Navigating Test-Optional Admissions: Should You Submit Your SAT Scores?
As high school students navigate the college application process, a significant question arises: Should I submit my SAT scores? The landscape of college admissions has shifted, particularly with the rise of test-optional policies. Understanding these policies and making informed decisions can significantly impact a student's chances of acceptance.
The Evolving Landscape of Standardized Testing
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities temporarily suspended their requirements for applicants to submit standardized test scores. While standardized testing requirements have gradually returned post-pandemic, many institutions remain test-optional, presenting students with a critical decision.
Standardized test scores offer colleges a standardized measure of a student’s academic skills and potential. High school transcripts may sometimes exhibit grade inflation, making it challenging to accurately assess a student's academic strength based solely on GPA. High standardized test scores can reinforce high grades, assuring admissions officers of a student's academic ability.
Understanding Test-Optional Policies
When a university declares itself test-optional, it means that applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application. However, this doesn't mean that the universities don't consider test scores at all. They are still willing to review and evaluate your scores if you choose to send them. It’s crucial to research and confirm whether the schools on your college list are genuinely test-optional. If a school isn't test-optional and you don't submit test scores, your application will be incomplete.
Factors to Consider When Deciding Whether to Submit
The decision of whether to send your SAT/ACT scores to a test-optional university should be a well-thought-out one. It largely depends on your individual circumstances and goals. Here are several factors to consider:
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Your Scores
If your SAT/ACT scores are well above the university's average admitted scores, it might be in your best interest to submit them.
Strength of Application
If your standardized test scores are high and complement your overall academic profile, they can strengthen your application. Consider the strength of your high school GPA and course selection.
Demonstrating Skills
By sending your scores, you can demonstrate your proficiency in subjects like math, reading, and writing.
Transparency
By sending your test scores, you're providing a complete and transparent application, which may be appreciated by admission committees.
Competitiveness of the Schools
Consider how competitive the schools you're applying to are. If applying to a top or Ivy-League level university, the admissions pool is probably full of many other amazing students. Thus, whether or not you are admitted to such highly competitive schools comes down to the smallest of factors, including standardized test scores.
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Comparison to Other Stats
Another factor to consider is how your standardized test scores compare to your other “stats,” such as GPA. If your GPA and SAT or ACT score are both relatively high in comparison to the class average, then definitely submit those scores! On the other hand, if you find that you have a relatively high GPA but low SAT or ACT score, sending such scores in could potentially lower your chances of admission.
Merit Scholarships
Many universities offer merit-based scholarships based on test scores. If you're reliant on financial aid, research whether the university offers merit-based scholarships that consider test scores.
University-Specific Policies
Each university may have different interpretations of what test-optional means.
Major and Field of Study
The significance of test scores can vary depending on your intended major.
Check the Trends
Research the admission statistics of the universities you're interested in.
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The Impact of Submitting Scores
Feedback from college administrators indicates that students who submit testing are accepted to colleges at higher rates than those who do not do so. For example, the admit rate for Yale is three times higher for students submitting test scores as compared to those who opt not to submit (6% vs. 2%). Unless your scores are significantly lower than the published mid-50% range, you will typically stand a better chance of being admitted if you submit your scores.
How to Find Average SAT/ACT Scores
Colleges are required to share their mid-50% range for standardized test scores in their Common Data Set. Common Data Sets make it easy for prospective students to gauge whether they are below, within, or above the testing range for a school on their list. You can also find this information by typing “insert university name average SAT (or ACT).” What will typically show up is the middle 50% of accepted SAT/ACT scores into that college (think the 25th-75th percentile). If determined to get into a particular school, we highly recommend you aim for a score within this range (and on the higher end, if possible). If you want more information about any college’s accepted applicants average stats (GPA, SAT, etc.), you can also look up “insert college name student profile” and try to find the one for the most recent class.
When to Withhold Scores
As a general rule, you should only withhold test scores if you are below the college’s 25th percentile. However, there are nuances to this rule. For example, Yale’s middle 50% score range is from 1460 to 1580. If a student has a 1400-1450, though, then I would still submit it. Why? Because those are still very solid scores that indicate a student is at or above the top 7% of test takers. However, if you don’t submit a test score to Yale, then Yale is very likely to assume that your score is below 1400.
Yale’s internal research has consistently shown that ACT and SAT scores are a significant predictor of a student’s undergraduate academic performance.
It is also important to consider the caliber of your high school. If a student comes from a high school known by top colleges to be of high caliber, then the colleges may feel confident enough in a student’s high school GPA to grant them admission without test scores - and, in those instances, the college would rather not have an SAT/ACT score below the median 50% (because why bring down their average if they feel confident already in the student’s success at their institution?).
Institutional Priorities
Colleges heavily recruit students who meet their “institutional priorities.” Those priorities vary based on the college, but they can include recruited athletes, Pell grant students, students who help bring more diversity to campus, etc. If you meet an institutional priority, then you’re not competing against all the other applicants. You are competing against all the other applicants that meet the same institutional priority that you do.
The Importance of Outcomes
Colleges care much more about actual student outcomes than their average SAT/ACT score. Outcomes (graduation rates, retention rates, etc.) are dramatically more impactful on college rankings. In the U.S. News and World Report ranking, measures of outcomes account for 35% of a college’s ranking, while average test scores account for only 5%. Test scores help predict college outcomes, and decades of research covering millions of students has validated that this is the case.
Addressing Specific Scenarios
Let's address the specific scenario of a student aiming for Stanford with a 4.0 unweighted GPA, rigorous coursework including AP classes, but a highest composite SAT score of 1400 (760 English and 640 Math), taken three times with progressively lower scores.
Given that the SAT scores are below average for Stanford and the scores decreased with each attempt, it would be advisable not to submit them. Stanford employs holistic review, considering various factors beyond test scores. Focus on highlighting the strong GPA, challenging coursework, thoughtfully crafted essays, excellent letters of recommendation, and extracurricular activities.
Additional Factors to Keep in Mind
Holistic Review
Colleges use holistic review, and standardized test scores are just one component of many that factor into the admissions decision. Strong grades and academic rigor, thoughtfully crafted essays, excellent letters of recommendation and involvements beyond the classroom, also matter quite a bit.
Test-Flexible Policies
A “test flexible” policy means you may be able to take a test other than the SAT or ACT, such as AP Exams, to meet the school’s requirements for admission.
Test-Blind Policies
A “test blind” policy means the college won't look at test scores for admission even if they are submitted.
Test Optional/Test Blind for Admissions, but Required for Enrollment
A growing number of colleges that are test optional or test blind for admissions require or consider SAT or ACT scores for other uses, such as scholarships, course placement, and academic counseling.
Choosing Between SAT and ACT
If you choose to send a standardized score to universities, send in the one you scored higher on. This might seem confusing as both tests have different scoring systems. These “concordance tables” tell you the equivalent of your SAT or ACT score on the other exam.
Dispelling Myths About Test-Optional Policies
Schools being test optional are simply a reflection of the way they admit students, and it has very little to do with their curriculum. Schools becoming test optional began largely as a way to help students and to alleviate some of the pressure of undergraduate admissions, as college professionals understand that test taking is not every student’s strong suit.
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