UNDERSTANDING WHAT “TEST OPTIONAL” MEANS

Tech-entrepreneur turned politician, Andrew Yang, was quoted saying that “We’re experiencing 10 years’ worth of transformation of our economy in 10 weeks.” due to COVID-19. A similar speed is being displayed in regards to college admissions, as schools close down to social distance and teach online via video conferencing. Among the changes are schools transitioning to test optional as it becomes harder for high school juniors and seniors to find SAT and ACT among the era of social distancing. 

So what does this transition to test optional truly mean? 

Let’s first define what test optional is and isn’t, as there are many different options depending on the college.  

With test optional, students may decide whether or not they will submit test scores to the college. If a test score is submitted, it will be considered in the student profile; if it is not submitted, that information is simply omitted. Many schools have recently transitioned to this policy due to COVID-19, including Case Western Reserve University, Boston University, and the UC system. Most of the schools that have added this policy note that it is beginning a 1-3 year trial period of the policy; afterwards they would re-evaluate. 

Other common policies include “test optional if”, which implies that students of high enough academic achievement, usually measured by GPA, need not submit scores. The CSU system, Arizona State, and Pace University all have variations of this system. 

But what does this mean for me or my student? 

Long story short, a test optional policy will make that particular school even more selective.

Why? The idea of test optional is to encourage students to stand out in other ways and to increase the diversity of applicants. Given more applications and the same number of students in an incoming class, the admissions for that school would be more competitive. 

Then comes the questions, do I still submit my test score? This solely depends on how well you scored in comparison to students who are admitted. If you are above the median, you should probably submit that to the school. If you are below, you can consider not submitting scores, but know that your application will be scrutinized in other areas. In a way, you can view this strategy as a gamble. A student may realize that he or she has a weaker SAT score, so they’ll opt to not submit it, in order to “double down” on extracurriculars, research, or other aspects of his or her profile. 

Of course, there are many nuances to this situation. Our consultants are happy to chat regarding alternative strategies for applying to test optional schools. Feel free to contact us to schedule a free consultation regarding this issue. 

Test optional is still a strategy that is relatively new to these schools, and we will continue to follow these trends in the near future. If you want more information regarding recent changes to admissions, consider checking out our recording of 2020 College Admissions Trends for more information.