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Ask any high school student what part of the college application process scares them the most, and the vast majority will reply: “standardized tests.” So much attention is paid to the SAT and ACT—by the media, by educators, by test-prep companies—that you may start to wonder if the rest of your application even matters. Well, I’m here to put some of those fears to rest and assure you that—while standardized tests are often an important part of reviewing your application—they are almost NEVER the most important part.
First, some logistical things to keep in mind… it is very important that you find out each college’s policy on standardized tests, especially as they relate to taking the tests multiple times. Some colleges average your scores together, while others look at the first two tests only. Some, like The College of New Jersey, always take your highest combination of SAT scores, no matter how many times you’ve taken the test.
You may want to try both tests, since some students wind up doing much better on one than the other. Depending on your college’s location, however, an ACT score may be given less weight than an SAT score… though more and more schools are following TCNJ’s lead and using whichever test you scored higher on when reviewing your application.
In regards to the SAT, you also need to find out their policy toward the Writing Section. Some schools use it, others don’t (or only use it for placement purposes, such as determining whether you can test out of an introductory writing class). Ultimately, I expect more and more schools to evaluate your Writing score in the years to come, once there is more data on how effective that section is in judging your writing ability. Regardless, it’s a key question to ask an Admissions Counselor, because when they tell you their college’s average SAT score, it will help to know if it’s for two sections of the test or all three! At TCNJ, we don’t weigh the Writing section in our admissions decisions.
Speaking of averages, pay close attention to the numbers college representatives offer when talking about standardized test scores! “Average” does not mean “minimum”; in fact, few schools have SAT or ACT cutoffs that you must meet to be considered for admission. I can’t tell you how many times a student has said to me, “I loved TCNJ and wanted to apply, but you said that the average SAT score for accepted students was a 1300, and I only scored a 1220!” That student had a good chance to be admitted, but they misinterpreted the numbers. I encourage you to ask for the “middle 50%” range of standardized test scores, which gives you an idea of what the majority of accepted students scored.
Now, some colleges have a policy of “optional reporting” when it comes to standardized tests. These schools may appeal to you if you weren’t happy with your test scores, but keep in mind that their applications may require additional supplements (an extra writing sample, for example). The reason why more colleges haven’t embraced this philosophy, like TCNJ, is that standardized tests are still the best—though hardly perfect—way of comparing students from different states and school districts.
The best advice I can share about standardized tests and college admissions is to relax… the time and effort you’ve put into four years of high school will always be more valuable to a college Admissions Counselor than how you scored on a random Saturday morning. TCNJ thoroughly reviews every application regardless of the standardized test scores, and in future weeks you’ll learn all about the other vital parts of your application!
Matt Middleton
Matt Middleton is a graduate from The College of New Jersey's class of 2000. He is now the Assistant Director of Admissions for Out-of-State Recruitment and a proud member of the Admissions Office for the past 10 years.
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