If you took the SAT this past Saturday, you are probably feeling something between a mixture of relief that it’s over and anxiety as you wait for the scores to arrive. As you wait for the moment of truth, you might feel the urge to sign up for the SAT next month, if you haven’t already. But should you go ahead and take it?

College-bound students—and their parents—often feel that more is better when it comes to taking the SAT. “How many times should I take the SAT?” is a question on most high school students’ minds. While it is certainly advisable to take the SAT more than once if you didn’t achieve your score goal the first time, that score won’t miraculously rise on its own unless you study harder in between exams and focus on what needs to be improved. So before you sign up for the SAT for the third, fourth, or tenth time, consider these options instead:

Take the ACT. It is entirely possible that you are caught in an SAT rut and need to try a test with a different format. Enter the ACT. While it is still a standardized test, there are several major differences between the ACT and the SAT, including no penalty for guessing, no surprise experimental section, and no mandatory essay—you only write if the colleges to which you are applying require it. Many students are intimidated by the science section on the ACT, but don’t worry—the section asks you to analyze and make inferences based on given data, not on how well you have memorized the Periodic Table.

Take a subject test. Like its name, the subject test allows you to concentrate on one subject at a time, and for many students, the single focus takes away a lot of the pressure. Let’s say you are an A student in English, but struggle in math. Your stress over the math sections on the SAT may cause your verbal score to suffer, but this won’t happen when you take the English subject test. You’ll be free to concentrate on what you do best, your score will reflect it, and colleges will notice.

Take a break. Years ago, the SAT was not offered as many times as it is now, and students benefited from the longer breaks in between tests. Most students only took the test twice, interspersed by a subject test. Now, it seems that students are taking the SAT upwards of five times, simply because they can, and as a result, they are burning themselves out. It’s understandable that a senior who is trying to meet application deadlines wants to squeeze in one last score, but if you are a junior, aim for quality more than quality—take some time to formulate a game plan to improve on your weaknesses rather than taking test after test. Also, keep in mind that the more you progress through school, the more you will learn, which will make the SAT a bit easier—that’s why students take it during both junior and senior year.

On the other hand, if you are a senior, you might even be able to submit a new set of SAT scores after the application deadline has passed, provided that you have already submitted a complete application with at least one set of scores—check with the college admissions office to see if this is acceptable.

You’ve heard it time and again from admissions counselors, but the SAT is indeed just one portion of your entire application. Your GPA, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and your essay all work together to provide a clearer snapshot of you as a future college student, so be sure to focus on the big picture.

–Barbara Bellesi