How important are SAT and ACT scores to college admissions?

Extremely. Colleges don’t look at test scores alongside your application – they don’t say, “Jenny is a great girl, we like her essay, and oh – she has great scores, too!” Instead, they look at a folder with your school, GPA, and test scores – if the metrics aren’t high enough, and if you don’t have any special earmarks, your application might never get read in the first place. You need scores higher than your target schools’ minimum “cut-off” points in order for your application to get read.

High SAT and ACT scores won’t necessarily get you into a college, but low scores will certainly keep you out.

Even at “score optional” colleges, high test scores are still extremely important. While these schools don’t require test scores, they still want to publish high average test scores for their student bodies, so if you have really great scores, you’ll really be sweetening the deal for these colleges as well.

For my full, free guide on college admissions, click here.