Do My Test Scores Matter?

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SAT. ACT. TOEFL. PSAT. These tests loom large in the college admissions process. And yet, every student seems to be asking these days, “do my test scores matter?” No other aspect of the college preparation process generates as many questions—and anxieties—as the standardized tests.

On the one hand, you should not tress too much about your scores. They are only one element of the entire application, and other elements are generally more important. Based on an annual survey by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), only 45.7% of colleges and universities view scores on the standardized tests to be of “considerable importance”.  Bear in mindMore colleges and universities cite grades in college prep courses (73.2%). And the strength of the high school curriculum (62.1%) as “considerably important.” (Figures are from the State of College Admissions 2019 – which came out before the pandemic).

Do my test scores matter?  Less than you think, but more than you’d like.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the vast majority of colleges and universities have gone completely test optional. Originally, colleges made this change for very practical reasons:  many students simply were unable to take the tests at the time.

However, for many schools, the decision to go test optional was also a strategic one:  it made it easier for students to apply with lower test scores. The result was that more and more students applied to all sorts of universities–especially the ones at the top of the US News rankings. The effect for colleges was two-fold.  First, they did receive more applications from a wider range of students who might not have ever applied. Students with top grades and tons of human potential from low-performing high schools applied to the Ivy League and other top schools, and these schools were finally able to select from an expanded pool.  And the Ivies (and others) did choose kids from this pool, catapulting kids into the upper echelons of American society overnight.

Second, test optional policies also allowed schools to manipulate their rankings a bit. Only kids with tippy top scores submitted them, while others with average or below average scores did not. Colleges then reported the average test scores of applicants and matriculants to the ranking agencies–and these averages magically went up!  With the lower scores no longer submitted, some schools made multiple point gains in their average test scores during the pandemic.  Effectively, the policy led to cherry-picking through the willful participation of students.

Nevertheless, test “optional” does not mean the same as “test blind”. The University of California does not consider scores at all.  These schools are completely test “blind:”  no one submits them ever.  But admissions offices with “test optional” policies are delighted when you send them high test scores.  Most schools will consider you seriously if you have high scores.

This is especially true if your grades are less than stellar. If you have lousy grades, a high score can give an admissions officer some evidence that you are capable of doing college level work.  Especially at the more selective schools. Including the Ivy League, Stanford, and MIT. You clearly have a better chance of admission with a set of high test scores–especially if you come from an expensive private or boarding school, or if you attend outstanding suburban high schools noted for their educational quality and the range of academic opportunities afforded their students.

 Thus, if you have opportunity, you have the opportunity to prepare for and take the tests–and get a relatively higher score than peers in rural America, urban America, or areas of greater poverty.

Do my test scores matter if I want to apply to the Ivy League?

Yup, they do.

And for the proof that test scores still matter, one has only to look at the Common Data Set of some of the most selective universities.  Both Brown and Dartmouth listed test scores as “very important” factors in admission on their 2021-2022, post-pandemic reports.  Even Harvard, which says that ALL factors are “considered” in admission (neither important nor unimportant, but simply “considered”) ,includes test scores as one of the many factors that are part of their admissions process. The reality is that at the most competitive colleges and universities (with some exceptions, like the U of California system) still want you to have high test scores if you can present them on the application.

If you want to look at a full list of schools that are currently “test optional” or “test blind,” head on over to Fair Test, a non-profit organization that promotes the elimination of the standardized tests in the admissions process.

 

What does your GPA mean?

Do my test scores matter if I need financial aid?

Definitely.

Let’s start from this premise:  colleges and universities are businesses.  In order to operate, they need money.  Thus customers who can pay the full price of admission are highly desired in the admissions process.  And while it is true that many of the wealthiest universities in the country (e.g., the Ivy League) are generous with the students for whom they provide financial aid, the fact is that the majority of students in the Ivy League pay full price (on average:  more students pay full price at Brown than at Harvard).

So when it comes to giving out financial aid, colleges tend to be more picky about whom they give that money to.  Therefore, the more evidence an applicant provides that they are worthy of that money, the more likely that applicant is to receive it.

