What is a superscore?
A superscore combines your best section scores from different test dates into one score. Say your Reading and Writing score went up on your second SAT, but your Math score dipped a little. A college that superscores would pair the newer Reading and Writing score with the older Math score.
Superscoring is a college policy, not a test rule. Each college decides whether to superscore, use your single best test date, or review every score you’ve earned.
How does SAT Score Choice work?
Score Choice is College Board’s free option for choosing which SAT scores colleges receive. You choose by test date, so each report carries the full score from that day. You can’t send Math from one date and Reading and Writing from another.
Two limits matter:
- Some colleges and scholarship programs require you to send all your scores. Score Choice doesn’t change that.
- Score Choice doesn’t apply to the free score sends you pick when you register for a weekend SAT or during in-school testing.
On the SAT, the college does the superscoring. A college that superscores uses your best section scores from the test dates you send, even when they come from different tests. College Board notes that many of these colleges encourage you to send every score, and some require it.
How does the ACT superscore work?
ACT calculates a superscore for you. If you’ve taken the ACT more than once since September 2016, your superscore appears in your MyACT account automatically, with no extra request.
Since September 2025, the superscore Composite is the average of your best English, math and reading scores, rounded to the nearest whole number. Science is no longer part of it. Your best math and science scores make up a separate STEM superscore instead.
Older and newer tests can be combined. ACT uses your highest score in each section no matter when you earned it, whether on the older ACT or the enhanced ACT.
When you send an ACT superscore, colleges receive:
- the superscore Composite from your best English, math and reading scores
- your highest section scores, including science and writing if you took them
- STEM and ELA superscores, if you have the sections they need
- the full set of scores from each test date where you earned a highest section score, and from the date of your highest Composite
That means a college that doesn’t superscore can still see your individual test dates. You can also send scores from a single test date instead of a superscore.
Can I retake just one section of the ACT?
No. ACT says students currently can’t retake individual sections. You take the full test again, and the superscore picks up your best section scores across attempts.
How many times can I take the SAT or ACT?
College Board says you can take the SAT as many times as you want. It recommends taking it at least twice, in the spring of junior year and the fall of senior year.
ACT’s retake page says there is no limit on how many times you can take the ACT. If you tested through your school or district, you can retest on any national test date using the same MyACT account. Check upcoming SAT and ACT test dates before you plan a retake.
How do colleges use multiple scores?
Every college sets its own policy, and some departments within a college set their own too. College Board describes these common approaches:
- Superscore: the college combines your best section scores across test dates.
- Single highest test date: the college uses your best total from one sitting.
- All scores required: you send every score, and the college reviews the full record.
- Test-optional: sending scores is your choice, and the college may still have its own rule for the scores you do send.
ACT points out that not every college superscores the ACT. Look for each college’s testing policy on its admissions website, often in the application requirements section.
Should I retake the SAT or ACT?
Start from your target. Our guides on a good SAT score and a good ACT score show how to set one from college score ranges. Then use this table.
| Your situation | Retake? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your score is below the middle 50% range at most colleges on your list, and a test date fits before your deadlines. | Usually worth planning | A higher score would change how your application compares with enrolled students. |
| One section is well below the other, and your colleges superscore. | Worth considering | You can focus prep on one section, and a superscore keeps your best scores from each date. |
| Something went wrong on test day, such as illness, nerves or a problem with directions. | Worth considering | ACT lists these among its reasons to consider retesting. |
| You’ve learned more in school since your last test. | Worth considering | ACT notes that its questions are based on what you learn in school. |
| Your score is already at or above the 75th percentile at the colleges you care about most. | Often not needed | Time on grades, essays and applications may help more. |
| You haven’t changed how you’re preparing since the last test. | Wait | Review your mistakes and change your plan first, or the next result may look similar. |
| No test date gets a new score to colleges before your deadline. | Probably not | Check score release timing against each deadline before you register. |
If a college asks for all scores, a retake is still reasonable. College Board says colleges don’t look unfavorably on retaking.
Where does Hourly Prep fit?
If you’re retaking, start by reviewing your last test, then practice the skills behind your misses. Hourly Prep’s free plan includes one SAT practice test, one ACT practice test and short daily practice sets for both exams. Every question has an explanation.
Premium adds an adaptive study plan, an AI tutor, 30+ SAT and 30+ ACT practice tests, 10,000+ practice problems, score estimates, no ads, and study on the web.
Before you retest, take a timed official practice test to check your progress: Bluebook for the SAT, or ACT’s free practice test.
Common superscoring questions
Does the SAT have a superscore?
Colleges can superscore the SAT. You choose which test dates to send with Score Choice, and a college that superscores combines your best Reading and Writing and Math scores from the dates it receives.
Can my ACT superscore mix older ACT and enhanced ACT scores?
Yes. ACT uses your highest English, math and reading scores no matter when you earned them, on the older ACT or the enhanced ACT, and averages them for the superscore Composite.
Will retaking the SAT or ACT hurt my chances?
College Board says colleges don’t look unfavorably on retaking. Some colleges ask to see every score, so check each college’s policy before you decide what to send.