Retaking a Test

Standardized testing is one of the most Stressful Part of University Applications. If you’re looking to study abroad, you’d almost surely have to take exams such as the SAT and GRE to be able to get into whichever school you’re looking for and not only do these tests have a Huge Impact on your application, it’s also a very grueling process in itself. A 4-hour test isn’t easy!

Still, despite how daunting the actual Test-Taking process is, those with Lower Scores have the option to retake it if they want sometimes multiple times!

The logic behind this is that by putting yourself through the process Multiple Times, your score may at some point increase. But is it really worth it?

Should You Retake A Test?

The most important advice regarding retaking tests is that if you don’t have additional preparation, don’t do it. There are often students who take the test a few times before they look for tutors to help them out, and this is the worst way to go about it. Standardized testing is about strategy, not winning the lottery, so by trying to 'Get Lucky', you won’t be contributing towards your score in any way and just paying a large sum to sit in a room for 4 hours.

When to Retake the Test

Putting in Time and Effort

If your initial scores were low, this means you weren’t prepared enough, so you will have to put in some extra time and effort to be able to improve your skills. This might take a few weeks to a few months, so don’t sign up for the next test immediately after you see your scores, but take some time to assess how much preparation you’d need and whether you will be able to put in that much energy towards preparation. If not, it is probably best for you to settle for your current score.

Circumstances

Besides preparation, the only exception to retaking tests would be if you were facing some extreme situations on the day of the test that you would not have faced otherwise. For example, if you became or were extremely sick on the day of the test, or accidentally deleted your entire essay right before submitting, or perhaps because of real-life circumstances. However, this will probably not be the casemost of the time, and additional preparation would be needed.

You Barely Made It

If your test score is just a few points short of the requirements of the school you want to get into, you can retake it to pass that floor. Still, you should do some extra preparation, because otherwise, you’re just as likely to get a lower score on your second try.

Standardized testing isn’t easy, and many of us may consider retaking tests as soon as we get our scores if they are not up to our expectations. But retaking isn’t always a good idea, and remember – if you pass the minimum requirement, everything else on your application becomes more important, so you should focus on those instead.