAT Reasoning Test™
You may be wondering if you should take the test again, and whether your scores will change if you do so. Here are some guidelines that may help you decide:
- Research shows that the average student who retests increases his or her combined critical reading, writing, and mathematics scores by approximately 40 points.
- Overall, 55% of juniors taking the test improved their scores as seniors, 35% had their scores decrease, and 10% had no change.
- On average, juniors repeating the SAT as seniors improved their critical reading scores by about 12 points and their mathematics scores by about 13 points. About 1 in 25 gained 100 or more points on critical reading or mathematics, and about 1 in 90 lost 100 or more points
Your score report shows the percentage of students with the same critical reading or mathematics scores who scored higher, lower, and the same when they took the SAT again, as well as the average number of points gained or lost. Use this information when deciding whether or not to test again.
SAT Subject Tests™
Subject Tests measure your knowledge of a particular subject. If you continue to study the subject and take the test again, your score should reflect your increased knowledge. If you take the test again without any additional preparation, your score may be higher or lower than it was on the previous test.