And a test score is evidence.  Very solid evidence. 

These scores matter even more when it comes to the awarding of financial aid and merit-based scholarships. Nearly all universities will give preferential treatment (read: more money) to those students who have both good grades and high test scores. Many colleges and universities key their merit-based scholarships directly to test scores. The higher the score, the more scholarships you may receive.

So from a dollars and cents perspective, spending a bit of money to raise your SAT or ACT score a few points higher may mean thousands more dollars in scholarships from certain universities. In some cases, even a single point on your ACT composite score can mean the difference between a scholarship of $5000 per year and $10,000 per year. If you do the math, this means that you could get $20,000 more free money for higher education just by studying a bit harder for the tests. Investments in test prep can repay themselves handsomely, depending on which colleges or universities you may be targeting.

Oh, and this is in addition to getting in:  if you want the money, you have to get in first. And a high test score–as explained–can help you do just that.

Bottom line:  your test scores matter

While standardized tests are not the only factor in college admissions, they do matter a lot. The more selective the university, the more they matter.

And if you’re looking for financial aid or merit-based scholarships, your scores on these tests may make the difference between affordable and unaffordable.
So don’t neglect to prepare. A better score means more and better options for you as you continue to navigate the entire college selection and admissions process.

How do I know whether my test scores matter for me, in particular?

While it’s great to read general principles here, you may still be wondering whether your tests scores really matter in your case. How do the test scores compare to other factors? Will a particular score help you or hurt you when applying to a specific college?  How do you know whether to submit those scores or not?  Should you take the test again (horrors!).  

The expert college admissions counselors at Great College Advice can help you navigate the uncertain waters of the entire college preparation, selection, and application process.  We can help you place your own performance on those dreaded tests in the proper perspective, and help you develop a strategy for admissions to the schools on your list.  

If you need help interpreting your scores, finding a great test prep tutor, or developing a strategy of which test you should take in order to be competitive for your preferred colleges and universities, give us a call or contact us through this website.

 

Financial Aid, Admissions, and “Need Blind” Policies

need blind admission vs need aware admission and how to win a scholarship

What is Need Blind Admission to College?

Clients have asked me repeatedly to explain the relationship between the financial aid and admissions offices. To help them to understand how financial need is factored into admissions decisions. Usually, these questions revolve around whether a college is “need-blind” or “need-aware.” So in this post, I’ll try to shed some light on how the admissions and financial aid offices at private colleges work together and the difference between need blind vs need aware admissions.

Need Blind Admission Policies and “Enrollment  Management”

Generally, the Admissions and Financial Aid offices are operated separately. But usually, the two are overseen by a Dean or Vice-President of “Enrollment Management,” or some such title. This should give you a clue that the two offices, while administratively independent, are two sides of the same coin.

Both are tasked with recruiting and then retaining students, providing just enough resources to keep the income flowing into the university. Tuition dollars, after all, are the lifeblood of any institution of higher education. Both offices have the responsibility to keep the dollars flowing in.

As prospective students apply to the university, they send their applications to the office of admissions, naturally. They apply for financial aid around the same time. Their applications for aid are processed by the Office of Financial Aid. So, it seems, in some ways that the two are separate, and most colleges like to help create the image that admissions decisions are completely separate from financial aid decisions.

Believe me, they are not.

Colleges That Offer Need Blind vs Need Aware Admission

Only one group of colleges can make any claim that the two decisions are separate: those practicing “need-blind” admissions. These colleges are generally very wealthy with large endowments, and their number is quite small. I’ll come back to this exception in a moment. But suffice it to say that the financial aid and admissions offices must work together if they are to ensure the continuity and adequacy of the institution’s income stream.

Both the admissions and financial aid offices start the process with an annual budget–an amount of money that can be used for financial aid.

Some of this budget is “hard” money (interest income from endowed scholarships). But the overwhelming majority of financial aid is given in the form of discounts on the price of tuition. Colleges may call these “grants” or “scholarships,” but internally colleges discuss their “discount rate”: the average discount off the tuition sticker price they will offer in a given year.

