3 Reasons Your SAT Score Might Have Dropped and How to Fix It
The latest round of SAT results has been released, and you may have been disappointed to see your score decrease by a couple points.
Although dropping points is obviously disappointing, you are not alone. It’s not totally uncommon to see a score decrease on your second attempt.
Even if you think you were prepared, there’s probably a good reason as to why you didn’t do so well on your retake:
1. You Didn’t Study Enough
It’s possible that you were too confident in your ability to score well your second time around. You’ve taken the test before, you knew what to expect, and you didn’t think taking more practice tests would do you any good.
This couldn’t be further from the truth!
Even though you may feel familiar with the test after taking it the first time, there’s a lot more work to do if you want to raise your score.
Practice tests and SAT prep can help you better understand the areas in which you thrive and those that need a bit more help.
The Fix: Study!
If you put in the work, you’ll see results. Take practice tests, schedule a few sessions with an SAT tutor and learn from your past mistakes before sitting down to take the SAT again.
2. You Overthought the Test
It’s only natural to get in your own head, especially in a high-stress, high-pressure situation like the SAT.
You may have had a lot of anxiety about scoring well or fears that you wouldn't finish on time, which could have resulted in rushing through some sections too quickly. Sometimes, your mind can be your own worst enemy.
The Fix: Try to relax.
Of course, this is easier said than done, but if you have studied and practiced hard, you will have all the skills necessary to ace the SAT.
Work on your confidence and trust in the hard work you’ve done.
Remind yourself that you are smart, prepared, and ready.
Know that there is usually always an opportunity to retake the test.
Your performance on one test will not make or break your chances of getting into college. So, trust in your work and you are sure to succeed!
3. Something Outside of Your Control
There are many things that might have affected your score that you couldn’t have predicted. Perhaps you got sick the morning of your test, your test environment made it difficult to focus or maybe your test was mis-scored.
If you studied hard, learned and corrected your previous mistakes, got enough rest the night before and still can’t think of anything else that went wrong, it might not have been you. Things happen, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do to change it.
The Fix: Find a new testing center.
Some people don’t realize how much the test environment can affect your mentality.
If you came down with the stomach flu the morning of but wanted to suffer through it, don’t let history repeat itself! Reschedule your test if you aren’t feeling well.
Lastly, on the off-chance your test was mis-scored, you can have it double checked by College Board for a fee.
If your SAT score went down, ask yourself a few questions to figure out why this may have occurred:
Did I study hard enough?
Was I prepared for my retake?
How nervous was I during the test?
Did something else happen that I couldn’t have planned for?
Once you figure out what went wrong, you can start getting ready to take the test again. Want to ensure that your SAT score goes up? Schedule a session with one of our expert tutors.