As seniors across the globe are eagerly awaiting the final round of decisions to be released, many younger students are beginning their own journeys to prepare for the upcoming application process. As classes are chosen, extracurriculars are explored, and majors considered, there is one aspect of the process that should not be forgotten-testing. Whether the ACT or SAT, testing can often be a crucial aspect of the admissions journey and students would do well to plan ahead. That said, there are many colleges where testing is an optional component of the application and Galin is here to give you the ins & outs of the test optional landscape.
Do test scores matter at a test-optional school?
Depending on the college, even if they allow students to apply without test scores, that does not mean that they aren’t considering test scores when submitted. There is a strong difference between colleges that practice “test-blind” admissions, meaning they will review and consider test scores from applicants who send them, versus “test-optional” admissions where testing isn’t required but will be considered if provided. Overall, for test-optional colleges having strong test scores will certainly benefit a student’s chances of admission as they act as an academic standard across different high school curriculums across the country. That’s why as a general rule-of-thumb, students who have test scores at or above the median for that college should submit them to reinforce their strong GPAs and rigorous courses they’ve taken during high school.
While hundreds of colleges have test-optional admission policies, especially now, many colleges still require test scores for admission to specialized academic programs like Honors Colleges, or for competitive scholarship consideration. Additionally, many major scholarship-granting organizations still require test scores as part of their application process, so, to be eligible for them, students must have test scores that are competitive.
How do colleges evaluate a “no-test” application?
When colleges evaluate applications that do not include test scores, they must rely on the other components of the application to understand a student’s qualifications. This means that there will be increased scrutiny on that student’s letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, community involvement, essays, and, of course, rigor of coursework and grades. This reflects the holistic application review that is standard at colleges in the states and, with testing not being taken into account the importance of and scrutiny on the remaining application requirements will be heightened. At highly selective colleges (or at least those that have not recently returned to requiring a score, like Dartmouth or Yale), if a student has strengths in all of these areas but worries that a score is not-so-high, then they are in luck that they don’t have to submit scores! However, for many students, this isn’t the case.
Remember, your application whether with or without testing is at its heart a sum of all parts. When one part is removed, like testing, the other parts must rise in their impact and level of competitiveness in order to cover the weight of what is not included. It is also important to remember that while colleges have become more friendly to test-optional students since the pandemic,many applicants, particularly at highly-selective colleges, do send scores and often send very high scores. Test-optional applications will be evaluated alongside those applications.
How can students stand out if they really don’t want to submit a test?
Should students truly not want to or are not in a position to have their academic aptitude reflected via the ACT or SAT, they should be sure to leverage the spring and summer periods to make themselves stand out outside of the classroom. Remember, your application is a sum of parts so by removing testing from the equation you’ll need to become especially impressive in another area. With colleges placing weight on a student’s ability to turn theory into practice, using these periods to increase the impact of your leadership, community involvement, and individual accolades will be the best pathway to take in order to increase your chances of acceptance. Also, students who don’t plan to submit test scores should also pay special attention to their essays, making sure their essays are creative, compelling, well-written, and speak with a voice that is unique to them.
In Conclusion…
Remember that, while impactful and useful, test scores are just one component of applications to colleges. Even colleges that do require testing acknowledge that test scores are less significant than a student’s transcript in the application review process. However, in light of some colleges bringing back their testing requirements it would be a mistake for students to give up on efforts to achieve a score they are proud of, or to assume that testing no longer matters. Instead, students should simply continue to do their best by working hard to prepare for whatever test dates are available. In the end, it may be that students choose not to submit test scores to some colleges. But by doing their best to achieve high scores, students will give themselves the best possible chances of admission to their favorite colleges and have the most options available. Remember, it’s better to have testing and not need it then need it and not have it.
