Test-Optional Schools: Should You Still Submit Scores?

The COVID-19 pandemic forced nearly every college in America to go test-optional in 2020. Four years later, the picture has changed significantly. Some schools have returned to requiring tests, others have made test-optional permanent, and the data on what "optional" really means is finally becoming clear.

As of the 2025–2026 admissions cycle, standardized testing policies fall into three categories:

The trend: After years of expansion, test-optional is contracting at the most selective schools. In 2024, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown, and Harvard all reinstated test requirements, citing internal research that scores were predictive of academic success. MIT suspended its testing requirement during COVID (for the 2020–2021 cycle) but was among the first to reinstate it in March 2022, citing research that scores were valuable for identifying talent from under-resourced schools [1]MIT Admissions, 2022.

What "Test-Optional" Actually Means

Test-optional means you won't be penalized for not submitting scores, at least officially. But the data tells a more complex story.

Submission Rates at Test-Optional Schools[2]Common Data Sets, 2024

Even at schools that don't require scores, most admitted students submit them:

Admit Rates by Score Submission[2]Common Data Sets, 2024

This is the most important data point. At many test-optional schools, students who submit scores have higher admit rates:

Why the gap? Multiple explanations:

1. Students who submit scores tend to have strong scores, making them more competitive overall
2. Scores provide additional positive data points that strengthen an application
3. Not submitting can signal (rightly or wrongly) that scores aren't competitive
4. Students with scores may also have other advantages (better-resourced schools, more prep access)

The honest takeaway: At test-optional schools, submitting strong scores almost certainly helps. Not submitting is unlikely to tank your application, but it removes a potential advantage.

When to Submit Scores

The decision should be data-driven:

Score Thresholds by School Selectivity

The rule of thumb: Submit if your scores are at or above the school's 25th percentile for admitted students. You can find these numbers in each school's Common Data Set (Google "[School Name] Common Data Set").

When to Withhold Scores

Don't submit if:

• Your scores fall below the 25th percentile of admitted students
• Your GPA and course rigor tell a stronger story without test scores
• You have a significant split (e.g., 780 Math, 580 Reading) and the school doesn't superscore
• You're applying to a test-blind school (scores literally won't be seen)

The Access Question

Test-optional policies were partly designed to reduce barriers for students with limited access to test-prep resources.

The data on whether test-optional achieves this goal is mixed:

• Application volume increased at many test-optional schools [3]Common Application, 2023
• However, enrollment from lower-income backgrounds hasn't increased proportionally at most selective schools [4]Opportunity Insights, 2023
• MIT's research found that test scores actually helped identify high-achieving students from under-resourced schools who might otherwise be overlooked [1]MIT Admissions, 2022
• Dartmouth's faculty committee reached a similar conclusion, recommending test reinstatement partly as an access measure [5]Dartmouth Admissions, 2024

What this means for you: If your high school is under-resourced and you have strong test scores, submitting them may be especially valuable, they provide concrete evidence of academic ability that your school profile might not convey.

Schools That Have Gone Permanently Test-Optional

Several major schools have committed to permanent test-optional policies:

• University of Chicago (test-optional since 2018, earliest among elites)
• NYU (permanent)
• Wake Forest University (test-optional since 2008)
• Bowdoin College (test-optional since 1969, the original)
• Most UC campuses (test-blind. Even stronger)
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Dozens of liberal arts colleges (Dickinson, Bates, Hampshire, etc.)[6]FairTest

Schools That Reinstated Testing Requirements

The 2024–2025 cycle saw a wave of reinstatements:

Individual school announcements, 2024–2025

A Decision Framework

Here's a practical approach:

1. Take the test anyway. Even if your top schools are test-optional, having scores gives you options. You can always choose not to submit.

2. Take a diagnostic early (spring of junior year). This gives you time to prep and retake if needed.

3. Compare your scores to each school's profile. Use Common Data Sets to find 25th and 75th percentile scores.

4. Make school-by-school decisions. You might submit to your safety schools (where your score is above the 75th percentile) and withhold from reach schools (where it's below the 25th).

5. If your score is between the 25th and 50th percentile, the decision is genuinely ambiguous. Consider the rest of your application: if your GPA, course rigor, and extracurriculars are strong, withholding may be fine. If other parts of your application are average, submitting an average score doesn't hurt, it just doesn't help.

The Bottom Line

"Test-optional" is not "test-irrelevant." At most selective schools, strong test scores remain an advantage. The test-optional movement has made it genuinely less risky to withhold weak scores (which is a meaningful improvement in fairness) but it hasn't eliminated the value of strong scores.

The strategic approach: prepare for and take a standardized test. If your scores are strong relative to your target schools, submit them. If they're not, apply without them and let the rest of your application speak. Either way, you're making a data-driven decision. Not a guess.

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