The three letters S-A-T may remind others of Saturday and the weekend; for high schoolers, it may call standardized testing to mind instead. The SAT is administered by the CollegeBoard and almost two million high school students took it this past school year. Together with the ACT (American College Testing), the two standardized tests have been used as a factor in American college admissions for decades.

However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made these tests widely inaccessible for the first time in their history. As a result, countless colleges across the nation decided to implement a “test optional” or “test blind” policy – a trend which continued even after testing centers were able to open again with the decline of the pandemic.

When colleges say that they are “test optional,” on paper it means that students have the choice to submit their standardized test scores. But students are left wondering if colleges will penalize them if they do not submit test scores, which would mean it isn’t truly optional for admissions. Gonzaga University’s (Spokane, WA) Assistant Director of Admission Becky Stockton visited Eastlake High School in October, offering insight into this issue.

The most important idea Stockton highlighted was that unfortunately the term “test optional” can have different implications for different colleges. So, she recommends “reach[ing] out to your admission counselor at every school you’re looking at to really see exactly what they mean.”

However, Stockton added that as a rule of thumb, colleges will place more weight on other aspects of a student’s application if test scores are not submitted, including rigor of curriculum or GPA. For example, if a student has a lower GPA or struggled in a specific math class, but their SAT or ACT can demonstrate that they are skilled in math, it would be beneficial to submit test scores. On the other hand, Stockton said that “any student with a solid curriculum, solid GPA, test scores really are not going to help.”

The holistic approach of many universities signifies that while there are situations when submitting test scores would be beneficial, there are rarely cases when not submitting a test score would be harmful to a student.

For students hoping to submit standardized test scores, the last SAT seniors can take before application deadlines in January are on November 4 and December 2. For students deciding to take the ACT, the last ACT available is on December 9.

For more information or to attend a visit from college representatives, visit the Eastlake College and Career Center website linked here.