Prior to the pandemic, the vast majority of colleges across the US required applying freshmen to submit either an SAT or ACT exam. In fact, of the 434 colleges we track, over two-thirds required one of these college admissions exams.
When the pandemic lockdowns made in-person testing nearly impossible, almost all colleges adopted either a test-optional or test-free policy out of expediency. Test-optional means a score isn’t required for admission, while test-free means scores won’t be considered at all.
Within a matter of weeks of the lockdowns, the percentage of colleges requiring an SAT or ACT score dropped from approximately 66% to 1%. Over these last four years, the testing landscape has continued to evolve, as some colleges have returned to test required policies, others have adopted test free policies, not accepting test scores at all, and still others have remained test optional. The graph below gives a sense of the testing landscape as of fall 2024.
To see the current policies at specific colleges visit our COLLEGE TESTING POLICIES table.
Today, students and families face a more complex set of decisions than in years past. If I aspire to attend a college requiring test scores, then yes, I must test and submit my scores. If I aspire to to attend a test free college, then no, I do not need to test or submit scores (though, we will learn later that surprisingly, you can still submit scores to some test free schools).
But what about test optional colleges? Is it really optional? Will I be penalized if I don't submit a score?
What exactly does test optional really mean?
Test optional means that students are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores to be considered for admission. However, it also means that if a score is submitted, the score will play a part in determining that student’s admission.
However, beyond this simple definition, test optional policies do vary from institution to institution. Some universities still see great value in test scores, and while they may be test optional, they’d love it if you did submit a score. Other colleges view test scores as an additional data point that may be used when the demand is higher than the supply. When trying to make decisions between students with similar GPAs, strength of schedule, and other factors, stronger test scores can help set students apart. Finally, less selective colleges that accept the majority of their applicants may view test scores as a lower priority.
With such a range of intentions behind test optional policies, how can you know where a college you are interested in stands? We suggest you visit the testing policy pages on their websites. Read their statements regarding testing. This will give you a better sense of the real role test scores may play at that institution.
Below are some examples of statements from test optional colleges that suggest test scores do still hold significant weight in their admissions decisions.
If my student is not required to take an official exam, why bother taking it at all?
Taking the exam and submitting the scores from the exam are two different things. So let’s start with the first question about taking the exam.
There are two primary reasons you may want to submit a score:
A competitive SAT or ACT score can improve your admissions odds. In the table below, you will see data comparing the admissions outcomes of students who submitted a score versus those who have not submitted a score.
We see an advantage for students submitting test scores. The most radical example of this is at Boston College, where close to 26% of students submitting scores were admitted, while only about 10% of those not submitting scores were admitted. We should note that this data comes from a very small number of colleges, as very few colleges have been willing to publish this information. However, among the few bits of data available, it does appear that there is a correlation between admissions outcomes and submitting test scores. We can assume that competitive SAT or ACT scores, submitted alongside strong grades will improve a student's chances of admissions.
A score may be required to receive scholarships and other financial aid.
Of the 434 colleges we track, 18% are currently offering scholarships or aid requiring SAT or ACT scores. This means that, while many colleges are test optional for admissions, they still require scores for financial aid. CLICK HERE to see a table of scholarships requiring scores. Many students living in western states, hope to take advantage of Western University Exchange (WUE) aid. WUE enables students from western states, studying in other western states, to receive a significant discount on out-of-state tuition. Typically, out-of-state tuition costs about three times as much as in-state tuition. WUE offers tuition that is only one-and-a-half time the in-state tuition to out-of-state-students. For example, if in-state tuition at a particular college is $5,000, then out-of-state tuition at that same college would be about $15,000. WUE tuition at that college would only be $7,500 for out-of-state students. However, some test optional WUE colleges require SAT or ACT scores for out-of-state students to be eligible for WUE tuition.
Other Considerations
Here are some other points you may want to consider, when deciding whether or not to test.
