Standardized Testing Strategy: When to Submit, When to Skip, and How to Play It Smart.
Photo by Akshay Chauhan at Unsplash
It’s early September, a time when we field frantic questions from college applicants and their parents about test scores. Specifically, what to do with them? Sally has a 31 on the ACT — solid, no question — but she’s aiming for highly selective schools, where the mid-range skews higher. John has a 750 verbal and 680 math, and is applying as a STEM applicant. Mary has a 4.5 weighted GPA, but hasn’t been able to bring her SAT above 1300.
“Should I keep taking it?” they all ask.
This is the conundrum facing many seniors who, in the midst of completing their applications, must simultaneously navigate an ever-changing testing landscape while, of course, feeling pressured to “do everything right.”
Here’s the good news: there is a strategy. Standardized testing isn’t about squeezing every last point out of the ACT or SAT — it’s about knowing when your score helps you, when it doesn’t, and how to let it guide your bigger application plan.
When It’s Worth Pushing for a Higher Score
There are absolutely cases when another test administration could shift your landscape:
You’re close & trending upward. Sitting on a 32 or 33 ACT and your practice scores indicate you can hit that 35? Go for it, especially if you’re aiming for highly selective colleges and/or are applying for STEM or business majors.
You’ve only tested once. Rarely do students take a standardized test one time and hit the score they want. Give yourself another chance to get closer to your goal, or to improve your superscore.
Merit aid is on the line. Many scholarships still hinge on scores, even at test-optional schools.
The key is intentionality. Don’t chase perfection for bragging rights. Push only if the payoff is clear.
When Going Test-Optional Makes Sense
Many colleges that are test-optional mean it: you won’t be penalized for withholding scores. Still, you must do your due diligence–a school might officially be test optional, but when you dig into its Common Data Set, you discover that in the past few cycles, more than 70% of matriculating students submitted scores. This suggests that, while optional, submitting scores might be advantageous while omitting could be detrimental. There are still good reasons to go test optional; it’s just important to be aware that this choice could be riskier at some schools than others.
It makes sense to go test-optional if:
Your GPA and course rigor outshine your testing. Sitting on a score below 1400 on the SAT, but have a 4.5 GPA and excellent rigor? Let your transcript carry the weight, especially if you have a few 4s and 5s on APs to share.
Your scores are below the mid-50% range. If the published range is 32–35 and you’ve got a 28, that number won’t strengthen your case.
Testing is draining your time and energy. If test prep and re-testing take away from the time you should be spending working on your college essays, participating in important narrative-building activities, or, most importantly, achieving strong grades, it’s not worth the tradeoff.
Test-optional isn’t a shortcut — it’s a way to lead with your strengths.
Where to Submit (and Where to Omit)
Submitting is not all-or-nothing. You can (and should) be selective.
Submit where you’re in or above the mid-50th percentile. Check each of your school’s Common Data Sets and find the mid-range. If your score falls within or above, submit. Just be mindful that some colleges don’t accept a superscore!
Withhold where you lag. If your score falls below the mid-50th percentile, in most cases, you should omit. But, if your score is very close to that bottom number and the school favors applicants with scores, or if you are a STEM applicant with a high math score and a lower verbal score, it might make sense to submit. Talk with your counselor about going test optional to make sure.
Mix and match. Many students submit to some schools, but not all. Decide where it’s strategic to submit and omit, and get a second opinion from your counselor.
The Bottom Line
Standardized tests used to feel like gatekeepers. Now, they’re tricky tools — valuable if they strengthen your application, detrimental if they don’t, and ambiguous in other cases. It’s confusing, and we agree! And, adding to that confusion, we see surprising outcomes each year:
The student who never moved past 1430 went test optional to UPenn and surprised everyone (most of all, himself) by being admitted ED. Another kid who confidently submitted to Dartmouth with a 35? Deferred. These cases are reminders that test scores are only one piece of the puzzle, so pick your strategy — retest/stop, submit/omit, here/there — and move on. Then focus on writing excellent essays, killing that college interview, and knowing that you put together the strongest application possible.
Strategy, not stress. That’s the goal.
