Is it just me or test score will be more important than ever this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's just you.

The ACT/SAT is a small part of the academic index you're graded on. It's not even worth half of that score at most schools. They will look at your GPA in context of your school (since all schools grade/weight differently), the rigor of your classes and what options were available to you and what your choices say about you, your AP scores if applicable, and your ACT or SAT score if applicable.

Agree, it won't be more important this year - even for those schools that require it. It is just one data point that qualifies or adds context or dimension to your GPA. But your GPA/LORs/Course rigor say more.

Agree w/this.

[Anonymous]

It’s just one data point. Not having it may hurt you at some supposed test optional schools, but not all.

My kid got into 3 of the schools listed in an earlier part of this thread, all top 25 schools, test optional in the last cycle. I think major may have had something to do with it.

You cannot be test optional as a stem or business student at a competitive school. Also, you have to have something else in your profile to compensate for lack of a test score. Something unique that stands out. Something defining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think so for the schools that have historically been test optional for large swaths (athletes, donors, legacy) or others. Schools like the below:

Duke
Northwestern
UChicago
Columbia
UCLA
Cal
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
Michigan
WashU
USC

Look at all the SLACs...there is no scrutiny there AND they are almost all uber TO (Amherst, Pomona, Bowdoin, Midd, Davidson, Barnard etc)

Vandy and WashU always love high score applicants albeit still TO.
Columbia just settled with Trump. Unless they want to lose their funding again.

Agree the chilling effect would be most pronounced on test required schools.
Cornell
Brown
Dartmouth
Penn
Georgetown
Johns Hopkins

So what?

It's hard to get accepted to those schools anyways. Tests won't significantly change that dynamic.

If a high score raises your odds of admission from 2% to 4%, it doubles your odds of admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"But I hope I can urge the colleges that remain test-optional to embrace it the way it was intended: to allow students without test scores to have the same chance of admission as those with scores."

For TO schools, acceptance rates for students with scores and without scores are approximately the same!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"However, Yale’s statement today that test scores are more important than anything else ... [/b]."

Yale did not say that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"However, Yale’s statement today that test scores are more important than anything else ... [/b]."

Yale did not say that!

Trump is demanding admissions data for his DEI narrative. Top scores w/grades will dominate this cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"However, Yale’s statement today that test scores are more important than anything else ... [/b]."

Yale did not say that!

Trump is demanding admissions data for his DEI narrative. Top scores w/grades will dominate this cycle.

Huh? No not at all. All the colleges have to show is that there isn't a difference in scores across races, not that everyone has a 1600. This is such a poor understanding of the administration's goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It always was at the schools my kids applied, are applying to.

All were not required for my 2024, but if he didn’t have top scores he would never have gotten in unhooked RD to all the schools he did- the T10s, 20s because optional at those schools weren’t for kids like him- wealthy area, good high school, etc. Over 80-85% admitted submitted scores and optional was for athletes and other “special” admits.

My 2026’s top choice is test required, so yes very important—-esp. with Trump reviewing the data …barf.

^100% this. If your profile means you have the means to test prep, test, etc. They want the scores at the top schools (required or not). TO is only used to capture special interest at T10/20 (TO)- athletes, specific groups, etc. Everyone else admitted submits scores now.

[Anonymous]

Educators hate the College Board and the choke hold they have on people who don’t understand what they’ve done to education.

Listen to educators instead of championing the company trying to turn education into one high stakes test after another, like in other countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Educators hate the College Board and the choke hold they have on people who don’t understand what they’ve done to education.

Listen to educators instead of championing the company trying to turn education into one high stakes test after another, like in other countries.

All studies point to the SAT score being the best predictor of a student’s success in college.

[Anonymous]

No sister. It remains an important piece of the pie if they consider tests at all, but by no means significant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I don’t think they will be more important. I think TO policies will still be popular and schools will be grateful to have them.

You don’t think there will be more scrutiny on proving “merit”? There are clear statements that the Columbia “deal” is a template. Schools that have stayed under the radar so far may worry their time could come and may well put more focus on scores again to be safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of test optional folks willing it to be insignificant with all their might!

There's a LOT of wishful thinking going on.

[Anonymous]

I sure hope so. I hope all of those that are loving the moves made on elite colleges will get a slap in the face with how much they matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think so for the schools that have historically been test optional for large swaths (athletes, donors, legacy) or others. Schools like the below:

Duke
Northwestern
UChicago
Columbia
UCLA
Cal
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
Michigan
WashU
USC

Look at all the SLACs...there is no scrutiny there AND they are almost all uber TO (Amherst, Pomona, Bowdoin, Midd, Davidson, Barnard etc)

Vandy and WashU always love high score applicants albeit still TO.
Columbia just settled with Trump. Unless they want to lose their funding again.

Agree the chilling effect would be most pronounced on test required schools.
Cornell
Brown
Dartmouth
Penn
Georgetown
Johns Hopkins

So what?

It's hard to get accepted to those schools anyways. Tests won't significantly change that dynamic.

If a high score raises your odds of admission from 2% to 4%, it doubles your odds of admission.

Based on a 2024 analysis of over 600,000 applications to ivy+ shows a 10-15% chance of admission to one of the schools with a 1500 SAT; 15-25% chance of admissions with a 1540 SAT; and 25-35% with a 1590 SAT score. If your SAT score was 1430, your chance of admission was about 5% This did not take into consideration any other factor about the student.