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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Quite a few schools are staying test optional for next year. My question is, how can admissions officers honestly keep an unbiased opinion looking at kids who didn’t send in test scores? Despite wanting to stay neutral, I know I would be biased and assume that the kid bombed or didn’t do as great as they had hoped on the tests. Can they honestly look at the applications without bias? [b]Worried if my kid should need to go test optional.[/b] [/quote]
It's not a question of bias, it's a question of whether there is enough information for the AO to determine if the applicant is academically qualified for the program they've applied to. That's really the first cut that applicants have to get past. Test optional doesn't mean academic requirements optional. Without test scores, AOs have to look more closely at the transcript and use other information they have about the school and course rigor/grades to decide if the applicant is qualified. If the AO is uncertain and the applicant doesn't have other things that make the application outstanding, the AO is going to go with other choices. That's not "bias", that's working with the data they have.

If you are worried if your kid "should need to go test optional" because they will score poorly on SAT/ACT, then you should be worried. What you are describing is having your kid apply to colleges they are not academically ready for and hoping to get in based on GPA alone by hiding poor scores. That is a disservice to your kid and a set up for struggle at the school, should they be accepted. You should be looking at school that are a good academic fit, and that includes considering test scores.[/quote]

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