Standardized tests (ACT / SAT) have long been the bane of many high school students’ existence. Students who challenged themselves in the classroom with advanced and AP classes and worked hard to earn good grades but just couldn’t seem to master those dreaded standardized tests were often at a disadvantage when it came to applying to the more selective colleges and universities. Then along came the “test optional” policy.
Bowdoin College was the first to tell prospective students that they could apply without a SAT or ACT more than 50 years ago, but it wasn’t until Wake Forest adopted the test optional policy in 2008 that many of the more selective schools decided to follow suit. The most selective of that group was University of Chicago in 2018. But it was the Covid pandemic that forced the hand of many admissions offices across the country. With the tests being canceled, often at the last minute, and students often without the opportunity to take or retake the tests, more than 75% of colleges across the country decided that, at least for a couple of years, they would not require a student to submit a SAT or ACT score as part of their admissions application.
As the worst part of the pandemic is over (fingers crossed), several colleges are now, once again, requiring students submit a standardized test score (MIT, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, all Florida public universities, to name a few) but a good percentage are still allowing students to decide whether or not to submit their test scores with their application.
So that begs the question: If you are applying to a test-optional college, should you submit your test scores or at what point (score) should you submit them? And there is no cookie-cutter answer. In general, if you feel your SAT/ACT score accurately reflects the type of student you are, then you should probably send it. If your test scores are below the average for the previous year’s incoming freshman class, you likely do not want to submit them.
Students are able to submit test scores to some schools but not others. In many cases, your scores might be strong enough for admission, but not merit scholarships. It will be up to the student and their family to look into each school to determine the best route to take. If you’re unsure, you can always contact the admissions office and ask. Some schools will report a cut-off (Furman University, for example, recommends submitting ACT scores of 29 and above).
And, finally, with so many schools still using the test-optional policy, what’s the point in taking and preparing for these tests? There are several reasons: 1) There are many schools (as mentioned above) that do require test scores. 2) At most schools, the test optional policies are temporary. They could easily change by the time you apply. 3) A strong ACT / SAT score gives the admissions committee one more piece of evidence to review in your application. If you were scoring in the 90th percentile or better on the SAT or ACT, surely, you’d want your colleges to know that, right?
Again, there is no cookie-cutter approach to college admissions. Every student and every college is different. What works for one, might not work for another.