Test scores
Superscoring means a college takes your highest Reading & Writing score and your highest Math score from any of your test dates and adds them together. The result can be higher than your total from any single test day. This guide explains how the arithmetic works, how superscoring differs from Score Choice, and how to use the idea without assuming every college does it.
Say you take the SAT twice. On the first date you score 620 in Reading & Writing and 680 in Math, a total of 1300. On the second date you score 650 and 650, also 1300. No single test day reached more than 1300, but your best sections are 650 and 680, so your superscore is 1330.
The digital SAT reports a score from 200 to 800 for each of the two sections, and the total runs from 400 to 1600. A superscore uses those two section scores. You can check your own numbers with the superscore calculator.
Two ideas get mixed up. Score Choice is a College Board feature that lets you decide which test dates to send to a college. Superscoring is what a college does with the scores it receives. A college can superscore and still only see the dates you chose to send.
Some colleges ask for all of your scores, and some say how they want you to handle that. The rule belongs to each college, so read the testing page on its admissions site instead of relying on a general statement. Policies change from year to year.
In broad terms, a college does one of three things when you send more than one test date. It may superscore, combining your best sections. It may use your highest single test date and ignore the rest. Or it may consider all of your scores and look at the full picture. Some colleges describe a mix, such as superscoring for admission and using single dates for scholarships.
This matters most when you plan retakes. If a college superscores, a retake can only help you on the sections where you improve, because your earlier best section is still counted. If a college uses the highest single date, a retake helps only if the new total beats the old one.
A superscore is a college's calculation, not a score that College Board issues to you. The number you see in a calculator is an unofficial estimate. A college might also round or report it differently in its own materials. It does not change your percentile on a test date, and it does not change how a college reads the rest of your application.
It also does not mean you should test as many times as you can. Each test takes time you could spend on schoolwork and other parts of the application, and practice usually gives most of the gain. See should I retake the SAT for how to decide.
The ACT has its own version of superscoring, with its own rules for how the composite is built. It is covered in the ACT superscore guide. If you take both tests, remember that a college that superscores one test does not always superscore the other.
No. Policies differ, and some colleges use your highest single test date or consider every score. Check each college's admissions page.
No. It is a calculation a college makes from the scores you send. A calculator can estimate it, but the college decides how it counts.
Not necessarily. Sending rules depend on Score Choice and on each college's own policy, so read the college's instructions.
Last reviewed 2026-10-14. This guide is general information, not advice for your situation. Test and admissions policies change, so check the official College Board, ACT or college page for the current rule.
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