Tips for your Standardized Testing Plan

Throw your standardized testing plan out the window. COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives, and it has also shed some light on the importance of standardized testing in college admissions. While most universities went “test optional” this year, meaning students were not required to submit SAT or ACT scores with their college applications, the majority of admitted students at highly selective colleges still submitted test scores: 63% of admitted students at Amherst submitted test scores, as did 58% at Boston University and 66% at Davidson. How can you determine whether to submit test scores with your application? 

Test optional means exactly what you think: test scores are optional. If you are not happy with your SAT or ACT scores, you do not need to send them. Instead, colleges will focus on the other aspects of your application: grades, curriculum, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and essays. However, it’s important that these other factors paint a compelling picture of your preparedness and fit with the college. If you’re vying for admission to some of the most competitive colleges, your application and supporting materials need to be tremendously strong. 

Even if standardized tests aren’t your thing, it’s still wise to take the SAT or ACT. This gives you the power to either opt in or out of test-optional admissions. Remember, only 30-40% of admitted students to some of the most selective colleges were successful without test scores! Having those SAT or ACT scores and being strategic about where to send them should be part of your college application plan. But you can’t submit standardized test scores you don’t have! 

Every admissions counselor with whom I spoke gave this advice: “your students should not send test scores unless they fall into our middle-50% ranges.” The middle-50% ranges are published test score ranges that give prospective students data on admitted students for a particular college. 25% of students admitted to the college score above the range, and 25% fall below; 50% of admitted students' scores fall into that range. For example, the University of Rochester’s middle-50% range for the ACT is 30-34. If your ACT score is 30 or higher, you should send your score to the University of Rochester.

As you build your college application list, make sure you have the right mix of colleges: 2-3 "reach" schools, 3-4 "likelies", and 2-3 "sure things" based on your academic profile and the colleges' published middle-50% ranges. You’ll probably go test-optional for your reach schools (unless your scores fall into/above their middle-50% ranges), while you will submit SAT or ACT scores for likelies and sure things. Have a plan and be strategic when it comes to your college applications.