Should I Go Test Optional?
Making testing decisions can be overwhelming: Should I go test optional? Which test should I take? What do schools expect these days? It feels like the rules are constantly changing.
Where did the test optional policies come from?
In 2020, there was a big push for university admissions to remove the ACT/SAT testing requirement in applications due to the inequality of access to reliable tests during that time. In response to the global pandemic, some university systems, such as the University of California, made these policies permanent.
However, just because a school is test-optional doesn’t mean they don’t consider a test score–at the very least, for academic merit aid offerings. The policy for many schools is that the absence of a test score will not hurt a student’s application, rather than saying a test score will not help it.
In fact, the opposite is the case.
Data from the past few years of test-optional admissions has demonstrated that having a test score, even in the 50th percentile, increases students’ chances of admission by proving their aptitude against a national standard.
So what is happening with “test optional” schools now?
The general trend is that schools are slowly moving to require tests once again, but many schools are in an in-between period in which they promised to be test-optional and have not yet switched back. It’s leaving a lot of students asking that same question that you are now: should I go test optional?
Even the University of California system clarified its policy, saying that schools can still consider test scores for course placement and eligibility in the California statewide admissions guarantee (as an alternative to other minimum requirements).
In some cases, the relaxed testing policy has made certain schools even more competitive, with popular schools like UCLA receiving record numbers of applications in 2023. This dramatic increase could make it more difficult for admissions officers to comb through each application in detail properly.
Some are expressing concerns, especially in STEM, of students admitted based on grades alone who could then not meet the academic rigor. Admissions officers are eager for a more “objective” standard against which to measure applicants besides local grading systems.
Additionally, with the recent shifts in affirmative action, many schools feel results from national tests might help them back up their diversity efforts.
However, it is not clear whether these standardized scores that universities rely on for these more “objective” decisions always have to be SAT or ACT. Students with many AP courses in their junior year could use these instead, especially if they are applying to a school with a smaller applicant pool and good grades.
So why does the test matter?
But the SAT and ACT may increasingly allow students from less strong high schools (and homeschool students) to prove themselves to admissions teams against a more “objective” standard. Especially when applying to large, competitive schools, it is in your best interest to have a score, no matter what it is.
Additionally, merit aid can be based on test scores, even at test-optional schools. Additionally, many scholarships require test scores for eligibility. Students can significantly increase their scholarship awards and general academic merit aid, sometimes by 5 or 6 figures.
It’s pretty safe to say that having solid national test scores has become a very important tool for college success, with more nuanced considerations based on each school.
Questions to ask yourself before making a decision about submitting a test score:
Does your application reflect your abilities?
Does it help shed light on your skills in a way that your GPA might not?
Is your score at all above average?
Are you coming from a high school or homeschooling environment where average test scores are quite low, and you’d like to set yourself apart?
How competitive is the college you are applying to?
Do you want to be considered for any scholarships or grants?
ALSO, KEEP IN MIND: Colleges on your list may change their policy down the road, so check back in before you put your applications together. Many schools went test-optional in response to the pandemic or as a 5-year trial period and may be nearing the end of their temporary policy.
As a reminder you could also submit your scores to a few schools and not to others.
In the end, getting a higher score on the SAT or ACT is still a worthwhile and lucrative investment that can help you be more confident about the future.
Don’t avoid this step because it feels inconvenient for now and then hurt your admissions chances in the future! Sign up for a test prep course today!
Want more details about the SAT and ACT and how to approach them? Check out our free Insider’s Guide for step-by-step instructions on how to answer the questions we listed above for yourself, make informed application decisions, and prepare to get your best scores.
For help studying or making a college application plan that will gain you acceptance letters and scholarship awards, even when the process gets more and more complicated every year, March Consulting is here to help make the college admissions process make sense for you and your family.