A large percentage of the financial aid budget goes to fund currently enrolled students. Most (but not all) colleges distribute their aid budgets to ensure that current students can continue their progress toward their degrees. Keep in mind that any individual’s financial need can change from year to year, or even from semester to semester. In order to retain students, perhaps 75% or more of the total financial aid budget goes to continuing students.

Does Need Blind Admission Really Exist?

Admissions officers try to read your application without prejudice. But admissions folks have clues regarding a family’s ability to pay.  Most applications ask whether you plan to apply for financial aid. If you check “no,” then you are considered a full-pay student. In addition, colleges review family background. If the father is a surgeon and the mother an attorney (or a plumber and a waitress, respectively) admissions officers make some plausible assumptions about the ability to pay.

Once the admissions office has made a decision on which students to admit, the director will submit the entire list to the financial aid office for review. The financial aid office compares the aggregate financial need of the entire class with the amount of aid available for incoming freshmen. If the need far exceeds the dollars available, financial aid will kick the list back to admissions with the comment, “if we admit this class, we’ll go broke–go back to the drawing board.”

If this occurs, then the admissions office begins another review of applications, focusing on those kids who are “on the bubble,” or who are borderline admissions cases. Needy students on the borderline will be rejected, and replaced with students who didn’t quite make the cut–but who can pay full price. This process will continue until the admissions office can resubmit the list, and the financial aid office is satisfied that the institution will not over-commit itself.

Now let’s look at the small number of colleges who claim that their admissions process is “need blind.” These colleges are wealthy. They not only have a high discount rate, but they also have endowment funds to draw upon if, for some reason, the admissions office ends up admitting way too many students with financial need. But “need blind” does not mean “need ignorant.”

Experienced admissions staffers know that they cannot admit a freshman class comprised solely of students who need a full tuition scholarship. They have to balance the full-pay students against the full-ride students. Even wealthy colleges have budgets that are not infinitely expandable. Admissions staff at “need blind” colleges simply have a bit more wiggle room.

As I have said, admissions officers do have clues about a student’s ability to pay right on the application. In this sense, all college admissions processes are “need aware.”

More evidence that need blind admission is a myth

There is one other piece of evidence that helps us to understand that need-blind admission doesn’t really exist in ideal form. Colleges publish statistics about how many of their students receive different types of aid. We can track, for example, the percentage of the entering freshman class received need-based at Brown.

If Brown were truly and completely “need blind” and not “need aware,” we would expect that from year to year, there would be relatively big fluctuations in the amount of aid awarded. Some years, the class might be comprised of lots of kids who had high financial need but were otherwise remarkable applicants. In other years, maybe fewer remarkable, poor kids apply.

What the statistics tell us, however, is that Brown’s financial aid budget is fairly steady from year to year (discounting inflation). And–more important–the percentage of entering students receiving need-based financial aid is also fairly steady at 40% (with 60% of students paying full price).

We do not see those expected fluctuations from year to year based on the quality of the applicants. Strangely, no matter who applies, the percentage of aid recipients stays roughly the same from year to year and even decade to decade.

Need Blind vs Need Aware in Admission–A Summary

So what conclusions can we draw from this relationship between admissions and financial aid?

First, full-pay students have an admissions advantage over scholarship students at most universities. This fact is not one that we like to admit, but reality bites, sometimes.

Second, students who need scholarships (or grants) to attend college should consider applying to colleges where they are at the top of the selectivity curve. You do not want to be “on the bubble,” because you either are less likely to be admitted or your aid package is likely to be less generous than at a college where you are one of the top recruits.

To be even more specific, if the middle 50% score on the ACT for Elmer College is between 24 and 28, the high-need student with a 24 will be less desirable than the high-need student with a 32. If you have a 24 ACT and need a full ride, look for colleges that have a middle 50% range of 19-22, and your chances go up for both admission and financial aid.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

Is Early Decision Binding or Not?

Is early decision really binding?

Applying early decision is not a good idea for every college applicant. For some, sending out a single application could be financially foolish because it carries a binding agreement to attend that school no matter what. And for others, the binding nature of early decision can lead to some uncomfortable situations. Read this and contact us for more guidance.

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