TCU is test optional through 2024, so you may wonder whether you should submit SAT or ACT test scores for your application. Check out five reasons to submit or not submit your score.

5 Reasons to Submit Your Score

1. It Can’t Hurt You
You may be really proud of your score and that’s great! By all means, submit it with your application. And we’ve already admitted more than 5,000 students who either didn’t submit test scores or whose scores weren’t used because of our Do No Harm policy, which is pretty unique in college admissions. This means that if your SAT or ACT could hurt your chances of admission or scholarship, we throw it out anyway. So, submitting a test score can’t hurt.

2. It May Help Place You
Some majors have traditionally used SAT or ACT scores to help place students into the appropriate courses. Submitting your score could help you bypass a class you don’t need or take an additional course to reinforce key concepts before moving on in your academic career.

3. It’s Available Now
Many testing centers have opened back up and have safety guidelines in place. Check SAT test dates, find a center and look up closures on the CollegeBoard website. Find information for ACT test dates and centers on the ACT website.

4. It Might Be Free
Many schools now offer SAT and ACT testing on campus, sometimes for free. Check with your school counselor and find more information on the CollegeBoard website or ACT website. This also means you may not need to travel to an unfamiliar testing site on a Saturday. 

5. Others Might Require It
Many colleges and universities waived standardized test scores for admission last year, and many have also extended the exemption. But if you are applying to a school that requires SAT or ACT scores for admission, you’ll need to take the test anyway. Make sure you research schools that interest you and familiarize yourself with their visit protocols and application requirements so you can plan accordingly.

5 Reasons Not to Submit Your Score

1. Reduce Stress
Applying to colleges, applying for financial aid and scholarships, keeping up with your grades and activities in high school – these challenges already place stress on you and your family, so why add to that stress by worrying about test prep? We originally went test optional because of limited testing centers open and limited resources to test prep during the pandemic, and we know many people still struggle with historical and new barriers to testing. So, don’t stress too much about taking college admission tests and submitting your scores to TCU. You won’t be penalized either way.

2. Save Money
College admission tests come with direct and indirect fees and these can add up when you take a test more than once. Many families also spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on test prep, including books, courses and coaches. If you don’t think you’ll benefit from submitting your scores, keep that money in the bank.

3. Save Time
Time is money, right? You’ll save both if you decide not to study for and take the SAT or ACT. If you know you don’t want or need to submit your test score, you’ll have more time to focus into homework, school activities, volunteering in the community, enjoying your last years of high school and exploring the colleges that will provide the community and resources to support your personal growth.

4. You’re Not the Best at Tests
If you think you’ll ace a college admission test or already have, submit your score. But if you’re just not a great test taker or the pressure of a timed test makes your palms too sweaty to hold your pencil, then – don’t sweat it. Test optional at TCU truly means optional, so you won’t be penalized for admission or scholarship consideration.

5. We Consider Many Other Variables
We have a holistic admission process, meaning we don’t just look at your GPA and test scores. Since TCU is a selective university, we’re able to consider all credentials, both academic and co-curricular, as well as teacher and counselor evaluations, when reviewing an application for admission. We value applicants with strong character and an ability to engage meaningfully with their community. 

 

If you want to learn more about our test-optional policy, read our blog post titled "Test-Optional through 2023" or watch the recording of our Facebook Live discussing college visits & standardized testing. If you still have questions, you can send them to frogmail@tcu.edu or contact your admission counselor.