Does Test Optional Actually Mean Test Optional?

While some schools (think Bowdoin) have been test optional for decades, most schools have required testing until recently. So what does test optional mean? Will it stay? We’ve answered our most FAQs below:

What does test optional mean? 

Test optional policies allow students to submit college applications without SAT or ACT scores. 

Do scores help if you have them?

Competitive scores help and generally make the process more predictable. 

What are competitive scores, then?

That depends! Schools publish data on admitted students, so it’s easy to find out what “competitive” means for the colleges on your child’s list.

Here are some examples:

• At Yale, a 35 composite score on the ACT strengthens an application.

• At Bowdoin, a 34 will put you in the 75th percentile of admitted students (who submitted scores).

• At Tulane, a 33 will get you there.

Who currently requires SAT/ACT scores?

MIT, Georgetown, and Florida State, among others, still require SAT/ACT scores. Other schools, like UT Austin, strongly encourage scores to be included, though they are technically test optional. Many other schools that are currently test optional plan to bring back testing requirements in 2023 or 2024; we'll keep you posted as those announcements come in.

What if I don’t send scores?

Test optional means you really do have a fair shot without scores. If you don’t send scores, the rest of your application will naturally have more weight, and admissions officers are great at their jobs (to find the absolute perfect fits for their school). 

What does the future hold for testing?

Test optional has historically worked for the colleges and universities who implement it–applications skyrocket, sent scores go up, and the admit rates go down. We expect it to be here for the foreseeable future (with exceptions), just as we expect students to continue to prepare for, and send, competitive scores, as they always have, whenever possible.