What Does Test Optional Really Mean?

Timeline of Test Optional Admissions Policies

A small college in Maine pioneered test-optional admissions in 1969, as a way to focus on holistic review and equity in their application evaluation process. Over the next several decades, more institutions introduced similar policies, gaining real momentum when, in 2007, WPI became the first tech school to make test scores optional, and in 2018 the University of Chicago was the first highly selective school to follow suit. By 2019, there were about a thousand schools who had made the decision to institute test-optional policies, but few of them were the selective places we hear about in the media most often. 

In 2020, everything changed. COVID brought the need for social distancing and high school closures, which meant simply accessing standardized tests was difficult for students. Out of necessity, most US colleges and universities (who hadn’t already) created test-optional policies that year. Six years later, some colleges’ have remained test-optional, and others have gone back to requiring standardized tests. 

Today, testing policies vary, but the colleges and universities who review scores as part of their admissions process will almost always consider an ACT or an SAT—with no preference for either. Many admissions offices will also accept a “superscore”, or a composite score calculated from component scores received on more than one test date, in order to give each student a chance to submit their highest combined scores. Some schools also practice “do no harm” policies, meaning a student who submits a test score that does not add to their overall application will not be penalized in the admissions process for including the lower score. It’s important to read the policy at each institution to understand the nuances, especially since there may be varying policies for different populations. Students applying to certain majors, homeschooled applicants, international applicants, or transfer students may have different requirements.

Terms to Know

Standardized Tests = In the context of undergraduate admission, the phrase “standardized tests” typically refers to the ACT or SAT, which are accepted interchangeably at US colleges and universities. The SAT and ACT are sometimes called college entrance exams.  

Test Required = All applicants submit test scores with their applications.

Test Blind = No one submits test scores with their applications.

Test Flexible = Everyone submits some test scores, but not necessarily an SAT or ACT score often AP or IB exam scores will suffice.

Test Optional = Each student decides whether or not to send their test scores, in order to submit their strongest overall application.

ACT = College entrance exam offered by ACT (act.org). Three to four component scores: Math, English, Reading, and Science (optional), are averaged for an ACT Composite Score on a scale of 1-36.

SAT = College entrance exam offered by College Board (collegeboard.org). Two component scores: Reading & Writing and Math, are added for an SAT Composite Score on a scale of 400-1600.

Superscore = A composite score made up of component scores from more than one test date .

What This Means for You

Do you have to test at all? With so many schools who don’t require test scores, it’s possible for a student to go through the entire admissions process without ever taking the ACT or SAT. In practice, most students still do either by choice or because their high schools or state requires juniors to take a college entrance exam as part of their high school curriculum. We recommend that most students take the ACT or SAT, since a score within or above a college’s average range can strengthen an application.

The two tests have become similar over time, but students sometimes prefer one or the other. Since colleges don’t have a preference, students who have access to the SAT and ACT can decide which test to sit for, or even try both to figure out which one suits them. Teens often surprise themselves and do better than expected on their standardized tests, and with some time and effort, they typically improve their scores if/when they retest.

How will I decide if I should submit my scores? Admissions officers are trained not to see the absence of a test score as a negative, or even as anything missing at all. As an admissions officer, I was taught to see a test score as an addition—bonus information about a student—when it was included. It’s easy to imagine that a student who leaves out their score had a bad day when they tested, had test anxiety, or just didn’t want to include it. Sometimes a candidate has a solid test score, but feels like the rest of their application components are incredible, and the scores don’t meet their own high standards. Admissions officers won’t assume that if you opt not to include test scores, that your scores were poor.

We advise students to include their SAT or ACT scores only when they add something to the application—and to look at them as something they add or don’t add—rather than something they take away. Think about when you order a salad at a restaurant and they offer the option to add chicken—you either add it or you don’t—but you don’t order the plain salad as “the salad without chicken”. 

Context matters a lot when making decisions about test scores. Unless you’re the rare student who decides not to test at all, or you ace the exam, you need to look at each test-optional school individually to decide whether your scores will contribute to your strongest application. 

You don’t have to guess—you can use data to support your decision! Most colleges publish the Common Data Set each year, or at least some admissions data that you can find publicly. Look for average scores or percentile ranges from the most recent year. On the CDS, section C9 will tell you the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, so you can understand the middle range, and the exact middle. We usually recommend that students above the 50th percentile submit scores because as long as this year’s applicant pool is similar, they’ll help bring the average scores of the college up. Students below the 25th percentile typically choose not to submit, while those between the 25th and 50th percentiles face a more nuanced decision. For them, we review the pros and cons together to determine the best approach. The other data point listed on the CDS that can be really helpful is the percent of students who actually submitted scores in the previous year. Some test-optional schools favor candidates who submit tests, and you can see that in the data. Other schools might seem to have high average scores on the surface, until you realize they only represent a small fraction of the overall class. 

You’ll ultimately be the one to decide what makes your applications the strongest, most accurate representation of yourself. Often, the same student—with the same test scores—submits those scores to some colleges, but not to others. Remember that it’s rare that a single application component makes or breaks a student’s chance at admission, especially a data point that represents a three-hour exam you took one Saturday morning. 

If you have questions about test-optional policies, or you’re struggling with your testing strategy, The College Spy can help! Check out our individual packages here.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do all college-bound students have to take the SAT and ACT?

  No. Most students do take one test or the other, but colleges will accept a score from either exam without preference. There are occasionally students who do not test at all, but we typically recommend testing at least once to see how you do, then building the rest of your testing strategy once you’ve received the results. 

• Does being test optional mean that colleges don’t care about test scores?

  No. Being “test blind” means a school has decided not to review scores as a part of their admissions evaluation, so you won’t even submit scores in that case. Test-optional policies give each student the chance to decide strategically whether to include their scores with the rest of their application materials.

• Will a strong test score make up for poor grades?

  Not usually. At most institutions, your classroom experience is the biggest factor in admission, often by a wide margin. This is usually measured by two factors: your grades, and the rigor of the coursework you did in high school, both reported on your transcript. Some colleges do highly value test scores though. Section C7 of a school’s Common Data Set will give you the context you need to understand a college’s  admissions priorities. The most selective schools are turning away perfectly qualified candidates because they just don’t have room for everyone, so a candidate with poor grades would need to be able to explain why that happened, not just submit strong test scores and hope they outshine the transcript.