Do SAT Scores Still Matter?

By: Noah Solinga

As many High School students know, SAT scores are now considered optional when applying to colleges. According to Robert Farrington of Forbes, test-optional was a result of Covid. As it became more and more difficult to go to a testing center because of restrictions, colleges dropped this requirement.

But does this mean that students should ignore the SAT entirely? Farrington argues that students should still take the SAT in case they do well, as it could make their application more competitive. He noted that many college admissions officers agreed with this.

Bryan Galvin, a standardized testing expert, supported this conclusion by saying, "Even at test-optional schools, the trend remains that students with higher test scores are admitted at higher rates than those without them."

Galvin also notes that there is a distinction to be made between test-blind and test-optional schools. While score-blind schools wouldn't care even if you got a 1600, test-optional schools still would prefer to see a good score. 

He added that a score-optional school might even “offer more merit aid to students with higher scores on standardized tests”.

Some colleges may be up to four times as likely to admit a student who submitted a score.

Additionally, taking the SAT cannot hurt, as you do not have to submit scores if you choose not to. If you do well, however, a strong score can make up for weaker parts of your application, like grades.

The private tutoring company Ivy Bound raises three important points in this regard:

First, while some colleges may not require an SAT score, it is vital to do this for competitive schools.

Second, many test-optional universities offer extra financial aid for admitted applicants with a strong score.

Last, it is incredibly beneficial to foreign students to submit a score when applying to American universities. This is because many American universities are not familiar with the level of rigor of non-American curricula, but a good score shows that their curriculum was strong.

In the end, the SAT does still matter.