Apply Test Optional if Score is at 25%-35% of range, right?

[Anonymous]

That's the conventional wisdom correct?

The counselors at school are being completely cagey about "doing what you think is best" when "we" have never applied to college before and have no idea. Scores are typically at the Navigator 25% range for the "match" schools based on school's scattergrams, so I'm assuming that means we should not submit them. I have no idea if past applicants submitted or not though.

[Anonymous]

That seems to be the conventional wisdom.

Test optional has made the scattergrams of questionable utility. Are these only people who submitted scores? It would be nice if they had some way of indicating that. Or a different list of GPAs for those who applied test optional.

[Anonymous]

Test optional if under the 25th percentile.

[Anonymous]

Depends on whether they help or hurt your app. If your grades are lower but hoping to get in based on ECs, those lower but in range scores might help. Really strong grades - don’t submit.

[Anonymous]

They are being cagey because they don’t really know the answer or it isn’t politically acceptable to answer honestly. If you are white or Asian from an affluent zip code with no hook, not submitting test scores is likely to hurt you.

[Anonymous]

Parent of senior here, 1st kid.

where is this "conventional wisdom" found ???? CONVENTIONAL is mentioned by both OP and the next poster.

Please be specific. Like, this website or that book or none of the above -- our $$$$ private counselor told us this. Or the counselor in our giant public school system who's been doing this 20 years.

Our kid attends a private DC school and we have very responsive, engaged counselors for that tuition. BUT ... but but but. They definitely don't offer these kind of concrete, universally understood nuggets like "submit yes if > 75%. No submit if <50% and gonzo GPA."

[Anonymous]

My DC's ACT is in around the range you're describing for a few of their reach schools. GPA and ECs are excellent. So I suppose conventional wisdom might be to omit the test score. But DC worked SO hard to achieve that score, after a lifetime of being weak in standardized testing, and was so proud of themself, that I'm happy with submitting the score as long as it's anywhere in the 25%-75% range of the schools where they're applying. We had fully expected to go test optional at this time last year and are pleased not to have to. I think if it's within the range, it's still better to submit than not.

[Anonymous]

If you are from a UMC background and aren't submitting scores, that will not work in your favor.

[Anonymous]

I still don't know what to do about this. Our DC's ACT composite is just two points less than the school's 25% (he has a 28 - school's 25% is a 30). It seems if he doesn't submit, they'll assume his score is MUCH lower than it is, when in reality, it's not far from their 25%. I really wish we could just choose which sections to submit and not submit the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are from a UMC background and aren't submitting scores, that will not work in your favor.

But on another thread, someone said if you have a low score in one subsection, not to submit because the school won't want to have to average that score in with the rest. So you're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still don't know what to do about this. Our DC's ACT composite is just two points less than the school's 25% (he has a 28 - school's 25% is a 30). It seems if he doesn't submit, they'll assume his score is MUCH lower than it is, when in reality, it's not far from their 25%. I really wish we could just choose which sections to submit and not submit the others.

Just 2 points below the 25th percentile, you say? That's a lot, not a little! That probably puts your kid in the 10th percentile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are from a UMC background and aren't submitting scores, that will not work in your favor.

How will admissions know if the student is from
an UMC background?

[Anonymous]

So won’t college admissions officers know if an applicant hasn’t submitted scores they probably scored below the top 25%?

[Anonymous]

My child has a 504 and worked very hard on test prep and got some very good scores on practice tests but at or below 25% on the two test dates. Also worth noting neither test date was ideal due to cancellations, illness, etc

All her schools are test optional this year and a few have been for years and/or are test blind. We are not submitting test scores anywhere so we will let you know how it goes. She has a good gpa that is at or above the average for almost all the schools. Will be interesting to see what happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has a 504 and worked very hard on test prep and got some very good scores on practice tests but at or below 25% on the two test dates. Also worth noting neither test date was ideal due to cancellations, illness, etc

All her schools are test optional this year and a few have been for years and/or are test blind. We are not submitting test scores anywhere so we will let you know how it goes. She has a good gpa that is at or above the average for almost all the schools. Will be interesting to see what happens.

PP, we are thinking of doing the same. Honestly, I feel like we're shooting in the dark here as there is no real data on accepted students who went test optional. I have NO idea if we're ruining everything by doing this or not. DC is just not a good standardized test taker, but is a beautiful writer and a very good student. Scared to death about the outcome of this choice not to submit.