Keeping options open; while some students believe that they know which institution they want to attend, we always encourage them to keep an open mind. For example, a former student of mine had been really interested in UC Davis for years (which I remember, because UC Davis is my alma mater), and that institution is test blind. However, I still encouraged her to take the test in case she changed her mind, and she ended up attending a small private school on the east coast (and was glad she had a score to submit).
Test scores can be used for class placement. In fact, even many schools adopting test blind policies will still use SAT and ACT scores for class placement, allowing freshmen to skip basic undergraduate math and English courses.
A strong score can offset a weaker GPA; GPA is one of the most important factors when it comes to college admissions. However, one way to demonstrate preparedness to colleges is to submit a strong SAT or ACT score. If a student feels that their GPA doesn’t truly represent them (perhaps the student was out sick for an extended period of time, or perhaps the student struggled during COVID years more than their peers), submitting a score that does represent them can be helpful.
A strong score among peers can be helpful; Colleges and universities know what school you attend, and they also have a lot of information about each high school, such as graduation rates, courses offered, average test scores, demographics, and some other information as well. With this information, students can set themselves apart by scoring well compared to their high school peers.
In conclusion, a score can benefit you in any number of ways, so we recommend that ever student take the SAT or ACT at least once. If you test and earn a score that you are not proud of, you do not need to share that score with any college, so there is really no downside to testing.
So that brings us to the second big question: how do I know if my SAT or ACT score represents me well ?
Should my student submit an official SAT or ACT score?
The simplest way to make this early determination is to look at average admissions data for the institutions to which you are interested in applying. Specifically, look for average SAT (or ACT) admissions data. A Google search usually yields some helpful information to give you a ballpark estimate of what the average score of an admitted student is (you can also do this for GPA). If your score is higher than the average, it is probably a good idea to submit. If your score is significantly lower than the average, it is probably a good idea to not submit.
If your student is somewhere near average, or on the borderline, we recommend also comparing GPA data. Compare the average GPA of the admitted students to your GPA, and then compare that percentile to the average test score vs. your test score. For example, if you find that your student’s GPA falls around the 43th percentile, but your student’s SAT score falls around the 48th percentile, it could be a good idea to submit a score.
Keep in mind that even scores in the 25th percentile are scores of students that were admitted, so even a lower than average score can help you if the circumstances are right. Consider factors such as average scores among the students local to the same area, and average scores among students at the same high school. This data can be harder to find, but usually school counselors have a good sense about this. If you are not sure if your SAT or ACT score represents your student well, your student’s high school counselor should either have that data or have a sense of what that data looks like.
My student just isn’t a good test taker. Do you think it is still worth trying?
Yes; and I have good news and bad news. The good news is there are ways to improve test taking skills – the bad news is that many college courses rely on exams for grades. So I’d say, instead of giving your student one more chance to “put off” getting better at taking tests, l’d recommend trying to answer the question of why your student is not good at taking tests. There are a few common reasons why students feel this way, and each of these has an approach to help improve (practice is a piece of each of these approaches). These reasons include testing anxiety, not reading the questions/answers properly, not taking the test seriously enough, and not properly preparing for a test.
If your student finds these exams challenging due to a learning disability, the SAT and ACT provide accommodations to assist these students. This includes things like giving students extra time on the exams.
Final Thoughts
There are many benefits to taking an SAT or ACT exam. There may be scenarios where a student might test, and then later decide not to submit that score, but that student is better off having it and not needing it than needing it and not having it.
Not only do we believe that every student should test at least once, but we think each student owes it to themselves to do as well on the exam as possible.
Thoughtful preparation for these exam, whether that’s prep on one own or working with professionals like the team at Tried & True, is proven to have significant benefits. Scores increase with time spent in focused preparation. Khan Academy’s data shows a similar trend – the more time spent on practice problems, the higher the score increase. This is not a secret – neither the SAT nor ACT is testing IQ or aptitude. They are content-based exams, and preparing for these exams will improve your score.
If you would like to learn more about our approach to preparation, check out our Test Prep Page or Consult with one of our Expert Directors.
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