When It Comes to College Admissions, Excellence isn't Optional - & Neither are Standardized Test Scores

Two of the most common questions I hear from clients are “do standardized tests matter anymore?” and “should I submit my standardized test scores?”. The answer to the first is a resounding YES! The second requires a bit more nuance.?

First, understand that universities hold all the cards. All of them. As with most million-dollar corporations, when they do something or announce a “new” policy, it is for their benefit – not the consumer’s or client’s. This might seem like a biased perspective. It is not. The more applications a university receives (and subsequently rejects) makes that university appear “more selective” in comparison to its peers (ie. – market place competitors.) In today’s “college admissions arms race,” parents too often believe “more selective = better.” Sometimes it does; often it does not.?

SAT/ACT scores still matter to?US News and World Report?and other prominent rankings; thus, they still matter to competitive universities.?

And they should matter to you.

Here is the bottom line: Test Optional does not mean Test Blind. Nor are the tests truly “optional.” The true message is… Test Optional – but Preferred.

Today, the assumption is – if an applicant did not submit scores, they were probably not as strong as the rest of the file. If two applicants with otherwise equal qualifications apply, the applicant who provides competitive scores will undoubtedly earn admission over the applicant who does not. For the 2021 application season, nationwide, about 70% of accepted students submitted standardized test scores. At Georgetown, 90% of admitted students submitted scores. At UVA, the number was 72%. Vanderbilt acknowledges 61.1% of admitted students did so.??Sure – some applicants still gained admission – but comparatively few. Moreover, universities often use an applicant’s SAT/ACT scores to determine scholarship eligibility and awards. If you do not submit scores, you are not even considered for merit scholarships.

Ultimately (and if we give them a benefit of the doubt I am not sure they deserve), most university’s test-optional policies are primarily designed to level the playing field and help assess minority and underrepresented applicants. Whether you agree or not, research steadfastly confirms a bias against first generation, low-income, and other underrepresented populations when it comes to standardized testing (of all types.)?

So, essentially, applicants need to ask themselves, do (or should) the benefits of my socioeconomic background (ie. – quality of school district, availability of and access to extensive extracurricular activities and varsity athletics, etc.) enable me to perform well on standardized tests? If the answer is yes, they should likely submit standardized test scores. Admissions committees will assume such applicants have access not only to an excellent school system but also the resources to prepare for standardized tests.

From my perspective, low-income and underrepresented students should submit their scores if they fall within the 50th?percentile of a school’s SAT/ACT scores. (NOTE: You can find this information by Googling, for example, “Baylor 50th?percentile SAT scores.”)?

Middle- and high-income students should always submit scores if they achieve the 75th?percentile of a particular university’s scores. The real decision comes if they fall within the 50th-75th?percentile range. Below the 50th? The painful truth is that the applicant likely has very little chance of gaining admission. Very little. Almost none.

My clients tend to earn admission over 98% of the time when they earn at or over the 75th?percentile of a particular university’s scores. For Northwestern, this means a 1550. Acceptance drops to around 50% below the 75th?percentile. Yes – even a 1530 makes admission a 50-50 proposition. The number drops below 40% for those who choose not to report scores.

You must remember, almost ALL applicants to top tier schools have an excellent GPA, have pursued rigorous college preparatory coursework in high school, have extensive extracurricular activities and varsity athletic participation, and boast significant community service experience.?

In other words, virtually 90% of applicants to top tier universities are qualified for admission.

And this is why test scores are so important. They tend to act as tiebreakers. Worse, for some schools, an applicant’s file will not even be considered if his or her score falls below the 50th?percentile. The file won’t even make it past the “computer/algorithm” assessment stage. It’s a painful truth.?

Getting into a top tier school – or even a state’s flagship university (like the University of Texas at Austin) – is getting measurably more difficult each year. Last year was brutal. This year’s preliminary results suggest even more astonishingly low acceptance rates – again, even for public universities.?

You must put your best foot forward. In most cases, this means preparing for and submitting your standardized test scores.

Are you ready for what's next?