To SAT or ACT — And Why “Test-Optional” Doesn’t Mean “Test-Doesn’t-Matter”
Untangling the Test-Optional Conundrum and When Students Should Actually Start SAT or ACT Prep
If you’re feeling like the college admissions process is like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book with half the pages missing and the rest out of order, then welcome to the party. When colleges first announced the whole test-optional policy, I remember a collective sigh of relief. It felt like we’d finally been given some breathing room. I still recall my own application days, when standardized tests were the bane of my existence, and it’s no small part of why I work with students on them today. But that “test-optional” calm turned out to be just the eye of the storm. Suddenly, we were all plunged into a kind of educational Upside Down, with confusion swirling, rumors bouncing around, and at least one story ricocheting around about a neighbor’s cousin who skipped the SAT and got into Yale. Sound familiar?
Let’s be honest: test-optional didn’t make the tests magically disappear. Instead, it turned the whole process into even more of a chess game, with everyone trying to predict the best next moves and endgames. And if you’ve ever tried to reason with a teenager about anything, especially college admissions (I’m still in recovery), you know how those conversations can spiral. The logic is often, “If it’s optional, it must not matter.'“ But, as with everything else in the admissions process, it’s never quite that simple, is it?
Why Tests Still Matter (Even When They’re Optional)
Colleges, for their part, have been fairly consistent about this, even if they’re not exactly telegraphing it in flashing lights. A strong SAT or ACT score can still give your application a real boost—sometimes more than you’d expect, even if it’s not a perfect number. It’s one of those open secrets that everyone kind of knows, but no one really says out loud.
One big reason is that grades are all over the map. Weighted, unweighted, 4.0 scales, 5.0 scales, some schools where an A is a 93, others where it’s an 89, etc., it’s enough to make your head explode. So, for all their flaws, standardized tests do offer a fair measuring stick. Study after study shows that SAT and ACT scores can actually predict first-year college success better than just about anything else, sometimes even more than four years of high school grades. Crazy, right? But it’s true.
Admissions offices know this, even if they’re not exactly shouting it from the rooftops. That’s why you’ll often see selective schools admitting students who submit scores at higher rates, even when those scores aren’t off-the-charts. Every year, I work with students whose scores land right in the middle 50 percent for a college—1250s, 1350s, 1420s—who end up talking themselves out of submitting because they think those numbers aren’t impressive enough. It’s like having a perfectly good pair of shoes in your closet but refusing to wear them because they’re not a designer label. Why not use what you have? Sometimes, the tools you already have are exactly what you need, and get you where you need to go!
Admissions officers aren’t looking for perfection. They just want to see that a student can handle the academic load. A score that’s solid for the schools on your list is, more often than not, exactly what you need. Sometimes, good enough really is good enough—and that’s a lesson worth remembering in testing and in life.
The Return of Required Testing and What It Signals
We’re now seeing more colleges bring back testing requirements: Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, MIT, Georgetown, and a whole list of state flagships. This isn’t some diabolical plot to make life harder for everyone, though it might feel that way at first glance. In reality, it’s a response to a surprising pattern that emerged during the test-optional era.
Without test scores, many students, especially those without much guidance, ended up playing it too safe and, in the process, closed doors they didn’t even realize were open to them. That’s the twist: test-optional policies were supposed to open up opportunities, but without the right information, too many families ended up accidentally limiting their options. It’s definitely a classic unintended consequence that no one saw coming.
Fear, Practice Tests, and the 1580 That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
Students often view the SAT or ACT as a one-chance, all-or-nothing shot. One bad number and it’s game over—or so the thinking goes. But is it really that dire? I’d argue it’s not, and most of the time, the reality is far less dramatic than the stories we tell ourselves.
The reality is much less intense. You can take a test numerous times, and the vast majority of colleges let you choose which scores they see, and superscoring is very much a thing. That first low score doesn’t follow you around like a bad haircut from middle school. You might be pleasantly surprised by what even a little bit of prep can do. For example, one of my students, a strong math kid, was just trying to nudge his reading score out of the 600s. After six weeks of focused work, he took an official test as a legit practice run (or “scrimmage” as I call it with my athletes), to see where things stood. That so-called practice test came back as a 1580. A pleasant surprise, but definitely not the norm. And yes, we stopped the prep right then with a terrific score suddenly achieved. He wasn’t aiming for brilliance; we were just gathering information. The key thing to remember is that early testing is usually about collecting data, not sealing your fate. Sometimes, the best surprises come when you’re not even looking for them. So, getting into it, testing yourself, and trying out strategies (that can also help with academic work and beyond, as mentioned earlier) could actually be fun.
The Real Question Isn’t “Should I test?”, It’s “When should I start?”
Too often, families wait until the very last minute—when there are only one or two test dates left, sports are in full swing, AP season is looming, and everyone at home is practically hyperventilating. I’ve seen it more times than I can count, and it’s never a recipe for calm decision-making.
The best move is to start early enough to give yourself some wiggle room. For most students, that means spring of sophomore year or early fall junior year. Early prep doesn’t lock anyone into testing; it just gives you the freedom to make a calm, informed decision, based on real results instead of endless what-ifs and dubious admissions tales. Better to know your options sooner than later, so there’s no last-minute scramble. I always tell families: the more time you give yourself, the more control you have over the process. We definitely want to be able to control the factors we can in the college admissions game.
Even if students decide not to submit scores in the end, the fringe benefits of prep never go to waste. Test prep builds reading stamina, sharpens problem-solving skills, and strengthens academic habits. These are the kinds of skills that spill over into everything else: school, work, and life. I’ve seen students surprise themselves with what they’re capable of, and those gains last far beyond test day.
When not testing/submitting is the right move
There are wise moments to skip score submission:
When scores end up well below a college’s middle 50 percent after genuine preparation.
If severe test anxiety outweighs the potential benefit (FYI, sometimes the anxiety can be leveraged to achieve success)
If a student’s academic strengths shine more powerfully in another way
These decisions only work when they’re based on real information, not guesswork. The real danger isn’t in choosing not to submit; it’s in deciding too early, without ever finding out what might have been possible. Why close a door before you’ve even checked to see what’s behind it? I always encourage students to at least peek through every open door before making a final call.
So What’s the Best Strategy?
Think of the SAT or ACT as just another tool in your toolkit, not the final word on your future. Give yourself the time and space to figure out whether it can actually help your application; better to know than wonder.
Test-optional was always about opening up opportunities, not taking away strategy. And that’s where every family ends up, standing at a crossroads. Optional doesn’t mean unimportant; it means the choice is finally yours. Just make sure it’s a choice that opens doors, not one that accidentally closes them.
