A growing number of colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have gone “test-optional,” meaning they’ve stopped requiring students to include ACT and/or SAT scores with their undergraduate admissions applications. But just because it isn’t required, does it mean students should ignore these exams altogether? Here, we’re taking a closer look at the ACT and SAT and why they shouldn’t be dismissed simply because they aren’t “required.”

Each year, the list of American colleges and universities dismissing the ACT and SAT as undergraduate admissions requirements is getting longer and longer. Since about 50 years ago, colleges have begun to eliminate these standardized tests as requirements.

Why are colleges saying goodbye to ACT and SAT requirements?

There are a few reasons that schools are making ACT and SAT scores worth less weight in the admissions process. For one, schools understand that there are many aspects to a college application, and some students simply aren’t appropriately assessed based on their test scores alone. In fact, research suggests that a student’s ACT and SAT scores are not actually the best means of determining their college readiness. Rather, overall high school performance shows to be a good indicator of how well a student will perform at the college level. That being said, many colleges are looking more at students’ high school grades and GPAs and types and difficulty of courses taken to determine if they will be a good fit for their college.

Similarly, a test-optional alternative allows colleges to use a holistic review of students’ applications. They can then consider students’ strengths and weaknesses in areas unrelated to standardized exams. They can look at not only students’ grades and high school performance, but also their involvement in their communities, their writing samples, and other aspects of their applications without being swayed at all by test scores.

But just because a college is test-optional doesn’t mean that students CAN’T submit their test scores with their applications. Many students find their ACT and SAT scores can actually help strengthen their overall application package. Just because a college is test-optional doesn’t mean that students should disregard the ACT and SAT. There are some great reasons to still take these tests even if they aren’t required.

Why Take the ACT/SAT Even if it’s Optional?

1. The scores can still help your overall application.

   You can still include the scores with your application. Unless your scores are significantly low for the school you’re where you’re applying or are not in line with your academic record throughout high school, it’s not likely that your ACT or SAT score will hurt your admissions likelihood, particularly at these schools that no longer require it. That means that these schools no longer place a strong emphasis on ACT or SAT test scores as factors of overall admissions. Yet, it’s possible that your test scores could still help STRENGTHEN your overall application. For example, perhaps your overall grades and GPA slipped a little one year for some reason or another. A strong ACT or SAT score could help to even out a slight deficit elsewhere in your application. Thus, taking the ACT and SAT could be a strategic move.

2. Accurate gauge of college readiness

   In many ways, your ACT and SAT scores do give an overall general idea of how well a student will perform at the college level and how well-equipped they are to jump into college academics, especially for a particular school. Take, for example, the academic rigorousness at an Ivy League school. A student wishing to attend one of these schools needs to be more academically ready for a difficult road than they would for many other schools. You can find the average ACT and SAT score ranges for different colleges and universities by doing a quick online search. This range is a helpful gauge for students to know where they should stand academically in order to thrive at a specific school. Given this, the ACT and SAT can be a valuable way for students and families to gauge whether a student will excel at a certain school. Similarly, they can assess the academic level of a student and get key insight into areas of strengths, as well as weaker areas that students may want to strengthen before jumping into college-level courses.

3. Merit-Based Scholarship Opportunities

   Many colleges offer what are called merit-based scholarships. These are scholarships that are awarded automatically to students who meet certain criteria. Oftentimes, this criteria is related to overall high school GPA level in combination with ACT or SAT scores. Not every school has merit-based awards that are structured in this way, so be sure to do some research on the schools on your list so you know which ones do. You’d hate to leave money on the table, especially when it could be thousands of dollars in tuition money. It can oftentimes be very cost-effective and well worth the effort to work toward raising a student’s ACT or SAT scores to help them receive additional free tuition. Here at The Prepared Student, we worked with a student recently who needed to raise her ACT score by just one point in order to qualify for an additional $1,500 per year in free tuition. We worked with her a couple of times, and she was able to reach this goal and receive an extra $6,000 in merit-based scholarships over the course of 4 years. That’s money that she does not have to pay back. That’s amazing! So be sure you know if schools that you are applying to have similarly-structured systems.

4. Plans Change

   We’ve all made meticulous plans only to have them suddenly change completely. Believe it or not, that could happen with your college decisions, too. I know that sounds scary, but that’s real life! What if you’ve got your heart set on a certain school, but you don’t get in? What if you decide to visit a different university with a friend at the last minute and you absolutely fall in love with it? But now, you haven’t taken the ACT and this school requires it…uh oh. By at least taking the ACT and/or SAT during your junior year of high school, you ensure that you’ll be able to apply to a large pool of colleges. The fact is, most schools do still require standardized test scores to be included with applications. Students who take these tests, therefore, open many doors to opportunities. Remember, just because you apply doesn’t mean you have to go to that school, but avoiding the ACT and SAT could shut a lot of doors.

Bonus #5 reason to take the ACT:

This point applies only to the ACT and not to the SAT. Starting in September 2020, students can retake individual sections of the ACT. Additionally, many schools will accept students’ ACT superscores. What does this all mean?

Retaking individual sections of the ACT: Currently, if a student is not happy with their ACT score, they have to retake the entire test: all four sections of English, math, reading, and science. This requires several hours of their time on a Saturday morning in a testing center. For many students, they may be unsatisfied with only their scores in one or two sections, but they are required to retake all four parts at a time.

This will be changing this coming September. If a student is unsatisfied with only their science score on their most recent ACT, they can retake ONLY the science section at an upcoming test. Similarly, if a student gets a really high score on the math section of the test but their other sections are lagging, they can decide to retake English, reading, and science only.

This is really a new level of flexibility for students to go and perform their best. Many students do not excel in long testing environments. By the time they reach the science section they may be completely brain dead or distracted. This gives them a disadvantage for this section in particular, as it always comes at the end of the test. By focusing on individual sections, students can prepare more in-depth and set themselves up for success.

Superscoring: Superscoring means taking the highest score that a student has achieved for each individual section of the ACT, regardless of whether these scores were reached on the same test day. That means, students can use their English score from April, their math and science scores from September, and their reading score from October and use those highest scores to calculate their composite average. This, too, is a new level of flexibility that allows students to work hard to better their scores and show schools their highest level of achievement rather than how well they performed on one given day on all sections.

Not all schools are currently accepting superscores, but, again, make sure to do some research on the schools you are planning to apply to. If they accept superscoring, you would be smart to consider the ACT’s new option of retaking individual parts of the test to help increase your superscore in areas that are lagging behind others.

If we don’t have you convinced yet, make sure you go look at the requirements of the schools where you want to apply. Chances are, at least one will require you to take the ACT. While you’re at it, determine whether you’ll be required to take the writing portion of the ACT, as this portion is optional, but occasionally it will be required.