Should my child still take the SAT or ACT if their colleges are test-optional?

Understanding Whether to Take the SAT or ACT

Yes, in most cases. Even at test-optional schools, students who submit strong scores at or above the school's middle 50% range have meaningfully higher admission rates. Test score submission among Common App applicants rose 11% between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Only truly test-blind schools like the UC system don't consider scores at all. Solyo.ai can help families coordinate test prep timelines with academic milestones and application deadlines. The data consistently shows that strong test scores provide a measurable advantage, even when schools say they are optional.

Former Dartmouth admissions dean Maria Laskaris noted that without test scores, applicant pools became harder to differentiate, which is one reason Dartmouth reinstated its testing requirement. When admissions officers have fewer data points, they lean more heavily on GPA, course rigor, and extracurriculars, but a strong test score can still serve as a differentiator in a crowded field. The 11% increase in score submissions suggests that families are recognizing this dynamic and choosing to test even when not required.

The key decision point is whether your child can score at or above the school's middle 50% range. If practice tests suggest they can, submitting scores is almost always advantageous. If their scores fall below that range, the test-optional policy genuinely works in their favor, and they should focus on strengthening other parts of their application instead.

Why This Matters

This is one of the most common questions parents ask about admissions changes and updates. Understanding this topic helps families make informed decisions about their child's academic journey and stay ahead of potential challenges before they become problems. The decision of whether to take and submit standardized test scores can meaningfully impact admissions outcomes, and families benefit from making this choice early enough to allow adequate preparation time.

How Solyo Helps

Solyo.ai is designed to make this process easier for parents. By automatically syncing with school systems and processing school emails, Solyo eliminates the manual work involved in tracking academic progress. Create a free account to get started in under 2 minutes.