test-optional admissions: is it a mirage?

Lots of the students that I work with absolutely adore the new “test optional” aspect of college admissions. But does it ultimately help you or hurt you in college and university admissions?

The answer: it depends.

As you probably know, during COVID, many colleges and universities went test optional. 

As I tell my clients, when we go “test optional” (ie don’t share any standardized test scores with colleges), the admissions committee is forced to make their evaluation of the student based on non-test metrics.

What are non-test metrics?

Everything on the college applicant’s profile that *isn’t* the standardized test score!  So basically: grades, and extra-curricular activities like sports, clubs, and community service.  Of course if you have any other accomplishments aside from regular coursework (for example, taking courses at a community college or online), that would count, too.

Therefore, if the applicant decides to go test-optional (ie not submitting standardized test scores like the SAT, ACT, or APs), then all the other elements of the application begin to matter even more.  This is something that most of my student-clients fail to realize. 

The SAT and ACT can function as a boon to applicants, because it provides another metric by which colleges and universities (admissions committees) can evaluate you, and compare you to other students.  If you take this standardized metric away from them, it actually gives them less to go on.

Remember that when admissions committees evaluate a student (and make a call), they are taking a risk: by accepting you, they deny someone else.  So like any other risk-averse, utility-maximizing human, the Admissions Committee rep (AdCom) wants to make sure they have as much information (aka data) in order to make a well-informed decision.  So when you remove the SAT/ACT or other standardized test from the mix, you are giving them less data, less to go on…and increasing their risk.  And unless we’ve booked a trip at Great Adventure, most of us are going to avoid risks that harm us.

By going “test-optional” you are increasing your Admissions Committee rep’s risk, and likely making them like you less.  Most people don’t like people who increase the risk that they’ll make the wrong decision in their job.  And yes, being an Admissions Committee rep is a JOB – the college/university is paying this person to select an outstanding class.  If the AdCom doesn’t do that well, they risk their own future. 

Remember a key point: the SAT/ACT test-optional  policies were largely implemented during the hellish COVID19 era, when many test centers were closed.  Test-takers would often have to travel prohibitive distances just to take their SAT or ACT.  Sometimes test-takers would sign up for a test and the test center would randomly get shut down, the test would be cancelled.    These circumstances often weighed more heavily on under-represented minorities and others from disadvantaged groups. 

So between 2020 and 2022, when COVID policies were at their most stringent, going test-optional made sense.   This was in addition to the increased attention given to the Black Lives Matter #BLM movement, and a wider awareness that SAT and ACT test questions were (and are) often structured in ways that potentially discriminate those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Now that we are in mid-2023, and COVID restrictions have largely been lifted, it’s important to re-evaluate whether or not you should go test-optional.

First up: the COVID excuse is no longer valid.  (This speaks for itself, see above.)

Second:   Are your extra-curricular activities (and sports participation) strong?  Are you a president, vice-president, or secretary in one or more of your active clubs?  So many applicant clients tell me that they’re in a club…but they aren’t a *leader* or officer of the club.  Just being in a club is not enough, even if you have high grades and test scores. 

Similarly for sports: if you are not a captain or co-captain of the sport, re-consider going test-optional.  If you’re not a stand-out in extra-curricular activities or sports, going test-optional will not help you.

The upshot: If you don’t have superlative extra-curricular or sports participation, you need to re-think going test-optional.

Third: If you are not from an underprivileged background and/or if you are not an underrepresented minority, do not go test-optional.    The policy was originally implemented to help level the playing field for people who are relatively disadvantaged (for example, family income is below the national median).

I cannot begin to tell you how many applicants I have worked with who are from Caucasian, middle- and upper-class backgrounds who state that they want to go test-optional. That’s perfectly fine, but it’s important to remember that traditionally, this is the group most favored by college admissions metrics and test policies.

If you belong to this (relatively) favored group and wish to go test-optional, if you have a defensible reason for doing so.  Just be aware that the test-optional policy was not created for people with your background – the Admissions people tend to assume that you come from a college-educated family that can afford tutors, multiple test attempts (yes these things cost money).  So you not only need to marshal a defensible reason for not submitting test scores, but you also have to be able to show other reasons that an AdCom at an elite school would want to accept you.

The upshot: If you are not from an underprivileged or underrepresented minority, don’t go test optional –unless you have other compelling reasons to do so.

Finally, don’t go test-optional if your scores are at or around the school’s median scores. Lately, my clients who are getting respectable (but not super-high) scores decide not to submit test scores because their target school has a higher median average test scores.    I recommend against this, because: if your scores are pretty good but not great, you are at least giving Admissions an opportunity to see where your test range falls. 

If your scores are decent (but not great) and you don’t submit standardized test scores but, you are denying the Admissions Committee a helpful metric in evaluating you.  This goes back to my points above – without test scores, the AdCom have less data or information about you – and they may assume the worst.  Unless you prove otherwise. 

The upshot: if your scores are good but not great, do not go test optional.

All in all, I think college candidates are better off submitting standardized test scores vs. omitting. That’s unless you have a really compelling reason to do otherwise: for example, you are cfrom a socio-economically disadvantaged background or from an under-represented minority. Overall, you would need a strong explanation in order to truly justify omitting standardized test scores.