With many colleges and universities having announced testing optional admissions through 2024 due to COVID, it’d be easy to assume that standardized test scores now matter less than they did in the past. However, that is not the case at all! Here are five reasons why scoring high on the SAT or ACT remains vital for students applying to colleges.
Admissions Rates at Top Schools are Lower than Ever
All testing optional admissions means is that a student can’t be penalized for not including test scores in their application. What this does not mean is that, as college admissions become increasingly more competitive, a high SAT or ACT score can’t be the deciding factor that tips the admissions committee in your child’s favor. Harvard, which has an acceptance rate of 3.19%, has 25th -75th percentile SAT scores of 1460-1590. Caltech, which has an acceptance rate of 7.7% has 50th percentile SAT scores of 1530–1590. However, like most statistical measures, these figures do not tell the whole story. Each year, 40,000 students apply to Harvard, but less than 2,000 are admitted. For the class of 2023, Caltech received over 8300 applications, and accepted 236. Imagine how competitive it is to be in these tiny short lists of 2,000 and 236 from the pool of more than 4 million graduating seniors each year.
High Scores Can Help a Student Stand Out
A high SAT or ACT score can make your child’s application stand out from the crowd, especially in instances where all other factors between your child and other applicants are nearly equal. Colleges and universities use test scores to help determine an applicant’s likelihood to thrive at their institution. With higher test scores, a student is informing an admissions committee that they will be able to handle the school’s workload and rigor and contribute to its intellectual life.
Test Scores are Standardized Unlike Grades
SAT and ACT scores allow universities and colleges to more accurately compare students from different high schools across the country and world. Grade inflation has become so pervasive that standardized tests may better reveal a student’s abilities than a report card. Additionally, high schools vary in their rigor and grading criteria, and not all offer AP, IB, or other advanced classes. Test scores help admissions committees compare applicants on a more equal footing.
Universities Want to Improve their Rankings
Admissions has become more competitive for colleges and universities as well! Top schools are all competing for the top talent. Having higher test scores for its admitted students increases a school’s ranking, making it appear more exclusive, and thus, more desirable. A school’s ranking will not only impact the type and number of students to apply in the future, but the likelihood that a student paying full tuition will choose it over its competitors. The truth is that schools will never completely eliminate standardized testing from the admissions process because it is not in their best interest to do so.
Students Become Eligible for Scholarships
Last, but not least, a high SAT or ACT score can pay off financially, opening the door to both private scholarships and ones offered by colleges and universities. Many schools across the US automatically offer money to students with qualifying test scores (and class rankings), and organizations and companies usually take the scores into account when offering awards. To be competitive for most merit-based scholarships, your child should score at least 1200 on the SAT or 25 on the ACT, with higher the score, the more money they should be able to get.