What does test-optional really mean?
- Loyola University Chicago, Clemson University, and the University of Oklahoma are among a large number of schools that made scores optional but continue to require test results for their most prestigious merit scholarships.
- In a 2020 NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) survey of admissions officials at 221 colleges, more than 82% answered that they gave standardized test scores “considerable or moderate importance” in admissions decisions.
- Many schools award automatic scholarships based on test scores, including Ohio State, Texas Tech, the University of Mississippi, Alabama-Huntsville, and the University of Missouri.
- More and more districts and states require at least one standardized test as a graduation requirement or to receive state-sponsored merit scholarships.
- In 2025, all of the Ivy League schools except Columbia University will require test scores for admission.
Taking the test is optional for those excited to pay full price.
Test-optional often just means no test score is required to get in. But many test-optional schools financially reward students for college-ready ACT® Test/SAT® Test scores. The grid below illustrates how a higher ACT® Test score decreases the tuition cost at three test-optional colleges thanks to a higher score. Students headed into the trades or starting at community colleges should also prepare for the ACT® Test/SAT® Test. Many two-year colleges also give scholarships thanks to a higher ACT® Test score.
Juniors and seniors, these three colleges and so many others give scholarships based on scores. So work hard to jump that score now, or possibly pay more later. Increasing that score remains the best-paying job a high school student can have.
And which students should especially prepare hard for the ACT® Test/SAT® Test?
All students from families with less than $160,000 in annual income, especially students who qualify for free-and-reduced lunch (who get two ACT® Tests and two SAT® Tests for free), should prepare for the ACT® Test. Significant need-based eligibility does not guarantee significant need-based aid. If two applicants with equal financial need and grades apply for aid, but one does NOT submit a score, and one submits a college-ready ACT® Test score, which one might receive more aid? A higher score bolsters a student's academic profile and can make college affordable for students who need financial help the most.
Not only does a higher ACT® Test or SAT® Test score trigger merit-based and need-based aid, but that higher score may give an applicant a competitive edge in selective college admissions versus students who submit no scores, one reason being that about 85% of applicants to the test-optional University of Chicago pre-COVID chose to submit their test scores.
That test score can also thankfully mean NO remedial classes.
An ACT® Test score of 22 or higher (or a comparable SAT® score) should waive two- and four-year college applicants out of most freshmen year remedial classes, the high school do-over classes that offer no college credit and reduce the likelihood of ever graduating. The issues of class placement and major opportunities also matter.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requires its engineering majors to have at least a 24 on their ACT® Test. An ACT® Test score of 22 or higher should waive two- and four-year college applicants out of most freshmen year remedial classes, the high school do-over classes that offer no college credit and reduce the likelihood of ever graduating.
The ‘optional’ in ‘test-optional’ is misleading.
Extracurricular activities are optional, but students should join them. Filling out the FAFSA is optional, but families should complete the FAFSA each year. Many colleges are currently test-optional, but better test scores can mean merit scholarships, a freshman year with no remedial classes, and a competitive advantage for need-based aid and selective-college admissions.
Seniors should take two more ACT® Tests (offered September, October, and December) or two more SAT® Tests (offered August, October, November, and December) to maximize scholarships and admissions options. Juniors, get ready to hammer the grammar this spring.
Test Day is Pay Day! A higher score triggers opportunity and money. You have nothing to lose by trying. If your final ACT® Test or SAT® Test score doesn’t help, apply with just your transcript. You may still have a fighting chance for admissions and money. But if that score is high enough to help, use it. Leverage it. A higher score bolsters your GPA and your entire application.
Now just go get that higher score.
