Anonymous wrote:AN advocated for this position last year. Sara foresaw this more than a year ago. Good analysis worth a read.
https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/test-scores-more-influential-than-ever#:~:text=However%2C%20Yale's%20statement%20today%20that,don't%20want%20them%20to.

But more important than ever translates to slightly marginal. There’s no school driving their admissions process by an SAT score.

AN advocated for this position last year. Sara foresaw this more than a year ago. Good analysis worth a read.
https://www.saraharberson.com/blog/test-scores-more-influential-than-ever#:~:text=However%2C%20Yale's%20statement%20today%20that,don't%20want%20them%20to.

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.

+1, it's always been the easiest data point for applicants to latch onto. That says nothing about significance.

yup, it's important if required but not more significant than gap in context of school/rigor!

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

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.

+1, it's always been the easiest data point for applicants to latch onto. That says nothing about significance.

Anonymous wrote:It will count for the schools that currently require it. But it won't count more than GPA and class rigor.

For test optional schools, they've insisted at all tours I've attended that it won't count against you if you don't report it.

BUT, the trend seems to be that more schools will require it. LACs seem like they'll be slower to require it.

I really don’t see lacs requiring it. There’s not really a benefit to them, and many of the schools that were test optional before it was trendy were lacs. I can see a more conservative place like Claremont McKenna or prestige-invested Williams reverting back, however.

It will count for the schools that currently require it. But it won't count more than GPA and class rigor.

For test optional schools, they've insisted at all tours I've attended that it won't count against you if you don't report it.

BUT, the trend seems to be that more schools will require it. LACs seem like they'll be slower to require it.

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.

Absolutely!

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

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.

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.

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.

And adding top privates it’s always been important, it was never really all that optional for the people that would be posting here.

Yes, whether they explicitly say it or not. Also think large stats driven publics factored it in more than people generally think.