Wondering if people think the middle 50% for test scores at colleges will be lower this coming year because of lack of access to testing?
If you’re looking at colleges that are going test optional, I would expect them to have higher averages. Since students will get to choose if they submit their scores, it would make sense that only students with above average scores would submit them.
However, for colleges that require scores, I would think that the averages would be the same or drop just a tiny bit. I think that students that fall under the average should still try and find an opportunity (if safe) to try and improve their score.
@cloud21 My daughter is currently at the very top of the middle 50% of her first choice school. It is public and not test optional. I was hoping that would end up putting her above the middle 50% next year.
top of the middle 50% typically means 65 or 70%, so yes she would be above the 50%, it’d would be hard to dip 15% in that 25-75 window.
So the middle 50% for the class of 2024 is 1320 to 1460. She has a 1460 now. She won’t be taking it again. I was wondering if people think the scores will drop next year so maybe we would be looking at 1300-1440. Not even sure it would make much of a difference anyway. Just hoping that it would give her an edge.
I don’t know what will happen, but one could make the case test scores would actually go up, because relatively stronger students take tests earlier, on average. Certainly at TO schools test scores tend to be higher, because students with lower scores don’t submit them.
But I can see the opposite points of view as well.
If the SAT testing in the fall goes as badly as AP testing this month is going, you won’t have to worry about average SAT scores in the next application cycle. Everyone will be throwing their hands in the air and going test optional.
That said, there is very, very little for most high-reaching high schoolers to actually do this summer. So a lot of them might very well spend it doing online test prep (mine and most of her friends will be). In which case scores could potentially be very high in the next application cycle.
I wouldn’t assume anything either way. The standard advice to craft a carefully researched list of safety, match, and reach schools will still apply. The ability to be full pay will likely give those applicants a boost.
Even though many schools have gone TO, and even more may…many, maybe most, TO schools limit the number of test optional acceptances because if >25% of matriculants don’t have a test score, USNWR dings the college’s standardized test scores, which in turn can negatively impact their ranking.
A Tulane (who is TO for this upcoming year) admissions director said on a recent webinar that they will limit their TO acceptances for this very reason, stating “USNWR rankings are important to our President and Trustees”.
I agree that the idea of a homebased online SAT is problematic based on what has happened with AP tests.