Test optional, when it is a good idea and when it is a bad idea?

Applying to College
1

On the surface it would seem to to make sense to consider test optional (if available) when the following are present:

  1. Excellent GPA and a rigorous course load but relatively poor test scores in comparison
  2. #1 is true and there are no additional essays, videos, portfolios or the like required to submit as test optional
  3. #1 is true and while there is extra work required, it is manageable or the work asked for is in the student's area of strength.
  4. Test score puts the applicant in the lower end of the application pool whereas without it, the gpa has the applicant higher (reach versus match, etc).

It does not seem to make sense if the following are present:

  1. Test scores are high, gpa is lower in comparison

From there it gets a bit murky to me.

-If grades and test scores are relatively equal, does it help/hurt or is it neutral?
-Does the complexity of what is required to apply test optional influence whether it helps/hurts or is neutral? For example if a student opts for test optional but writes a poor required essay or bungles a zeemee, that would seem to hurt.
-Does going test optional lessen the chance, or improve it, for merit awards?

While my questions are a bit specific to my B+/A- student I am curious as to what people think in general. Most of his schools are test optional, relatively high admission rates and almost all superscore. In his case we have already sent scores to 5 schools so far and have 2 left to send but I keep seeing the test optional box on his common app pages. For the 2 that are left to send I don’t know that it helps him at all to not send, and may well hurt in one case where the test score is in the middle 50 but gpa is just barely out of the bottom 25, but I am really not sure.

My feeling has been it is not advantageous for him to withhold them, as while they are not terribly strong with a 25 superscore composite (and he is unlikely to test again), given the list of schools he is applying to…all safeties or matches, they put him in the middle 50%, as does his GPA. I fear with a very average gpa (but decent rigor and EC’s) that withholding the test scores are more likely to hurt if they have any kind of an impact at all. Our school doesn’t weight or rank so there is limited data as it is for his colleges especially those our HS has little or no track record with.

Curious as to folks thoughts in general on the topic!

2

I don’t know much about test optional schools, but I thought this was just an option for admission purposes.

For merit they still require test scores I thought.

3

@mommdc specific to the schools we have looked at, it varies on the merit.

4

Interesting thread. Do any posters have experience/knowledge where the cutoff might be to send in SATs to a test-optional college? I would GUESS any above the median score, and that it might depend on GPA and other factors.