The pandemic has upended everything in the college application process. But the most radical change has to do with testing. Most schools have made standardized testing optional during coronavirus, or have done away with it all together. That’s because you can’t ask thousands of kids to cram into testing centers and classrooms across the country during a pandemic. Stanford is one of those schools, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the test.
Taking the Test
The test-optional year has been a success for many students who don’t “test well.” But when applying to one of the most competitive schools in the nation, you’re going to need every edge you can get. Stanford’s acceptance rate in 2020 was just five percent. That’s insane. And if you have any hope of getting in, it’s going to take everything you’ve got. If thousands apply and only five percent get in, schools are going to need ways to break ties between kids. Scores, along with grades, have long been the most important factor in your application. So, strong test scores are going to be weighted in your favor at a school like Stanford that will still consider scores. And you better believe your competition is preparing for and taking the test.
The Myth of the 25th Percentile
Stanford publishes its 25th-75th percentile scores. What we mean by this is on its admissions site it shows you the range of scores its accepted students received. This means they’re also showing you the scores of kids who were in the lower quarter of scores and got in anyway. This framing gives students the idea that maybe—just maybe—they can get in with lower scores if they have a good GPA and great extra-curriculars. But the thing to keep in mind is that Stanford, like all other colleges, is a business above all else.
In recent years, schools have worked to drive down their admissions rates. Being seen as a more selective school usually correlates to a strong endowment. People want to donate to their alma mater if it’s considered one of the most competitive in the world. But schools don’t drive down their admissions rates by selecting fewer students and losing the tuition on those students. They do it by attracting more applicants, most of whom have no shot at getting in.
Schools like Stanford publish the full range of applicant scores because telling kids that most of you aren’t going to get in unless you have a 1580 or above on the SAT, will turn kids off from applying. That’s bad for business. In order to remain the most competitive school in the nation, it needs a ton of kids to apply. If you are not at or above the 75th percentile and you don’t build rocket ships in your spare time, you don’t have much of a shot. Consider, the kids who are somehow getting in with lower scores are either building rocket ships or have special circumstances.
The only percentage that actually matters as far as you’re concerned is five percent—the admissions rate last year. If you want to be in that five percent, your scores need to be as close to perfect as possible.
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