Hi! Should you submit your SAT scores if they are a little above the 25th percentile for a school? Or what is the “cut-off” or decision point for going test optional? Thanks!
It depends on the strength of the rest of the app, and if the applicant is hooked. If unhooked, you have to make a call…does your SAT score strengthen the app, or add any meaningful information? If not, why send?
What does your HS GC recommend? If you haven’t asked them (and you have a college counselor at your HS), you should do so.
2 Likes
We went to an information session last year at Pitt. The AO said that if you are proud of your score, then send it. If you didn’t really want to tell your parents, don’t tell them either.
While this is vague, she also said that they are truly test optional and do not secretly prefer to see a score. Based on what I heard, my takeaway was that above the 50th % of reported scores, send it. Below, go test optional.
I know that the personal statement is optional, but it is required if you go TO. I’d definitely put extra time into the essay if TO.
3 Likes
They (AOs) rarely give a good answer.
How is your overalll app? Pitt is a great school and because of that the acceptance rate has fallen from 2/3 to under half in quick order. but with a great GPA, one will likely get in.
Test scores are considered which doesn’t mean a lot of weight is given. 63% submitted but remove athletes and it’s likely a bit higher.
How is your gpa, your class rank. Do you outperform in other areas ? Are you a top 10% rank for example ?
That could be good for going TO.
AOs at other test optional colleges suggested (as a general rule) sending standardized test scores only if they were at or above the 50th percentile for the school.
2 Likes
So my two cents is it can be worth looking at the 2020-21 Common Data Set, which is typically about the last first-year class admitted before colleges went test optional as a result of COVID. Here is Pitt’s (Pittsburgh campus):
Based on this, it looks like the midpoint back then for enrolled students was a 30 ACT and around a 1330 SAT, give or take (they don’t report SAT composite, so this is an estimate from the subscores, which is not quite accurate but I think good enough for this purpose). 25th percentile was 28 ACT, SAT roughly was 1243.
Now compare to the latest CDS:
ACT 50th is now 31, SAT is around 1370. 25th for ACT is up to 29, for SAT around 1280.
The thing is, this is enrolled students, so all those applicants were necessarily successful. The reason that test scores materially below the median were considered not “good” test scores anyway during the test required era was a combination of two things: hooked applicants being on a different scale, and people being required to submit “not good” test scores but getting in despite them.
OK, so the hooked applicants thing is still a potential problem, but in a test optional world, no one is required to submit a “not good” test score and therefore no one enrolled should be getting in despite a “not good” test score (of course some people may miscalculate, but over time it should become not many as people get used to a test optional world). I note if that theory is correct, we should see 25ths and medians creeping upward as lower “not good” scores get eliminated from the enrolled pool and mostly only “good” scores remain. And with Pitt, like so many other colleges, that is exactly what we see.
So personally, I think this means we can be more generous with what counts as a “good” test score these days. On the other hand, we still have to watch out for nonrepresentative hooked applicants, since a “good” score for them is not necessarily a “good” score for unhooked applicants.
To do that, I think we can use the old medians from the pre-test-optional era. I think this largely dodges the hooked applicant problem and leaves you largely in the zone where test scores are likely “good” for unhooked applicants too. Typically such a score will be slightly below the test-optional median, but still above the test-optional 25th, and that is what we see with Pitt. And that is consistent with the theory you are still in the range above where the “good” scores are only good for hooked applicants.
OK, long story short, I would personally still consider a 30 ACT or 1330ish SAT to be a “good” test score for Pitt, meaning I think an unhooked applicant could reasonably consider submitting them. That would still depend on the entire context of your application–like, if you had really stellar grades at a very rigorous HS, that would still warrant relying only on those. But in many cases I would think it would help to submit test scores at that level as providing confirmation you are academically well-qualified for Pitt.
1 Like
For whatever it’s worth, one of my daughter’s friends applied without submitting scores last cycle to Pitt (OOS/Dietrich) and she received $10,000 in merit and was accepted into honors. (She was unhooked but had high gpa/weighted gpa with strong ECs.)
2 Likes
Since Pitt superscores the SAT, are these reported median scores superscores?
Yes, the CDS ACT/SAT ranges should be superscored.
1 Like
S24 accepted today to Pitt, School of Computing and Information.
He applied TO (SAT, 1380). Last year 70% of applicants submitted scores for the Computer Science department and a lower percentage submitted in other departments. Going TO did not slow down his application since he heard really early. GPA 3.92 (UW), a strong essay, resume with average ECs (no volunteering or leadership), and applying early (8/3) was enough.
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.