I’m curious what schools you or your kids got significan merit scholarships to if they didn’t submit tests. How much or percentage and if you don’t mind saying which schools and if not maybe the region and type of school. My daughter currently has a 1330 and I’m learning towards not submitting because it feels like it would just hold her back unless she’s above 75% but that percentile seems to keep changing every year and getting drastically higher. She’s only a junior but in the thick of visiting schools. Oh and she has a 4.0 and will likely have an unweighted 4.0 of very close when she applies. She homeschools and doesn’t take AP but will likely have 8 completed college courses when she applies early action.
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I applied test optional with around unweighted 3.9 and weighted 4.4 (depending on how each college converts gpas) and have been accepted to and received merit awards to the following:
Florida Institute of Technology- highest merit award of $21,000 This brings the total amount down to around $29,000 per year
Wingate University- $31,500. This brings the total amount due down to around $18,000 per year
Belmont University- highest merit award of $10,000. In my letter it also states that named endowment awards will be released in March. Hopefully there is more coming to me 
because the total amount is still in the mid 40s after subtracting the $10,000 award.
Randolph-Macon College- highest merit award of $29,000 and an invite to interview for full tuition
Nova Southeastern University- $20,000 (still awaiting acceptance into a Razors Edge which would bring the amount to $28,000) Total amount is around $29,000 but could go down to $21,000 per year
Baylor University- award hasn’t been issued yet
Stetson University- award hasn’t been issued yet
I’m still waiting to hear back from 9 more schools. I’ve also looked up what the required score for AP exams is for each of the schools I’ve applied to and if they will count towards the general education requirements or just electives. I plan to eventually get either my clinical psychology doctorate degree or an MD in psychiatry so I’m trying to shave off a year of undergrad 
You probably also should check to see what is required for homeschooled students. Some colleges want to see scores because that can be the basis for partially evaluating the student.
And some colleges require scores for consideration for merit aid.
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So far I think two of the schools she is looking at require require scores and NY makes us jump through different hoops since we are out of state and cannot meet their normal requirements.
My oldest 2 (class of 2023 & 2024) are homeschooled. We encountered quite a few schools that were test optional, except for homeschooled students. So definitely look into that. If your daughter is a junior, I’d recommend taking the SAT again in the spring or at the June test date. My S24 raised his score by 60 points between the October & June dates last year. Another option is to try the ACT. (When I was in HS I got a 36 on my second try but never got over a 1500 on SAT. Some people do better on one than the other.)
We also assumed a different calculation for “does this score add to your application” than a traditionally schooled student. I think the score adds a stronger support to the quality of education/likelihood of success in college than it does for a traditionally schooled student.
Basically, I think if she can get the score over 1400 it is probably worth submitting just about everywhere (maybe not the tippy-top schools, if she is looking at those). And even if it doesn’t come up mich, a score in the mid to high 1300s is, I think, a good support for her.
My opinion might change if the DE classes she is doing are at a really solid 4-year (rather than a CC or a less reputable 4–year). If she gets good grades in her DE classes at a challenging college, then the test score might not be necessary. The DE classes my kids did a CC were much easier than their online AP classes, so I didn’t put much hope in them being a plus in their column for applications, except that they showed the kids could handle themselves in a classroom setting.
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Do you mind me asking where you are finding that requires SAT scores for homeschoolers? So far we have Seton Hall and George Washington. Damn, I didn’t know St. Josephs also requires. We are looking mostly in the Northeast. She is retaking in December but has not studied a lot and I have a feeling isn’t going to make much change. She will test once in spring and then likely be done.
Are your kids 2023 and 2024 from high school or college?
Those are their HS years. One applied last year and the other is applying right now.
Several colleges in CT (that S24 decided not to apply to) required the score. Maybe Quinnipiac or Fairfield or both? I think there were others but I don’t remember details because it was a few months ago when I looked. Also, while some schools didn’t require them, when we talked to AOs they often said they preferred to see scores or “other strong outside confirmation” of achievement for homeschooled students.
I think this is a very different question as a homeschooler and as a student hoping for merit. Some may require for either homeschool or merit, you need to look individually. I went through this process twice with homeschool students. I suspect your DE GPA will be much more important than any GPA you are assigning at home. But if your student has a strong DE GPA across many disciplines, that may be helpful.
I did have one student with test scores to apply anywhere and 35 DE credits (GPA 4.0). And then my 2nd kid had 45 DE credits (GPA 3.81) and went mostly test optional (due to covid, we spelled this out in the school profile and in the section about covid impacts in the common app). I will say both my kids did similarly in terms of admissions and merit money. Both did DE on campus at well regarded CCs and my 2nd also did some DE at a 4 year flagship. I suspect if your student is taking hard hitting DE classes and 30+ credits at application time (English, math, SS, Science covered) you may not need that test score unless it is otherwise required for homeschoolers. But 8 DE classes can also be less than 20 credits too and might not make much impact if you don’t have a breadth of core subjects. If that’s the case you may want the score.
Just make sure you have an affordable academic safety that your student can thrive at and discourage the concept of a dream school that rejects most. If your student is a junior, I would have another try next spring/summer with maybe a little warm up prior. Because many students will just naturally go up after another year of academic course work.
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I was looking for something else this evening (frustrated about last minute requirements from UB for homeschooled students grrrrr) & found this article from Compass Prep. It is from last summer but looks like it has some info on which schools require test scores for homeschooled students. Of course, you’d want to check the school website/touch base with an AO to confirm.
Hopefully she can increase that score, but 1330 is not bad. I think she is better off submitting this score, because she is homeschooled, so it confirms her achievement.
I think she should submit the score. Schools may want the scores given she is homeschooled. I also recommend taking the SAT again and trying the ACT.
You indicated on your other post that the student has a lot of safety schools on her list and that you were considering omitting scores for her target and reach schools (for merit purposes). I think some of these schools will want to see scores, even if they do not explicitly state this.
I would retake the SAT and take the ACT. She has a lot of safety schools, which is great. She can try for the reaches and see how it goes!
She is currently doing DE precalc and environmental science through ASU and a world language 203 through WVU, she completed the world language 101 and 102 in person at a CC. Next semester she is taking ENG 101 in person at a CC, calculus and sociology through ASU.
Senior year she will likely be taking English 102, statistics, another science, and three other courses but not positive what yet, but obviously those won’t be completed when she’s applying. In the fall of senior year she will have 25 completed credits in world language, English, social sciences, math, and science.
@Momtotwoteens it may be worth a private SAT/ACT tutor and a shot at standardized test. My daughter was able to go from about a 31/32 on ACT to 36 with about 10 hours of concentrated prep reviewing mistakes and learning strategies. Furthermore, the math attained in 11th grade can help improve scores as well. Just food for thought. 1330 at a young age is very good and moveable, we also do not know how friendly the schools will be towards TO in the near future.