Self Reporting Test Scores on the Common App

Applying to College
1

Hello,

Just a few questions about the above topic.

  1. Do I have to self report my scores? Can I just send the scores through the College Board and the ACT? I ask because while there are some schools that require all scores, there are schools that don't, and I would like to keep some of my poorer scores hidden from those schools. As far as I know, all scores you list get sent to all the schools you apply to with the Common App, and there's no way to apply different filters for different schools.
  2. Do colleges need an official score report for AP tests? Or is self reporting them good enough?

Thanks!

2
  1. No, you don't need to self report ACT/SAT scores on the common app. Only sending official score reports is fine.
  2. Self-reporting AP scores is enough. You only need to send your official score reports after you commit to a school in order to get college credit (if your scores are high enough).
3

You can make changes to the Common App between submissions. So, for example, you could self-report scores to one college, submit that app, then edit the testing section to remove some/all self-reported scores before you submit to the next college.

Just be careful/stay organized regarding what you are sending/not sending if you choose to change content between schools.