What a superscore is
A superscore is the total you get by taking your highest Reading and Writing score and your highest Math score from different SAT dates and adding them. Score 680 R&W / 720 Math in March and 730 R&W / 690 Math in May, and your superscore is 730 + 720 = 1450, higher than either sitting’s 1400 or 1420. College Board reports each date separately; the college does the combining.
Which colleges superscore
Most do. The large majority of selective private universities superscore the SAT, as do most public flagships. Some colleges use your best single sitting instead, and a small number ask to see every score you have. Policies are published on each college’s admissions page and change from year to year, so check the current wording rather than relying on a list. Superscoring across the paper SAT and the Digital SAT is also college-specific; both are on the same scale, but not every school combines them.
Why superscoring changes retake strategy
If your colleges superscore, a retake is a lower-risk, higher-return decision. Your existing best sections are safe, so you can prepare for one section only. A student with a 720 Math and a 640 R&W can spend six weeks on grammar and reading and go into the second sitting without worrying about Math. Since the Digital SAT’s adaptive design makes Module 1 accuracy the key to a high section score, focusing on one section also makes it easier to be careful where it counts.
Score Choice and sending scores
College Board’s Score Choice lets you pick which test dates to send. For a college that superscores, send the dates that together produce your best combination. Some colleges require all scores regardless; their applications say so. There is no penalty at superscoring colleges for a weaker date, because only the best sections count.
Working it out
Enter each sitting into the superscore calculator to see the combined score, which sections it used, and the percentile that result represents. To estimate what a retake could produce, run a recent practice test through the score predictor.
Last updated September 2026. Policies are set by each college and change; verify before relying on one.