We all know the feeling. That horrible feeling after walking out of an exam, and the only thoughts running through your mind are about how terribly you just did on that test. Unfortunately, the SATs and ACTs are no different, and the fear of doing badly is magnified. Since the two tests are so important, lots of students leave the test room thinking they did poorly.
If you’ve taken the test, you know you have two options: persevere and hope that your scores aren’t as bad as you think, or cancel them. But the real question is, should you ever actually cancel your scores?
The most likely answer is no. Unless there were circumstances that you absolutely know caused you to do poorly, like illness, filling out the answer sheet incorrectly, or not filling out entire sections of the exam, you shouldn’t cancel. Luckily, most schools will superscore (taking the best section scores from all tests, combined into one ‘superscore’) your SAT and ACT, so even if you only did well on one section, it’s worth keeping.
If you really do want to cancel, make your move quickly. Though you can do it before you even leave the test building, it’s better to wait. You have until 11:59ET on the first Wednesday after you take the SAT (noon on the Thursday after you take the ACT), so you do have a few days to think about it.
Remember: you can always retake the test again. And again, if you choose. Oftentimes, you think you did much worse than you actually did. You question every answer you marked down on that answer sheet, and probably think that there’s no way you got anything right. But once you calm down and the fear subsides, you’ll realize you probably did just fine.
Sources: acceptedtocollege.com, The Examiner, Prep Scholar, US News.
About The Author
Back