SAT scores Dilemma

NiceUnparticularMan
Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:46:07 +0000

The evidence I have seen supports this logic:

Ihopethebest:

I heard on the internet that when you don’t submit your SAT scores, your going to be thought of having a very low score.

Maybe not “very” low, but you are likely giving them good news when you submit a score at their 25th percentile, in that they would typically assume you did not have a score that good if you did not submit.

I actually personally think even a score a bit under the 25th, at least at a college with a lot of test optional applicants, is still much more likely to be helpful or neutral than harmful. Neutral of course is likely a big category at the margins, but that’s fine. The real question is how often is it likely to be helpful, and how often harmful. And from what I have seen AOs say, and a bit of data, I am thinking helpful outnumbers harmful into a range below the 25th, at least at most TO colleges.