Test Optional Colleges and What You Need to Know

Last Updated on June 22, 2022 by Jill Schwitzgebel

You’ve surely seen the headlines as colleges announced that they are now test-optional for applicants.  In fact, lately it seems as though a new college announces this policy is here to stay, every week. According to FairTest, there are now over 1,800 test optional colleges in the US. That means that the vast majority of colleges in the US are now test-optional.  What was the beginning a trend in 2019, is here to stay. 

(You may also like: What You Need to Know About Current Trends in College Admission)

Why Have So Many Colleges Adopted This Policy?

There are several reasons that it makes sense for colleges to drop the test requirements.

Questions Surrounding Test Score Accuracy

One reason that schools have adopted this policy is because they have begun to recognize that test tutoring often helps students to artificially inflate their scores. And so that three hour exam may not always give an accurate picture of a student’s ability. Colleges may feel at times that the score tells them more about the student’s neighborhood than it does the student.

Conversely, it is also true that some very smart and capable students really are not good test-takers. So, those teens could be unfairly penalized for their performance on one Saturday morning, while their academic history would actually show that they are more than qualified to attend college.

And then there was the massive admissions cheating scandal in March 2019. The whole scandal served to highlight the huge role that test scores can play in the admissions process. And, it showed just how some parents and students may attempt to game the admissions process through cheating on the admissions tests in various ways.

Research

The research results are still somewhat mixed. But there is also some early data that supports that success in rigorous college prep classes in high school will predict college success as well or better than the ACT or SAT.

And finally, there are some large scale studies showing that applicants who did not submit test scores graduated from college at an equal or even slightly higher rate than those who did. From that, we can conclude that scores don’t tell the whole story.

Pandemic

Colleges were becoming test-optional quickly before the pandemic, for the above reasons.  Once the pandemic hit, and students in the upcoming classes initially had little opportunity to test due to health and safety, most colleges made the decision to remove testing requirements as part of the application process.  College admission departments had to reform and go in to the admission decision-making process without those scores that year.  After that first round, it was like a band-aid had been ripped off – schools had now navigated an admissions year without tests, and the vast majority chose to remain test-optional.  It was an added benefit to them that many of them also saw increased applications once test scores were no longer required. 

When Should Students Consider Not Submitting Their Test Scores?

As you may have guessed, when a student is applying to a college that is test-optional, they need to look at the 25th-75th percentile test scores of previously admitted students. If a student is around that 25th percentile, and especially if they are lower, then they probably should not submit their scores. (Keep in mind when looking at a test optional school’s academic profile that high scorers are more likely to submit their scores than low scorers. )

The major determining factor about whether the applicant should submit them should be their overall academic record. How does their unweighted grade point average stack up to previously admitted students? If a student is applying without submitting SAT or ACT scores, then their academic profile needs to be very strong to make up for that. And remember, colleges generally care as much about the level of rigor of the applicant’s curriculum as they do about their grades.

Essentially, students only should submit test scores to a test optional school when the scores will enhance or support their application, rather than detract from it. That means that their scores compare favorably with scores of previously admitted students. It will require a little more research by applicants to understand the college’s academic profile and where they fit into it.  Check out the college’s Common Data Set.

The study referenced above shows that 25% of students are now submitting their applications without submitting test scores (and that was BEFORE the majority became test-optional). So, it’s not a rare thing to do anymore!

Non-submitters did get accepted at lower rates than those who submitted scores. However, those in the study who did not submit test scores also tended to have slightly lower high school GPAs than other accepted students, which is likely to be the reason for that.

If you are still skeptical about whether it’s too risky to apply without submitting scores, don’t be! At the University of Chicago, which is highly selective and became test optional in 2018, about 10% of their incoming freshman class in 2019 did not submit any scores. So, colleges are demonstrating their commitment to accepting students based on other merits beyond the ACT and SAT.

One final note: read the fine print at any college when not submitting test scores. If an applicant is hoping to receive academic merit money, many times they are required to submit their test scores to be considered.

How to Apply as a Test Optional Applicant

Applying as a test optional applicant can be confusing, especially if your student is submitting scores to some colleges, but not others.

When a student is using the Common or Coalition Application platforms to apply to multiple colleges, it can appear that they have no choice but to self-report their ACT and/or SAT scores on the applications. However, they don’t have to! If there are colleges to which they are applying, but where they do not intend to submit their scores, they need to leave this portion of the application blank. If they don’t, ALL of the colleges will see their scores.

Some high schools automatically list students’ test scores right on the transcript. Students need to be certain to tell their guidance counselors that they are applying as a test-optional applicant, so that their counselors don’t inadvertently reveal their scores to those colleges when sending transcripts or recommendations.

When applying to the schools that DO require tests, all students need to do is to have their ACT or SAT score reports sent directly from the testing services to the colleges where they are submitting them as part of their package. That way, the test optional colleges won’t see their scores.

And, as mentioned above, always read the fine print when applying without submitting scores. Sometimes, the student will need to write an additional essay or submit a writing sample in lieu of test scores. Don’t miss this critical step and risk not getting accepted due to an oversight like this!

More on whether or not to take the college entrance exams in 2021-22:  To Take or Not to Take the College Entrance Exams

Haven’t taken the ACT or SAT yet and still trying to decide which test is best? Here’s what you need to know!