Article

How To Decide Whether Or Not To Submit Your SAT Score

By Alma_Matters

November 9, 2022

When it comes to Standardized Tests, like SAT, in the College Admissions process, US Colleges fall into 3 Categories:

1. Test Required
2. Test Blind
3. Test Optional

Now, the first 2 categories are clear. 

• Test Required means you have to Submit your SAT Test Scores, and 
• Test Blind means that the College will not look at your Test Scores to make Admission decisions. (So you don’t need to Submit your Test Score.)

Test Optional is complicated. Over 1000 US Colleges and Universities have left it to you (the student) to decide whether to Submit your SAT Score or Not, as part of their college application!

1. This means: If you Submit your SAT score, a Test Optional  college may consider them during the admissions process. 

2. Therefore, Experts counsel that You will be in a stronger position, if you have taken the Test. You can then decide either to Submit or Not on a College by College basis.

According to Forbes, Fall 2021 applicants to colleges fall into three categories regarding test submission in a Test Optional environment: 

• About 50% had an SAT or ACT score and chose to submit it to colleges,
• Nearly 30% had an SAT score that they chose not to submit to colleges, and 
• About 20% did not have an SAT!

 So, How do you decide whether you should submit your SAT score?

On my Podcast I posed this question to two High School Counselors 

• Tyler Sant [Head of College Counseling, Atlanta International School]  and 
• Bill Hancock [Senior Assoc. Dean of College Counseling, Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School, Michigan].

Here’s How You Can Decide:

For a given college/university, study what percentage of admitted students submitted Test Scores, and percentage that didn’t.

• If that college/university only admitted, say, 30% of students without a test score, then you could elect to Submit the Test Score;
• On the other hand, if the Majority of the Students were admitted without Test Scores, then decide as follows:
  1. If your test score falls below the middle 50% of the accepted students at that college/university, &
  2. Your high school grades are good, & 
  3. You feel like that the other parts of the application stand out, 

Then, you could elect to not submit the Test Score.

This may be a good way for you to decide, Whether or Not to send your SAT scores to the colleges you are considering.

 Good Luck!