To test or not to test, IS that the question?

Dartmouth and Yale have just reinstated their SAT/ACT testing requirements. Other colleges, like Columbia, Pomona, and University of Michigan, have committed to being permanently test optional. Parents are used to the idea of standardized testing as a requirement for college entrance, but their teenagers did not grow up with that tradition. Test optional feels more like the standard for them.

So what do we do: test or not test?

With testing policies in constant flux, maintaining flexibility is key. I believe every student should investigate whether testing will help them in the process. The answer depends on both how well the student can score on the test AND what scores are deemed "good" at the particular colleges they are looking at.

First step: Take some practice tests.

Second step: Understand how those scores stack up at the colleges you are targeting.

This second step is nuanced, of course.

Published ranges of average test scores of admitted students is one measuring stick; if your student's scores are above the average (some would say within the middle 50% of scores instead), it's a good idea to submit scores. But with test scores steadily rising as the test optional era has gone on because only students with the strongest scores are submitting them for consideration with their applications, these ranges can be misleading (and for most students, disheartening!).

This seems to be where Yale and Dartmouth are anchoring their arguments for reinstating the requirements. Dartmouth claims that looking at scores within student's local context is helpful to them: "Students with standardized test scores at or above the 75th percentile of test-takers from their respective high schools are well prepared to succeed in our fast-paced, rigorous course of study." Yale's policy shares the middle 80% percent of scores as opposed to the middle 50%, and notes that "these ranges provide a snapshot of the class, not a floor for competitiveness in Yale’s selection process."

This is what they are sharing publicly, and I don't doubt their sincerity. Whether their conclusions are well-reasoned and fair is a totally other question. And we know that behind the scenes, more than just educational principles and equity are at play. Politics, alumni influence, donor expectations, and institutional competition all shape these testing policies.

So we might rephrase our guiding question here. It's not "To test or not to test?"

Rather, it is "To submit or not to submit?"

I could go on and on about this topic, but I want to keep things practical for you. If there was any doubt in your mind that the college admissions process is about the instutition's priorities and not your child, this should clear that right up for you.